Hope EndThe Ministry Of PeculiaritiesEscape roomIRLAn absolute must-do. The immersion in this room is impeccable, and time will bleed away as you really get into the story they’re weaving. Admittedly, the “escape room” aspects were probably the weakest part of the whole experience, but my god the production they’ve put on is simply incredible. You’d be missing out if you avoid this one.
Stash HouseStash HouseEscape roomIRLStupendous from start to finish. Cheap for 90 minutes, uses its space and location perfectly, and the puzzles (and the concept in general!) are deliciously novel. It was the perfect difficulty for our group of four. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re in the area by avoiding this one!
Lab RatHatch EscapesEscape roomIRLI know I’m adding just another positive opinion to the pile, but as a new group of escapers, this was everything we were looking for and more. The room feels like an indoor playground you go to as a kid. A lot of great easter eggs, visual gags, etc. Stylistic to the max. I personally loved the puzzles, too! Some cerebral, some lateral, a lot of stuff we really enjoyed tackling. I saw some comments about the “forced” hints being a turn-off, but our GM (Michael) only gave us nudges towards correct answers and away from irrelevant stuff, never definitive answers. The whole thing slid together to make something downright fantastic. For me, it lived up to the hype!
Atlantis: The Forgotten CityHypnotic Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLA phenomenal room for beginners. Everything here is very well-telegraphed, with simple but fun puzzles and a linear structure that flows incredibly well. I don’t think it’s anything mind-blowing, but if I wanted to introduce a group of friends to the magic of escape rooms in a way that’s accessible and exciting, this might be my go-to.
InksidiousEscape Room 66 - Los AngelesEscape roomIRLI haven’t been doing these long enough to recognize “Gen 1” vs other gens like the other comments, but what we got here was a *ton* of non-linear puzzles all funneling into one. I barely even noticed how much time had passed because we were constantly doing puzzle after puzzle. It’s nothing too flashy, admittedly, but if you’re looking for a novel theme with a heaping of puzzle solving, this is a great choice.
Whatever Happened To The Garretts?Maze Rooms - West LAEscape roomIRLAlthough the setting is great, it starts a bit slow - too many red herrings to start, as well. It picks up tremendously in the latter half of the escape with one hell of a finale, but I did find myself wishing it wasn’t as linear as it ended up being.
The CourtyardTHE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience - SylmarEscape roomIRLAn absolutely fantastic finale for The Basement. A wildly immersive (and pretty big!) set hiding less in terms of surprises but a lot more in terms of content. One of my favorite parts was how they made the story be a bit more in the forefront; the actor plays into this well. Definitely one of the harder and more involved puzzle, two is probably not enough for this one.
Escobar: Part 1 (The Betrayal)The Escape RevolutionEscape roomIRLI hate to give this a negative review as the room itself was fun, but it was immediately spoiled by our time already having started before we even entered the room. We arrived ten minutes -early- and used the bathroom, greeted with smiles and no implication that we would be on a time limit as soon as the clock turned over. It was only after I asked mid-rules explanation that we were informed 6 minutes had already gone by. We felt manipulated and robbed of time- the fact they didn’t even tell us beforehand made this room (and business) feel less like they cared for us and more that we were on the conveyor belt of their schedule. I’ve had so many incredible experiences with caring owners and passionate workers, but this just stung. We likely won’t be coming back here.
The Mush RoomEscape Room 66 - Los AngelesEscape roomIRLI adore the way these guys design escape rooms; their rooms ooze with homemade charm. It’s nothing mindblowing, but I could solve their puzzles for days. Rooms with poor iconography or excessive red herrings are put to shame by them. That being said, definitely do Inksidious first - this room has more polish and creativity in places, but Inksidious is more memorable and I think just a bit better of an experience.
Chapter 3: The StudyTHE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience - SylmarEscape roomIRLAlthough less high-tech than Elevator Shaft, the Study features a good chunk of puzzling and a really well-implemented actor that contributes to both the lore and the ambiance really quite well. I wish the final puzzle offered a little more after the last two had great “finale” puzzles.
