Special Ops: Mysterious MarketThe Escape Game - Seattle Westfield SouthcenterEscape roomIRLThis felt like two escape rooms in one with quite a theme change in the middle - very cool. Lots of tech, lovely set design and the puzzles all made sense. We had 6 people, which was definitely too many at times... I think 3-4 people would be perfect.
Booby TrapThink Tank Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLDid this one with the family and underestimated how much my 13 and 11 year old kids would dislike the loud noises. That said, this was a super immersive room where you really felt the tension! There was lots of tech that really worked well with the theme to add to the atmosphere.
Ops CognitionEscape OpsEscape roomIRLThis game is set to be retired, so it's not the same experience it was. That said, the puzzles were very clever and there was quite a surprise in the set design in the second room. We finished the basic game in about 35 minutes, before being allowed to work the bonus content taking us right up to 59 minutes. Sad to see a great early generation room be retired, but hope they can funnel the same great design expertise into something new.
Curse on Wizard's AlleyExit CanadaEscape roomIRLFun room with lots of parallel puzzles for our experienced group of five! No hints necessary, it flowed well and the puzzles all made sense.
Cosmic CrisisThe Escape Game - Seattle DowntownEscape roomIRLOur family of 4 really enjoyed this one! The gameplay was fun and there was plenty of tech (only two padlocks!). Not overly difficult; we did not require any clues to escape with plenty of time to spare. This is an "The Escape Room" experience... to some extent, you know what you are going to get.
Prison BreakThe Escape Game - Seattle DowntownEscape roomIRLFirst time playing The Escape Game in Seattle, but having been to two of their rooms in DC, we knew what to expect: high production value, good mix of puzzles, but very much a big company vibe. Got paired with a another group, which we weren't enamored with, but they were actually great (communicated well, there for fun, but still wanted to win). The major downside was that 7 people is just too many (some time standing by watching)... I think 4 people would have been the sweet spot for this room. The room itself was fun (there is a reason the prison break theme is so common), intuitive but challenging for an experienced group. A good value night out with friends (pretty inexpensive for an escape room).
Krampusnacht: The Shattered HollowEscape Hour Gig HarborEscape roomIRLUnsurprisingly Escape Hour delivered a super high-quality seasonal escape room! We are suckers for rooms where your team starts divided and must work both independently and collaboratively between spaces. Really good mix of puzzles, but probably a little too basic for seasoned players. Our GM, Mavis, was delightful and engaged but maybe a little too liberal with prompts (since we never asked for them and we finished so quickly). Highly recommend for a beginner to intermediate group of four.
Magical Menagerie: A Christmas AdventureSure Lock Escapes - Stout Oak Adventuring Guild (Kent)Escape roomIRLFun little Christmas themed room! Very accessible for new escape room players, but plenty of effort put in to ensure seasoned players enjoy themselves too. Our family, inc. 12 and 10 year old kids, had a great time. Lots of puzzles that could be solved in parallel; perfect for our team to divide and conquer. GM Jay was also very engaged and entertaining. Thanks again, Sure Lock!
Shaky Grounds CafeSide Quest Escape GamesEscape roomPop upPortableWe were excited when the algorithm let us know Shaky Grounds was coming to Seattle. We love clever concepts and GM (and game designer) Tyler's combination of entertainment and education was just that. Fantastic use of the space, it felt bigger inside the trailer than outside appearances would suggest. Loved the survival preparedness goal rather than a traditional escape too. Lots of parallel puzzles, plenty of tech... not particularly difficult, but a bunch of fun for our family of 4. Looking forward to what new ideas Tyler comes up with next!
Dungeon of DoomSure Lock Escapes - Stout Oak Adventuring Guild (Kent)Escape roomIRLWe've done a few of the Sure Lock rooms in Renton, but this was our first at their Kent location... and what a step up it is! The experience was immersive from the moment we stepped in the door. GM Kyra was wonderful and let us struggle through without needlessly offering hints. Loved the combination of puzzles, some of them solved separately and others collaboratively (whether in the same room as our team members or not!). The puzzles themselves were an interesting combination of solves with a blend of skills put to the test. Love to see this company continually improving; looking forward to more of their rooms (and hoping they can reinvigorate the West Seattle location)!
The ArtefactNext Level EscapeEscape roomIRLDid Ex Libris the last time we were in Sydney 3 years ago, and had so much fun that we had to return to Next Level Escape. GM, Tyla, was high energy and enthusiastic. The room itself was full of a variety of puzzles, many of which were high tech, and others that were plain wacky solves (am I really doing this?)... all good fun though! Not particularly difficult (finished with 20 minutes to spare), but challenging enough. Until next time we're in Sydney!
ExtractionThe Curium ExperienceEscape roomIRLWe have never done a continuous flow-type of room (and had not heard great things about them), but the design of this was incredibly clever. You never felt like the puzzles you were solving were meaningless, held in a space with nothing left to solve, or shuffled to the next space half way through a complex puzzle. We went as two groups of 4, and really enjoyed comparing our points, the puzzles we did or did not complete, and even those that we never saw! Honestly, we'd love to go back, race through the puzzles we struggled with to see what else this room has to offer!
ZookeeperCityscape GamesEscape roomIRLFun room to do with the family. Probably not the best room for advanced players, but for our 12 and 9 year old, it was perfect. The puzzles make sense, you know what needs to be used where, and there was a good mix of quick solves and puzzles requiring deeper thought.
Midnight ManorEscape Hour Gig HarborEscape roomIRLNot our favorite Escape Hour escape room... but the bar is very high for Escape Hour! Perfect for a team of two; we went on spurts where we solved puzzle after puzzle in quick succession, and then found ourselves a little stumped two times. Puzzles were varied, they flowed and made sense within the theme of the room. Overall, maybe just not as immersive a story as Theradonia or The Cabin.
Siren's CoveEscape Hour Point RustonEscape roomIRLThis was such a a fun room! Highly immersive, a huge variety of puzzles, with lots of communication/collaboration necessary. This one is puzzle-dense; we're sure this would be great with 4-6 players. We were a group of 2 and just managed to finish with 5 seconds to spare! Our GM, Ryder, was fantastic, as was the concept for the hint system itself. This was our third Escape Hour room, and we'll be back for more!
RockstarCityscape GamesEscape roomIRLJust a genuinely fun room. The biggest struggle was having half the information necessary for a good deal of puzzles, before finally getting the missing ingredient for the solve. Really enjoyed the variety of challenges... great blend of tech and padlocks. Perfect for our group of 2... but would have been good with up to 4 in our opinion. Also the GM was the room designer; super friendly and gracious after we finished (even though it was after 10pm).
Unidentified: The Case of Mystery Gates Theme Park - CLOSEDThe Escape WarehouseEscape roomIRLFun room with a really immersive set design... some very unique elements we had not experienced elsewhere. A great job of having puzzles flow and not resorting to endless combination locks. Not the hardest of rooms; perfect for beginner to intermediate groups of 4.
The StorykeeperLocurioEscape roomIRLHighly immersive room, wonderful GM, fantastic array of puzzles (this is not an endless padlock room) and a storyline that flowed throughout.
The Cabin: Final ChapterEscape Hour Gig HarborEscape roomIRLThis room was lots of fun; highly immersive and the GM Kenzie added so much to the atmosphere from the minute we walked in the door. Lots of jump scares, but that just added to the experience. The room design was excellent, lots of new areas to discover and the puzzles were a fun level of challenging. Highly recommended.
