Monster ManiaWhite Rabbit Escape RoomEscape roomIRLI had high hopes for Monster Mania, having played all of White Rabbit's other rooms, including their retired games, and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. Unfortunately, this room fell far short of the standard they had previously set. For context, we've played over 50 escape rooms and have enjoyed games across all budgets and production levels. We don't need elaborate sets or expensive technology to appreciate a good room. Creative puzzles, intuitive gameplay, and an engaging experience matter far more to us. Unfortunately, Monster Mania failed to deliver on those fundamentals. The entire experience felt unfinished, from the set design to the puzzles themselves. The game is completely linear, and many of the puzzles are unintuitive. We had to request a hint on the very first puzzle simply to understand what we were supposed to be doing. What made the experience even more disappointing was the GM. When we asked for clues, we received vague responses like "You're in the right location" or "Just follow the clue," without any meaningful guidance or context to help us understand the puzzle. Then, after a minute or two, he would simply trigger the prop and move us forward without us actually solving anything. This continued throughout the game, with the GM repeatedly triggering puzzles before we had solved them, even when we hadn't requested assistance. It felt like he was more interested in getting us through the room and out the door than allowing us to actually experience the game. Rather than helping us understand the puzzle and giving us the satisfaction of solving it, he simply bypassed the experience altogether. Despite not understanding what we were supposed to be doing for nearly half the puzzles, we somehow "finished" with more than 10 minutes remaining. There was very little satisfaction in completing the room because so much of the experience was taken out of our hands. Overall, this was the worst room we have played. Given how much we enjoyed White Rabbit's previous games, Monster Mania was an especially disappointing experience. We know this company is capable of delivering great rooms, which makes this one all the more frustrating.
ZodiacFox in a Box ChicagoEscape roomIRLFun game. This is an 18 and older game, but I honestly saw no reason for that. Its themed after the Zodiac killer, but nothing in the game would make this an 18 and up game. It was more PG13. The theme and set design fit very well together. Most of the puzzles fit well, but there were a couple that seemed a little out of place, but were not bad. There was just 2 of us for the game and that was no problem. I think 4 people would be the most I would feel comfortable with in the game as it is a bit small. Our GM Miranda was great and helped sell the room well. Overall a very solid game.
Arctic Expedition60 to Escape - SchaumburgEscape roomIRLThe set design was great just like all other games from 60 to Escape. The puzzle design fit the theme well, but the flow took some getting used to. It was not the easiest and we struggled at the start. It did take us a minute to get going and find our flow with the game, but with the help of the GM we found our groove. This is a solid game, but I would put it as one of their harder games at this location.
Lockbuster Video60 to Escape - SchaumburgEscape roomIRLWe loved this game. It is very close to being our #1 room at this location. We just loved Cheesies a little bit more. The set design was top notch and the game has a number of great reveals. The puzzles are great and not too difficult so I think this is a beginner friendly room. No one will be disappointed with this room.
Duke's Farm60 to Escape - GurneeEscape roomIRLOverall a fun room, but like others have said there is a puzzle at the start of the room that was frustrating. We knew what needed to be done, we just could not get the correct completion condition. We spent a lot of time on it and just ended up with the GM asking if we just wanted the answer. The rest of the game went fine and we escaped. Was a fun theme.
Blast From The Past60 to Escape - GurneeEscape roomIRLWe really liked this game. It was non linear and had parts multiple people could work on at once. The theme was awesome and if you went to the arcade as a kid this room will hit you with a little nostalgia. Overall a fun great game for both beginners and people who like a good story and set design.
Jurassic Outpost60 to Escape - SchaumburgEscape roomIRLThis was an ok room. It was our least favorite room at this location, but by no means bad. The puzzles were a little lacking from what I have come to expect from 60 to escape. It does have a great ending with two separate endings depending on your choices during the game. The set design was great like all rooms here. I would not recommend this room for beginners. I think you need a few games under your belt before attempting this one.
Bigfoot the Legend AwaitsIpanic Escape Room - St. CharlesEscape roomIRLThis was a fun and unique game. It is a very small space, and with our group of 3 it was tight. It also got kind of hot inside the game. The puzzles were ok, and one had some issues. We had the correct answer, but it would not go. Wasted a bit of time on that one, and kind of frustrated us. It did have some funny and clever parts. I would say if you are already there with a small group then play this room if its available, but I would not go just for this room.
VampiresMind Trap Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThe set design for this game was amazing. The story was nothing special, but fit the theme well. This game is huge, and will require multiple people working on different puzzles if you want to escape. With that being said, everyone on the team will not always get to see a reveal since you have to be spread out solving multiple things at once. A few of the puzzles left us wondering how we could have solved it without a clue, but overall the puzzles were ok. It is not a scary room, but the atmosphere is spooky and done very well. It feels like you are playing in a haunted house the entire time, just without the jump scares or actors.
Doctor Death Escape RoomMind Trap Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWe had a blast with this room. To get the full experience you have to go with the live actor, don't wimp out and go without. The actor really makes the room. The set design was great and the theme was on point. You can tell the owners love the haunted house industry and it comes through with this room. The puzzles were not difficult, but I think that is on purpose due to the actor keeping everyone on edge. At some points it was difficult to concentrate on the puzzle due to having to look over your shoulder the whole time. I think this is a great game for anyone who loves horror, and the haunt scene.
The Tree House Raid at Fort KnocksEscape FactorEscape roomIRLThis is a cute game, but don't let that fool you into thinking it is easy. They pack a lot of game into a small space with this room. We have done quit a few rooms before and we were still sweating trying to complete all the puzzles. You can tell the owners put a lot of effort into the room and that they are real escape room enthusiast. The theme was great and the GM really sold the story with their acting. We had a great time with this one and I recommend this whole heartedly to anyone.
Ghost In The GraveyardEscape FactorEscape roomIRLWe had a lot of fun with this room. Escape Factor packs a lot of game into their rooms, and this one was no different. Overall the puzzles were not super difficult, but there is a lot to do and keep you busy until the end. The room is a bit on the dark side, but then again you are in a grave yard at night so darkness is to be expected. For those wondering this is not a scary or creepy room. It is a great room even for those who do not like scary themes.
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient ExpressEscapology - Orland ParkEscape roomIRLWe really want to like this because we are fans of Agatha Christie. The set design was nice in the first room, but the game play was awful. It is very linear from the start so a group would not have fun. We made it to the end and the last puzzle, which just turned into a time waster matching game. A lot of the puzzles made no sense or were just not fun to solve at all.
Star Trek Discovery: Damage Control [prev. Star Trek: Quantum Filament] - CLOSEDEscapology - Orland ParkEscape roomIRLThis is a good room for Star Trek fans. It is one of the better games from Escapology. It is a bit small and linear, so I would suggest 2 to 3 people only in this room. It does have some nice tech and the set design was nice as well. It is a solid game, but nothing to get too excited about.
Magic Heist60 to Escape - SchaumburgEscape roomIRLWe had a great time with this room. The set design was great, and if you are a fan of magic then you'll love the decor. Game play was pretty straight forward, and the puzzles fit the theme very well. . It had a couple of good reveals, but we were hoping for a few more big wow moments with the theme being magic. I would put this room in the upper intermediate category for difficulty. It is not super difficult, but new escape room players might find some of the puzzles challenging. Definitely a solid room and worth playing.
Cheesie's Pizza Party60 to Escape - SchaumburgEscape roomIRLLoved this room. Supper fun theme with great atmosphere. There are a good amount of puzzles that can be worked on at the same time. The only thing I can think of that wasn't great was some of the lighting made it difficult to see certain colors for some puzzles, but nothing that was game breaking.
Mystery Manor60 to Escape - SchaumburgEscape roomIRLThis was a great game. The set design was great and definitely fit the atmosphere of a spooky old manor. It had some spooky elements but nothing I would consider scary. The puzzles were not super difficult and I would consider this room to be beginner friendly. Although I think experienced players would also love this room if you are into great set design and rooms with a good story.
Scooby-Doo™ and the Spooky Castle AdventureEscapology - Orland ParkEscape roomIRLOverall it was a fun game. If you are a fan of scooby-doo then you have to play this game. The game was pretty linear, so big groups might find themselves with people standing around. Despite this being a game based on a cartoon I would say that it is not for young children. The game play will be too difficult for them to enjoy. Although I think escapology now has a kid friendly version of this game with less difficult puzzles.
Avalanche - CLOSEDLocked IN NWIEscape roomIRLUnfortunately I can not recommend this room. It was very linear, and if there are more than 2 people in your group they will be left standing around. You need outside knowledge to be able to solve a couple of the puzzles so that can be a problem for people. One of the last puzzles is just difficult to solve for no reason other than to slow you down and just be difficult. The clue system leaves a lot to be desired. You ask for a clue then wait for the GM to slip a piece of paper under the door. Twice we were left waiting for several minutes before getting the paper slipped under the door, and one of the clues was to something we already solved. It wasted a lot of time. Not a fun experience in any way.
The Museum Heist - CLOSEDWhite Rabbit Escape RoomEscape roomIRLWe had a great time with this room. It was our first room with some tech, so it will always be special for us. We are sad to see that the room was closed, but understandable with the company needing to keep things fresh. The story was just your typical heist but had a fun twist at the end. We really enjoyed this room and it was one of the rooms that got us into escaping.
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