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!
Twenty Ghosts of ChristmasBrain Games Escape RoomEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 4/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). The set and theme were fun and whimsical. I loved our friend in the room and his instructional guidance. My husband wasn't as big a fan of the amount of guidance he gave (he's one of those, the less hints the better, kinda players) but I thought it took some pressure off and allowed us to move easily thru the game. I loved the film snippets played when you finish a ghost - a great added touch! I'd give this category 1.5 pts. The puzzles were easy enough especially with the guidance our funny little friend provided. With a group of 3, we encountered the mandatory 13 'ghosts' and got 3 bonus ones as well. There were a variety of puzzle types and the experience was catered to our group size and ability. 1 point here. I enjoyed the room a little bit more than the average experience. I liked the variety and personalized experience so 1.5 pts for my enjoyment. Sadly, this was the last room for us to play at this business. I've given all 4 rooms here at least 4 points and 2 of them are on our top 3 escape rooms list (TI and FA). They are most definitely masters at creating unique and creative escape room experiences!
The Last JobConfusion EscapesEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 4/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). The set/theme were super cool and unique, definitely 2 pts here. A prop like no other, let's just say! The heist theme was executed so well from all the stolen goods to money flying everywhere! 💰 Puzzles were good - some tech but the majority consisted of locks. Nothing too novel though so 1 pt here. I really enjoyed this game (1 pt). There were some unexpected surprises but we didn't quite finish due to entering the wrong numbers on the very last puzzle! 🤦♀️ Unfortunately, frustration surrounding trying to identify where something is in the last few moments changed my enjoyment a bit. The GM was kind enough to give us a second chance at the last part which was very kind and allowed us to at least finish the game. All in all, we couldn't have asked for a better 100th escape experience! 🎖️🎊
Mutiny: Skull IslandEscape Games at the RiverEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 4.5/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). This room was so well made! The theme, meh, but the way they executed it was really immersive! I give this category 2 pts. The puzzles were fun but pretty standard. I'm not a huge fan of one particular type of puzzle where you use an uncommon sense (for escape rooms, that is). I give a point for puzzles. This room had some Wow moments and the last part was especially exciting which tipped my enjoyment to 1.5 pts. Had me leaving humming, 'Yo ho, yo ho and a bottle of rum'! 🏴☠️🦜
The Great Candy ChallengeEscape Games at the RiverEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 3.5/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). This room was totes adorb with it's sweet set (literally satisfied my sweet tooth) and cheeky jokes. The set/theme earned 1.5 points. It was immersive and well designed. The puzzles were fun but average. Nothing we hadn't really seen before. We did ask for a few hints and the GM responded with good nudges. I'd give this category a point. I enjoyed this room enough (1pt). It was fun, not necessarily memorable outside of the 'syrupy' jokes and great candy. 😋
Merlin's Magic SchoolEscape Room Palm SpringsEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 3/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). We did 3 experiences at this business (Vampire and Jack the Ripper being the other two) and this one was my fave of the three. It had the most fun puzzles and theme IMO. That being said, each category still earned 1 point from me. It was adequate but nothing memorable.
Vampire's LairEscape Room Palm SpringsEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 3/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). It was… fine. Not terrible, not great—just okay. The theme/set had potential, but the atmosphere felt a bit underwhelming, and the immersion never really kicked in so it gets 1 point in this category. The puzzles were average as well - I give 1 pt in that category. A few were mildly clever and there were some cool unique locks we hadn't seen before but nothing wowed me. If you’ve done a lot of escape rooms, you might find this one a little predictable. The experience itself was decent. The staff was friendly, and the room ran smoothly, but there wasn’t much energy or excitement built into the game. It’s the kind of escape room you won’t dislike, but also won’t be talking about later. Solid 3 point room.
Jack The RipperEscape Room Palm SpringsEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 3/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). This room was the least favorite for me between the 3 we did (vampire's Lair and Merlin). That being said, they all got 3 points. Set/theme was ok in the first part and worse in the second. The whole serial killer theme is really overdone in escape rooms (I mean, how many severed body parts do I have to see already! 🤮). But this set wasn't even spooky IMO. Puzzles weren't that intuitive as evidenced by us needing more hints then we needed in the other rooms. That makes the experience more frustrating than fun. Overall, just another average experience at this location.
Far-FetchedOpen Door Escape Games - RedlandsEscape roomIRLI rate this room a 4.5/5 (ck out my bio for rating system). This room was just adorable. The set/theme stole the show for sure earning 2 points from me, although it probably did nothing to curb the old which one is better - cats or dogs - debate! 😜 The puzzles were just a small step above average so giving them an extra half point for 1.5. There were a couple pretty cool ones, including one that involved a laser and a few with very personalized touches - think Dogritos! I would give 1pt for my enjoyment of this room. It was definitely one of those kinda rooms that you can tell the creators put a lot of love into, which are the best kind!
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!
