Servants of SleightThe Exit Games FLEscape roomIRLThis room is objectively an immersive, involved and interesting magic-driven experience with non-linear puzzle progression and tons of unique puzzles we've never seen before. I have no doubt under better circumstances that we would have loved this room. Our experience was made poor by two main drawbacks: 1. Broken/Old Components As typical with rooms, we were told at the beginning that anything that isn't easily moved should not be forced. Despite this, there were a significant number of puzzles that required force to progress, with even one of them breaking where a panel did not open that should have, leaving us stuck until the GM told us to pry it open. The components that we were not allowed to touch were also updated throughout the room progression, leaving us more hesistant to touch and pull on the components actually necessary to continue. 2. Puzzle Flow & GM Interaction We have done a number of non-linear rooms, but the flow between puzzles of this one was lacking. The connection of puzzles to the main objective of each portion of the room seemed random at best, where a code could fit in multiple places as you all run around the room trying it out in the many locks. Especially in the instances mentioned in 1. where the required component wasn't accessible, the GM offered little guidance. We were left for at least 5 minutes waving at the camera before the help communicated to us was "what are you stuck on?" The GM only provided hints at times where they were not needed and we were progressing through the puzzles, leaving us stuck on the rest and stranded. I fully believe that under normal conditions, we would have loved the theming and very unique puzzles of this room - we were very excited given the high praise of this room. I hope our experience is an outlier and that anyone else who does this room has an amazing time. But personally, we had a terrible experience and wish this went differently.
Quest For The Temple of LightThe Keepers of BalanceEscape roomIRLWow. Just wow. This room is a MUST for adventurers of all kinds. There are way too many positives to review here. From the unique and INSANELY DETAILED scenes (smells, sights and atmospheres) to the thematic-focused puzzles, this room has it all. The high-quality mechanical components, animations and props incorporate a true sense of exploration and immersion within all the puzzles offered here. There have been few rooms that have offered an adventure of this scale and truly delivered on that feeling, but this one did it in every way possible and more. I will be chasing the feelings of adventure and immersion that this room gave me for the rest of my escape room journey. Another huge bonus of the storytelling and immersion were the GM interactions. Our GM Sara (without the H!!) was truly a masterclass in their story involvement and role, making the experience feel as though it started right at the lobby. Huge shoutouts to the hospitality of Sara and the owners here too! If you are even considering this experience, all I can say is GO! Even if this room only offered a sightseeing tour of their setting, it would be beyond worth it.
Captain Spoopy Bones and the Magnificent Quest For Some Other Pirate's Treasure!Doldrick's Escape RoomEscape roomIRLAs an avid enjoyer of thematic-driven experiences amidst flavorful puzzles for an interactive adventure, I must say this room was lacking. When compared to top rooms with similar accolades, this room falls short. It was a spam of mostly typical logic puzzles with little story thematic to pair. We have done rooms with more in-depth puzzles with split starts but the communication-basis of these puzzles were basic at best. There were only one or two puzzles we haven't seen before, however the overall originality of this room just wasn't there. I wouldn't normally be so harsh on this room, as it is a step up from what one would consider a basic escape room, but given the awards and hype on Morty, we left feeling that there was a lot to be desired. If you are looking to just solve a bunch of puzzles, this room has some flavor in design (albeit a bit old). If you are looking for a thematic experience of pirate adventure, I cannot recommend this room.
The Family Fallout ShelterEvasive Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis room was clearly made with passion, as the unique theme and puzzles made for an engaging escape room experience! All of the puzzles were intertwined with the mini-objectives and overall setting to make everything feel "in place." The bits of added tech made the setting feel so authentic, and overall had an amazing time with this room. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the nostalgia-future/nuclear fallout theming. We especially appreciated the emphasis on ensuring room quality to fit the setting, with no outward-facing elements to break immersion (e.g. external wires, out of place reset mechanism, etc.). Our GM Trevor was so friendly, engaging and passionate as well!
8-Bit EscapeEscape Room HerndonEscape roomIRLThis room captures the retro and pop culture feel that it has set out to emulate, both through room props and puzzle theming. There were a good number of unique puzzles that we haven't seen before, making the puzzle progression interesting. This room is technically non-linear, so smaller groups may spend extra time combing through the theming props in the room (which almost all are not glued down, so there can be a bit of dull "check everything" searches when the puzzle progression isn't obvious). Also, one of the locks has a reset mechanism that wasn't mentioned by the GM (usually they mention any non-traditional lock mechanics). Otherwise, the room itself was a solid experience of some interesting puzzles, nostalgia-based theming and a few neat surprises.
Wizard's TaleEscape Again RoomsEscape roomIRLVery disappointed given the high praise this room has. This room had three main problems: 1. GM Interaction (MAIN ISSUE): The GM fed clues way too much, to the point where even talking amongst ourselves about the puzzles would prompt the GM to basically give the puzzle away. We wouldn't even have a chance to fully look around the room without the GM commenting on us "moving away from objectives" or prompting us to do something. They would also click the wrong story prompts and confuse us more, then commenting "whoops, wrong button." Horrible for immersion, which was nonexistent. Some of the puzzles also wouldn't properly open or register as completed, and it was obvious the GM would open it for us, but this was often done before we even finished solving the puzzle. 2. Room Puzzles/Flow: While there were a couple of neat mechanisms, the entire room was an amalgamation of nonsensical puzzles that loosely fit a "story." There was no logical flow between puzzles and they all fit within a general theme of "magic," which was too broad to make sense. The puzzles were not very unique, bar a few, as they were mostly just fetch quests and putting things in places. Additionally, you are given a wand and at the start you receive a tutorial on "how to use magic". This mechanic was used maybe once or twice in the entire room, and it was incredibly unclear when you were supposed to use it in puzzles. The puzzles ended up just being triggered by the GM hitting a button after seeing you tap the useless wand somewhere. 3. Room Quality: There were some obvious wear and tear in puzzle components, mainly due to small pieces randomly falling from places and then having to search the floor to find them. Some puzzles required force from mechanisms not opening, even though it was stressed to not break anything (which was silly since so much seemed broken in the room already). We have been to one other place so far that has done this "indie, hand-crafted magic adventure" style room (Lock, Clock & Peril in SC). If you want to see this room style done correctly, please go there. This is not it.
The Crumbling Prince - Episode 1UkiyoEscape roomIRLTruly an immersive experience interacting with the environment itself and the main storyteller of the room. The puzzles were woven into the environment were very creative in placement, making the room feel larger than it was. Each player gets a unique experience with the different masks provided, allowing you to really feel like you're in the setting, with a great story to follow along with it! There is a reason this room has so many good reviews!!
Cosmic CrisisThe Escape Game - New JerseyEscape roomIRLHaving done a number of reputable space-themed rooms, this one actually surprised us with the amount of tech integration and its usage within novel puzzles. The premise sets the objective almost like a "break everything" room, each with flashy visuals, only a few traditional locks and a ton of sci-fi themed components. A lot of the tools given to the players make you question whether you're even allowed to use them in an escape room, which adds to the immersion of the spaceship environment. As a group of two, we completed this one without any real struggles, though some of the puzzles would be less tedious with at least four players. These puzzles did not take away from the fun though, and given the high-quality setting and puzzles (assumedly as a newer room for the franchise), we definitely recommend this one.
Deep Space 2: DarkUkiyoEscape roomIRLWent into this room with mixed feelings from the first part, and left feeling - a bit better. The puzzles did not largely build upon those of the previous part in any unique ways and simply felt like an extension just to serve the branching story. The idea of alternative endings and story built through interaction with the AI does well to push the story along, but seems as a tradeoff for overall story depth, content and puzzle complexity. Though the individual story variations do not seem to be substantial enough to warrant going back and trying the other routes. If you are someone who enjoys using your imagination and hearing it played out through the AI, I think you will really enjoy this part 2. Otherwise, this experience lacks substance for the price but is an overall well-made room/experience.
Special Ops: Mysterious MarketThe Escape Game - The GalleriaEscape roomIRLHaving done a number of The Escape Game rooms, this one was definitely on the weaker side. Unsure if it was this venue specifically or the room as a whole, but a number of the mechanical systems (doors opening, systems unlocking) were obnoxiously loud or not functioning, causing confusion and loss of immersion. The storyline itself did not help the ambiguity, as the story characters would mention completing a task or unlocking something with little indication of what they were referring to. It was also difficult to hear the characters at times with the loud noises of the mechanical parts. The room did have some interesting and unique puzzles, though there were few total puzzles in the room. I could definitely see a larger group get bored with the lack of engagement and small size of the room. The storyline itself was not interesting enough to compensate for the lack of puzzles, so I would recommend skipping this room for one of the better The Escape Game rooms.
