Academic MisconductSweet EscapesEscape roomIRLI rate this experience a 3/5 (ck out my bio for my rating system). I think this room has potential for a higher rating considering it was the opening weekend. I would love to give it a higher score! The set design/theme easily earned 2 points. It was very evident that they put a lot of love and energy into this room and business. I gave the puzzles 1 point so basically average. The problem was they just weren't intuitive enough. I understand the room is non-linear so multiple people can work on puzzles at once but it was just challenging to figure out what to do at all! I find these types of rooms require much more hints and even though they called them 'nudges' when we didn't ask for a hint, they gave a lot! When a room needs many hints or 'nudges', it just becomes more frustrating than enjoyable. There's no flow just a solve and screech to a halt kinda experience. For this reason, I deducted a point for enjoyment. They ended up extending our time because as I said, it was opening weekend and they were realizing the room probably needed a 90 minute escape time. I do love the bakery aspect of the business! What a great idea because even when we finish all the experiences there, I could definitely see myself coming back for a treat! The macarons were delectable!
A Christmas StoryOscar’s PlaygroundEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 3/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). It satisfied all of the categories. Theme and set flowed well together and for fans of the Christmas Story, it did not disappoint! It checked all the boxes for that feeling of nostalgia. :) Puzzles were relatively easy, and we finished about halfway thru the hour with 2 people.
Alice SuiteThe Locked InnEscape roomIRLOne of the most well decorated and detailed rooms I've ever experienced. These are the kinda rooms you wish didn't have a time limit because you just want to enjoy the visual wonders they offer. There were so many puzzles I hadn't experienced before as well. The feeling of going down a rabbit hole is a way to describe it as you encountered the multiple different rooms and puzzles in the escape experience. It was truly a unique wonderland of puzzles. The hostess, Ariel, was friendly, fun and encouraging. The puzzles were mostly medium in difficulty. There were quite a few items in the room that did nothing for you which is designed to throw you off I guess - never my favorite but I get why they do that. The very last puzzle didn't work well so just be gentle with it. In addition, I didn't fully grasp our objective. I guess it was to save wonderland, but it wasn't very clear what we were saving it from. Also, it seems they are there only when there is a reservation so might not be available if you're just trying to walk in. All that being said, I loved the experience and would highly recommend it.
Atlantis: The Forgotten CityHypnotic Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 5/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). This room scored all possible points from me. The set/theme was off the charts! It was completely immersive with great attention to detail and a record number of subrooms. No locks to be found anywhere, yet a variety of different puzzles as well as many kinds we hadn't seen before and medium in difficulty for a group of 3 experienced players. It's very important to keep your eyes open in this room because you can easily miss things. I enjoyed it immensely. Lots of 'wowza' moments! I'm eager to try their other rooms at some point!
Back to ChildhoodClockwise Escape Room - PleasantonEscape roomIRLI rate this experience a 3/5 (check out my bio for my rating system). This was a solid but average room with a fun retro theme - probably more for the Xennial crowd. It was relatively easy to get through with maybe 1 or 2 novel puzzles. Good for beginners and those just looking for nostalgic fun.
Beyond The WardrobeGreatest EscapeEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 2/5 (ck out my bio for my rating system). This room just didn't quite cut it for me. The set design and theme were just ok. I deducted a point for the puzzles which I found to be unintuitive for the most part and not particularly novel. There was nothing very exciting about the room and the GM matched that vibe.
Big Brain Labs60Out - HollywoodEscape roomIRLBEST ROOM EVER!! Ok now that I got that out of the way, I rate this room an easy 5/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). This was more of a cinematic production than an escape room. No detail is missed in this room. You can easily see how each piece of the room - set, theme, programming, characters, music, puzzles - were individually tended to. The set and theme were over the top! Easy 2 points. The puzzles varied and used different (big! and small 😜) brain power but all were very doable and creative. Many novelties were found in this room. The great thing is the creator wants you to experience it all so he makes that happen in a reasonable amount of time. And, speaking of time, there is no time limit which really allows for the full enjoyment of the room. Easy 2 points for the puzzles. My enjoyment was thru the roof! I was filled with awe and complete admiration of the creators of this production. I can't say enough about it. Every escape room enthusiast should experience this masterpiece. One additional very cool thing that I have yet to see in an escape experience is the presence of a sensory panel where players can change the volume, the flashing lights or adjust for color blind players. What a thoughtful addition!
Big Trouble in Little ChristmastownTwo Trees EscapeEscape roomIRLGood room for just being one room. Some unique puzzles to be found. A tad lock heavy but fun decor and good Christmas time theme.
Caves of CaneenNext-Gen EscapeEscape roomIRLThis is a recently relocated escape room run by a lovely couple who are obviously very passionate about escape rooms as evidenced by their time and commitment to the endeavor. They are planning an expansion of rooms with a similar theme - something like a fantasy, middle-earth kinda feel. It was definitely a lock heavy room which I don't prefer. In addition, there were copious amounts of letters/papers to read and most of the reading did not contribute to finding clues which again, I don't prefer. Too much distraction. There was limited technology, but I did find the story board, that could or could not be part of the escape (they are still working that out), unique and interesting. It gave a good wrap-up of the plot which is often missed or forgotten in the excitement of the escape. I think this business has a lot of potential and, if I were in the Fresno area, would definitely return to try out another one of their rooms.
ChainedNumber One Escape RoomEscape roomIRLOk this is now my favorite escape room! From the speakeasy-like entrance (NOT what you expect from looking at the outside of the place) to the static state our party of 2 had to maintain in the room, it was an AMAZING experience. There was so much substance in this little room! I normally don't prefer non-linear escapes but this made me rethink that preference! There were a few clues I hadn't seen before and it wasn't a particularly challenging room but the theme and set up made for a VERY unique experience.
