40 ThievesMindTrap Escape Room - TemeculaEscape roomIRLI really liked this room! This was my 30th room (25W - 5L) that I played with four other adults with similar statistics. The decorations and puzzles were fabulous! Everything in the room was completely in theme with so many interesting puzzles. The room is mostly non-linear which was great for our group to spread out and solve. No one was just standing around (unless they were confused...). I still consider myself a newbie, so, for me, there were quite a few puzzle-types that I had not encountered before. I would recommend this for double-date nights.
Treasure IslandBrain Games Escape RoomEscape roomIRLShiver me timbers! This was a great room! This was my 54th escape room (48W - 6L) which I played with four other adults with similar statistics. The non-linear room is elaborately decorated with well thought out puzzles all of which are in tip-top condition. The GM was very friendly and respected our request for no clues unless we asked for them (we ended up receiving two). We escaped with 21:21 remaining but don't let that time fool you, it is a medium difficulty room with challenging puzzles (I just rode the coat-tails of my really smart teammates). I appreciated that the timer was set for 75 minutes, because, come on... who likes to fail? The location was easy to find, parking was easy, and the rooms were terrific. We solved three rooms today at this location: Mad Scientist, Treasure Island, and Flynn's - all are amazing.
Irvine School of Wizardry and the Goblin's SecretsHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLThe Goblin's Secret is my new favorite escape room! The set design and props are the highest quality and so detailed. I felt like I was in a room designed by Disney or Universal! In fact, there is a part during the story when my group and I were like, "OMG - what?! This is SO cool!!" (When you play the game, you'll know which part I'm talking about...). This was my 45th room (40W - 5L) so I still consider myself a novice (I totally ride the coat-tails of one of my teammates, BabySquirrel). I played with two other adults with similar stats. We agree that this is an amazing room. It is mostly linear, although there are so many puzzles, that everyone in my group contributed something to each puzzle. The room is a nice mix of tech and mechanical. The puzzles are of medium difficulty, but they are numerous so the room feels more difficult than a typical medium room. We finished with 4:03 remaining and no hints. I would highly, highly, highly recommend it for all ages and abilities.
Moriarty's ManorMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLI really enjoyed this room! The props were beautiful and the puzzles were unique. This was my 23rd escape room (18W, 5L) and I played with a group of 7 with similar statistics. We ranged in age from tweens to 50s. All of the puzzles were in tip-top condition and fit well with the theme. While we didn't need any hints from the GM, we did need different brains looking at ways to approach each puzzle. MindFox really knows how to make a great escape room (we lovvve B&W Cafe too!).
Flynn's ArcadeBrain Games Escape RoomEscape roomIRLI liked this room - a lot of effort went into creating an authentic Tron-themed experience. I don't know much about Tron, so most of the details escaped me, but the room was impressive, nonetheless. A few of the puzzles had me scratching my head and asking, how did they do that?... This was my 55th room (49W - 6L) that I played with four other adults with similar statistics. We would say it is a medium difficulty room (perhaps on the upper edge of medium). All of the props and puzzles were in very good condition, the GM was friendly and helpful (and respected our request for no hints unless we asked for them - I think we asked for one or two?), and the location / parking was easy.
Winnie The PoohMindTrap Escape Room - MurrietaEscape roomIRLThis is a cute room! However, don't let the snuggle-y characters lull you into thinking it will be an easy stroll through in the Hundred Acre Woods; there are a few challenging puzzles to be solved. This was my 40th room (35W - 5L), so I still consider myself a bit of a newbie. I played with two other adults with similar stats. We agree that it is a medium difficulty room and are embarrassed to admit that we needed one hint even though we finished with 10:29 remaining. The puzzles in the room were in great condition, logical, and mostly non-linear. The room decor was top notch and the story line was true to the Pooh books and very immersive. The staff were very welcoming, patient, and a wealth of information about the escape room community. We're looking forward to our next adventure with Mind Trap (Excalibur)!
Irvine School Of Wizardry And The Dragon WandHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLThe Dragon Wand is an amazing room! The set design, props, and puzzles are high end and very immersive. This was the second room I played at Hidden Donkey tonight and I loved both. In total I have played 46 rooms (41W - 5L) so I still consider myself a bit of a novice. Tonight I played with two other adults with similar stats. We finished with 12:33 remaining and used no hints. We agree that this mostly linear room is medium difficulty so it was nice to have three brains looking at the puzzles from different angles (and checking each others' math). I would definitely recommend this room for all ages and abilities.
Black and White CafeMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLI love this room! This is probably one of my favorites! This was my 11th escape room (7W-4L) that I solved with two other players with similar statistics. The theme and decorations were FABULOUS! The puzzles were very clever and in tip-top condition. We got stuck two or three times so had to ask for hints. I wish I could play this again.
Jewel of the SeaIntrepid Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLShiver me timbers! The room decor and special effects were fabulous! Everything about our experience was high quality - we loved the puzzles (especially one! You'll know which one after you play...) and the whole Intrepid staff was amazing. This was my 44th room (39W - 5L) so I still consider myself a novice. My family says I need to change that label to "intermediate", but since I ride the coat-tails of one of our players, I'm sticking with "novice" awhile longer. I played with two other adults with similar stats and we escaped with only 2:50 remaining after three hints. Three players felt like a good number in this mostly non-linear room as we all had something to work on. We played all three rooms at Intrepid today (Relic, Subway, and Jewel) and loved all three.
The NeighborSteal and EscapeEscape roomIRLThis was an interesting game, sort of a narrated story with a Siri-like assistant. This was my 59th room (53W-6L) that I played with three other adults with similar statistics. We escaped with 1:18 remaining and no hints? The room was beautifully decorated and everything was in working condition. A room with an assistant is not really the type of room I enjoy, but it was still fun.
