Haunted HouseEscapology - Thousand OaksEscape roomIRLProbably the best room at this location - but definitely has a spooky/occult vibe. Not usually our thing but we loved this room DESPITE generally avoiding this theming.
Mansion MurderEscapology - Thousand OaksEscape roomIRLOur favorite room at this location! Everything went smoothly and the theming was solid.
Time MachineCountdown GamesEscape roomIRLFun game. Worth playing but doesn’t have the same “wow factor” as some of their other games.
Murder MansionCountdown GamesEscape roomIRLProbably in our top 5 all-time games. Definitely the best we played here. We detoured a couple hours out of our way on a cross-country trip and are very glad we did!
The Scary OneCountdown GamesEscape roomIRLThis is one of the times where I wish there was an option between thumbs up and thumbs down. A few positives… There is one big reveal at the end that is truly impressive to see, although even for that the disruption in game flow required to make it work almost made it not worth it. One early easy puzzle gave us a bit of a chuckle. Another puzzle in the second part tied a few earlier elements together nicely. Overall however… this was one of the most frustrating games we’ve played in a long time. LOTS of combo locks and LOTS and LOTS of reading (much of it creepy) and often in dim lighting. We really wished there had been a notebook/whiteboard available - true in another of their rooms too, but especially true of this one. There were multiple combo locks required to open a single element, one puzzle (which seemed very promising) that was just a complete dead-end, and another that could be a huge time-waster if you didn’t notice the “trick” early on (which thankfully we did!) Even puzzles-types that we’ve seen often in other rooms played out awkwardly here. We usually appreciate non-linear structures where we can work on different things in parallel but in this case the noise from one puzzle/conversation became too much distraction for another. (This might have been easier if we had something to write with/on.) Our group got to (but didn’t solve) the final puzzle, but I’m not sure that more people would have helped. I started off marking this thumbs up - mostly because the couple of truly unique things will likely impress most enthusiasts - but as I worked through each element of the review, I realized that for us the negatives still outweighed the positives and we really wish we would have chosen one of the other rooms here instead.
Bomb Squad [prev. Undercover Alley]Breakout Games - Hyde ParkEscape roomIRLFun game for the most part. Started off strong but didn’t finish as strong. Probably better for a small group as it’s pretty linear and some puzzles aren’t really open to more than 2 people at once.
PlaygroundThe Escape Game - CincinnatiEscape roomIRLDefinitely recommend! We usually prefer 2-4 people for a room (and can escape easily with that number) but we were pressed for time with 4 people on this one.
Special Ops: Mysterious MarketThe Escape Game - CincinnatiEscape roomIRLThis one is now in our top ten! Immersive and excellent game flow.
Gold FeverThe Ultimate Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLA good room for less experienced players and/or only 1-2 players. Nice variety of puzzles but relatively short. The host was great!
Wrecked101 Escape Rooms - Oaks Mall LocationEscape roomIRLDefinitely our favorite room at either of the 101 Escape Rooms locations. Lots to do. For the most part puzzles were intuitive and varied. Colorful and fun space.
Purgatory - CLOSED101 Escape Rooms - Oaks Mall LocationEscape roomIRLOne of the more creative rooms we’ve done recently. Some puzzles we’ve never seen before and the opening set/atmosphere generates quite a bit of anticipation.
Popstar Revenge101 Escape Rooms - Oaks Mall LocationEscape roomIRLOverall - like pretty much all of the rooms we’ve done at their two locations - it was fine but nothing special. Feels like the experience is worth about half the cost you pay. On the whole, the puzzles were logical, straightforward, and fairly easy. It does have one of the better “finish” moments we’ve experienced.
Darkcade101 Escape Rooms - Oaks Mall LocationEscape roomIRLThis is one of the rooms for which I wish there was an option between thumbs up and thumbs down. It’s not the worst room we’ve done - and definitely better than Altimira at the same company - but it’s hard to truly “recommend” this room, especially for the cost.
The Sherlock SocietyTwo Trees EscapeEscape roomIRLThe room felt remarkably simple given that the conceit of the room is that you have been invited to join a secret sleuthing society where this is your initiation/tryout. There were a couple of interesting moments - the final puzzle especially - but for the most part the experience was neither original nor challenging, and the only moments of “difficulty” came from elements that were exceptionally oversensitive to trigger. Our game host was also distracting at some points, absent at others, and generally awkward at providing hints.
Geno's Getaway - CLOSEDFox-N-Otter Adventure Escapes Asheville Mall LocationEscape roomIRLFun, family friendly game with some novel puzzles. Game flow overall was great. One puzzle was accidentally circumvented by luck - would be nice to see that upgraded. Atmosphere was engaging. A couple of elements were almost too engaging - turned out to be red herrings.
Fantastic Forest - CLOSEDFox-N-Otter Adventure Escapes Asheville Mall LocationEscape roomIRLThis was a cute game, suitable for younger or new players. For the most part puzzles were too heavily cued to make them challenging for experienced players. There were a couple of fun/whimsical thematic elements in the second half which were novel/interesting. We enjoyed the room well enough, but it’s our least favorite of the ones we’ve done with this company.
Bayou BoathouseFox-n-Otter Adventure Escapes Hendersonville LocationEscape roomIRLReally well themed and the owner/host was just fantastic. Might be a touch easy for experienced players, but the environment and gameplay were still quite fun and like all the rooms we’ve done with them, highly suitable for the kids as well as adults.
Out of TimeBlack Mountain EscapeEscape roomIRLExcellent experience! Both rooms we did were fantastic and the hosts were delightful!
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