Hope EndThe Ministry Of PeculiaritiesEscape roomIRLThis place was so hyped up I saved this for my 100th room, and it did not disappoint. Like everyone said, the immersion begins right when you enter the lobby, so be prepared; role playing is highly encouraged. The puzzles were straight forward and there were quite a handful of them towards the end. There’s a good balance between storytelling and solving puzzles. I can’t wait to comeback and play their future rooms.
Treasure IslandBrain Games Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis room was getting a lot of hype and I had to see for myself — and it’s true! This was extremely immersive from start to finish and we didn’t want it to end. There’s so much gadgets and gizmos to look at and a handful of puzzles that accommodate all levels of play. There were some clever puzzles and tasks I haven’t seen yet even though I’ve done a handful of rooms. We really adored all the movies represented in the rooms! Dan was our host and he treated us like VIP!!! This will definitely be a core memory. I strongly recommend adding this to your to-do list!!!
Time MachineNot Another Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThe Time Machine will power down in April so make sure you try this room asap! This will blow your mind. There were a lot moments that were jaw dropping and I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened and how it was done. The room difficulty is rated medium but it’s easy for enthusiasts. This room is not meant to be chugged down. You have 75 minutes to take it all in. All of the puzzles made sense with no analysis paralysis. Certain parts were linear but mostly non-linear. Like an hour-glass (how fitting). We really enjoyed the nostalgic moments that kinda distracted us cause we were having so much fun with them. The guys who hosted us do amazing work bringing their vision to life.
The Last SupperQuest TavernEscape roomIRLTop favorite escape room!! I can’t stop thinking about how epic this room was. Before I talk about the room, I’d like to highlight QT’s customer service. Nico truly made this a core memory for us. It had been a pretty rough week and we wanted to do The Bridge Between and Last Supper back to back. She was able to accommodate us with both rooms. What a great way to end the night — Bravo! The room was “God Tier”. Diego played the role of Lord Garrick and kept us at the edge of our seats from start to finish. It was a good blend of horror and humor. He really got us to stir our creative juices at the dining table. This escape room was a different breed. Expect more of a theatrical experience laced with puzzles here and there….and there! Participation is highly encouraged to get the full experience. If you don’t participate, you get ate! Lord Garrick was marinating us till the end where momentum was intense and exhilarating! The puzzles were not hard but adding the pressure of “being dinner” added a sense of urgency. I’ll be back with more victims for Lord Garrick!!!
The Weeping WitchCross Roads Escape GamesEscape roomIRLAdd this to your list if you need to improve your blood circulation! The Weeping Witch delivered a horrifying theatrical experience guaranteed to haunt my thoughts forever. I still can’t stop thinking how well the production quality was and the timing of everything. There are some tasks that need to be performed that are insane and it took my group awhile to decide who was going to do it. I’ve done a handful of horror themed escape rooms and they are typically pretty easy but WW was definitely a lot more “thinkier” in some parts, but not impossible. The way hints are delivered was a great touch and a nice break from being terrified. I would definitely play it again! Updates: I came back 2 years later and it was even better. They took good care of WW through the years. Our host David “elevated” this experience for us. For half of us, it was our first time doing WW. Add this room on your must do list!
Irvine School of Wizardry and the Goblin's SecretsHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLThe wait is finally over! This room has been stirring in the pot since the pandemic and it’s now open and I finally got to try it out. I like Goblins Secret more than their first room, Dragons Wand. I lost track of time as I was wandering through each space admiring the production quality of the props and set design. The puzzles are definitely an upgrade from their first room and I loved how well they worked with the story. There were some unique variations of similar puzzles I’ve seen from other rooms and that made it really fun! I would definitely come back and do this again! Also it will have another game mode that will open early next year and I can’t wait!!! It’ll definitely be worth the wait!!!
Stash HouseStash HouseEscape roomIRLStash House exceeded my expectations. I’ve had my eye on this room since pre-COVID and I finally had the opportunity to play it. Its location was a bit inconspicuous and it played its part in the storyline, especially at night. The hint system worked perfectly for the theme. It never felt like an actual hint. The puzzles were fun, well thought out, and very direct. There some fun surprises as well! Pham was our host and he was awesome. It’s always great talking about escape rooms with other ER fanatics.
Lab RatHatch EscapesEscape roomIRLThis room’s been on my wishlist for almost a decade now and we finally played it and it does live up to its hype. We were immediately immersed into storytelling once we entered. The puzzles were straight forward, unique and satisfying to solve. The set design in the space was fun to explore. I liked how they used the space. I was like a kid in a toy store. Thomas was our host and he was great!
The Hex RoomCross Roads Escape GamesEscape roomIRLEvery room from Crossroads is a theatrical experience. Make sure you add the Hex Room to your escape room excursion, but to truly get the full experience, you need 6 players, nothing more or less. Before you do the room, you take a personality test to find out what role you play in this scary movie you’ve put yourself into. The roles include the rebel, the prom queen, the jock, the virgin, the nerd, and the investigator. Each player is locked in their own room of their assigned role, forming a hex around the investigator, who is the main conduit of communication between all players. You’re not completely locked away from life…-ish. The flow of the room is like a funnel, non-linear to linear. All players have to escape their rooms and then everyone has to survive together. The puzzles are not hard for experienced players. I would recommend an experienced player be the investigator if possible because they are pretty much assisting everyone. Your communication and listening skills will definitely be tested! Even though the room is horror-themed, I thought it was more suspenseful than scary. This is definitely a room to try out if any experienced players are iffy about doing scary rooms. If you could get passed the scary theme, you’ll see how great the production quality. The Hex Room also sustains well in the industry since you could replay with a different role and have an entirely new experience!!!! Update: came back and played a third time. This time we played with the 5 player variant which removes the Nerd room from play. This game went by swiftly and obviously felt like something was missing. I was the virgin this time and feels a bit smaller, with reasons. It also start to get stuffy in there but it’s fine once you open your door. Hex room is aging really well too and the staff is always amazing! Shoutout to Mina!!
Ink & AshesExodus Escape RoomEscape roomIRLIt was a refreshing murder mystery room. I’ve done a few of these types in the past but this one is the best. The production quality was great! The clock paused for some storytelling which was nice. The puzzles were pretty straight forward and were satisfying to solve. If you did Clark’s Crazy Christmas you will notice some familiar elements. This room is a reskin but it feels like a different experience. This room is worth checking out.
