It’s the Second World War and a group of sweaty, stressed 20-somethings is trapped in a dark castle tower.

We’ve been searching for clues that will lead us to freedom for an hour when suddenly, a woman’s voice booms over a sound system, warning us that we have mere minutes to escape. We scramble, darting around the damp chamber in the last frantic moments.

None of us gets out alive.

This is Escape from the Tower — an escape game that involves solving puzzles to get out of a room or building — located in Toronto’s historical Casa Loma. Designed by gaming specialists Company and Co., who run two other escape games in Toronto, and operated through a partnership with Casa Loma’s Liberty Entertainment Group, the new much-hyped escape game opens to the public Aug. 12.

The Star got an exclusive media preview.

My ragtag group of friends — an engineer, a lawyer, a human resources manager, a video editor and two journalists — walk up to Casa Loma’s imposing exterior entirely unsure what we’re in for.

The organizers lead us down stairs to a dank basement pit where our MC, dressed in black, tells us we’re sitting in a never-finished swimming pool. He lays out the rules — don’t use your smartphone, don’t run and don’t break furniture. He then explains the gist of the game — there will be characters we need to interact with and puzzles we need to solve — and plays us a video about the history of the castle. Highlighted is its links to spy activity in the Second World War.

Then we move into a small, shaky elevator that takes us to dark room where an actor with splayed legs tells us he’s the drunk son of a genius U-boat detector. He’s stationed in the tower to help his father but has made mistakes and needs our help.

Our mission? Get to the fourth floor telegraph to send U-boat co-ordinates and “save the war.” He then lays out the challenges that lay between us and the final goal. I’ll keep specifics secret to avoid spoilers for future game-goers, but can safely say that it’s necessary to solve a handful of puzzles to move from floor to floor in the tower.

On one floor, an angry actor with a mop of curly hair shouts instructions at us.

On another, all of us — except the engineer — stare blankly at maps on walls.

All the while, eerie noises play in background and creepy items — including antique-looking dolls and angel figurines — hide in dark corners.

“Yes!” I shout after solving a puzzle with my friend, Sadiya.

We’re all young professionals with serious, demanding jobs but this game is bringing out the childlike wonder in us. Unfortunately, none of that is good enough to save us.

After one hour, as red lights flash and the woman’s voice reminds of our impending doom, we frantically flit from tables to walls, searching for the solution to the last puzzle. And then it’s all over.

“We died, didn’t we?” asks one of my friends.

“Yes,” the game organizer tells us bluntly.

Together, we walk out of Casa Loma sweaty and defeated but with giddy enthusiasm. Turns out theoretical death is a huge stress reliever.

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Just the facts

When: Wednesday to Sunday 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Where: Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace

How: Book online at escapecasaloma.com or buy tickets at the entrance of Casa Loma from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Opening: Aug. 12

Cost: $36 + HST per person on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday. $42 + HST per person Friday and Saturday