Sal's CyberneticsThe Immersive MachineEscape roomIRLHuge shoutout for Immersive Machine’s “Sal’s Cybernetics”. An absolutely rock solid room in every category that I personally judge ER’s on - production, puzzles, and GM. Sci-if nuts will love the Easter eggs but even if you know nothing of sci-fi you’re gonna have a blast. Puzzle logic and flow was fantastic - it starts easy, letting you get your feet wet, but then builds toward a heart-pumping (literally) adrenalized end. It was more than enough to do even for two enthusiasts and I love how it has spins on even traditional puzzles that made them feel fresh and exciting. Tongue-in-cheek on multiple levels, it’s got something for everyone - comedy, grit, story, and more. I can’t wait to see their future rooms! If you’re dropping through Phoenix/Scottsdale, I would put this as one you have to visit, right alongside Nemesis Club and Paragon.
The DepthsThe Escape Game - IrvineEscape roomIRLSomething that The Escape Game does VERY well is to provide an incredibly consistent level of quality, and they have not disappointed with this latest room. The production value is just as high as the rest of their offerings, and I found the theme incredibly fun. I’ve done “underwater” themed rooms before and found them a little derivative and boring after the first time. But an underwater lab is refreshing beyond the simple submarine that is always involved, and the puzzles were fun and interactive. It may not be the most challenging room but we definitely had fun with it and recommend it to experienced and novice groups alike!
Moriarty's ManorMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLMindfox delivers an amazingly consistent experience between this room and their B&W Cafe and it’s just fantastic how the founders are so enthusiastic about getting feedback and learning how to make the experience better. The thematic elements are incredibly strong and the puzzles consistent with the theme (although I had to lol at how I, the only person in the group who was only a mild and not a huge fan of Doyle’s Sherlock, figured out all the Sherlock-canon puzzles before all the others). Like their other room, it’s a mix of first gen locks and electronics, and of the latter everything worked smoothly and had a polished feel. Just like their other room I thought they managed to figure out just the right number of puzzles - we finished with less than two minutes on the clock and we were all pretty experienced players! We definitely felt like we got our money’s worth and EVERYONE got a good chunk of the action. This was a fun, solid room, and while I like the cafe more simply because it is such a unique idea, I liked how much there was to do in this one. Mindfox seems to be great at balancing all the enjoyable factors of an escape room and I look forward to their third one when they’ve finished developing it.
The Apartment Nextdoor - A Dark ExperienceOmescape - SunnyvaleEscape roomIRLWhat a unique and fun concept! What do you do when arguably your most important sense is taken away from you? How does your mind cobble together a “vision” of the world around you when it’s forced to rely only on touch and hearing? When the game is finished, you’re invited to tour the rooms again when everything is fully lit - I’ll guarantee you’ll be surprised by how they look as opposed to how they feel! The puzzles were fun because you have to experience everything so differently. (Not to be too spoilery, but I was particularly proud of myself for figuring out an algorithm at one point that made it a lot easier to solve a puzzle than relying on memory for a lot of data 🤣) I think this is definitely something to be experienced.
Elevate: SkyloungeWild Goose Escapes - IrvineEscape roomIRLA fun premise and loved the beginning in the elevator! (Not really a spoiler - it’s the very first room you get dumped in by the GM 🤣) The rest of the puzzles were mostly in-theme with some really cute clues and answers. I won’t mention something that IS very spoilery, but when we triggered it I was laughing so hard. Not the most complex room but we had a fun time.
Sherlock's Haunted Escape - CLOSEDExodus Escape Room - IrvineEscape roomIRLA cute theme (especially as we got to play the “Christmas” edition) and a solid number of puzzles. More of a gen one with lots of locks, would be a solid room to take newbies through.
Black and White CafeMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLFinally made it to the Black & White Cafe! It’s just as adorable and fun as everyone says it is 🥰 It’s such a simple theme but they take it to the max - it really did feel like it was a little cafe that you were responsible for! Lots of locks but the puzzles were so in-theme and physically interactive I didn’t mind at all. Even though they say it was geared toward beginners and introducing newbies to the world of escape rooms, even as someone who’s done 50+ rooms, I felt the puzzles had refreshing twists to them. Most importantly, nothing felt like it was such a huge leap of logic that I felt like it required a GM’s help to finish, but weren’t so easy that experienced escapers would finish too quickly. Great balance. Absolutely two thumbs up - I can’t believe the creators made this after just playing 15 escape rooms themselves! 😱
Odditorium Emporium - CLOSEDEscapeX Rooms - Costa MesaEscape roomIRLWhat an incredible concept and setting! I’ve been back 3 separate times and would definitely try for a fourth - its replayability is insane and the GM alone is worth the entire experience! Just the sheer sass and humor behind the GM’s character and the puzzles and challenges are a must-experience. Be warned, this is not your typical escape room experience - it’s more like the room is filled with 50 different puzzles and there’s a system for which ones you get to try and solve for points. Your challenge is not to beat the time but to use the time to harvest as many points as possible. Usually my partner and I don’t like these types of games, but this one is so brilliant that we don’t mind visiting again and again.
Houdini60Out - Silver LakeEscape roomIRLAt first this may seem a straightforward themed room, but there are definitely some tricks up this room’s sleeves! I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say at least one player will be taking a very fun ride, and two other times we definitely felt the pressure to scramble for the solution and it wasn’t because of the clock. Really loved how the puzzles made me think differently despite 50 escape rooms under my belt and you better make sure you have some great communication with your teammate(s)! XD
Hyde Circus60Out - Silver LakeEscape roomIRLWhat a lovely and whimsical concept! The room might have been on the easier side but I loved how they combined the puzzles with the tropes of a traveling circus and even hints of the “family” relationship that tied the performers together. Fantastic for kids and adults alike.
Time Machine60Out - KoreatownEscape roomIRLA linear, solid room with what I thought was a fun system of delivering “clues”. While the puzzles were straightforward so a bit more geared toward less experienced escape room players, the “inventions” you get to play with are so intriguing I spent time just playing around with them! While this was enough for me to like the room, I do think there’s a bit of imbalance between the thought that went into the puzzles and the set.
Cartel: DEA Undercover - CLOSED60Out - Silver LakeEscape roomIRLThis room’s flow had its challenges. I loved the location’s Hyde Circus and Houdini but this was a room that fell flat for me. I’m already generally not a fan of red herrings, but this room had several that felt like they were there just to soak up time because it didn’t have enough actual puzzles to make it a full experience. The set was high quality and it had one or two interesting puzzles but between the red herrings, lack of quality puzzles, and then one irritating machine-related delay that really was not supposed to be another challenge to solve but ended up being so, I really can’t recommend this room until some serious upgrades are made.
Red Giant - CLOSEDQuest Room - HollywoodEscape roomIRLWhat an amazingly fun room! As with all of Quest Room’s games, incredibly high and polished production sets, but beyond that it was just plain fun. We got out with plenty of time but let me tell you, they had some tricks that really put the pressure on even without the timer ticking away! Ingenious and really brings out all the best of the whole treasure-hunting genre. An absolute blast to play.
Lab RatHatch EscapesEscape roomIRLI can see why everyone raves about this room! What a unique perspective - that of the rat rather than the experimenter - and the set designers definitely had fun turning all the lab rat tropes on their head. Sometimes it felt a little weird with how they mixed the whimsical with the more gruesome aspects of being lab rats, but there’s no doubt that there is guaranteed fun to be had with every puzzle they’ve got in this room. I can’t wait to see what they’ll have for their upcoming new room!
Miss Jezebel 2! The Happy Holiday Heist! - CLOSED60Out - DowntownEscape roomIRLWhat an EXTRAORDINARY experience!! It’s just a crime that this will be gone at the end of the year. 😭 This is a level of actor interaction that is far and beyond anything else I’ve experienced yet and the talent needed for it is just incredible. Hilarious, raunchy, tailored to each individual, this was worth every penny and more. If I ever had the chance to play it again I would leap on it (complete with lusty cry!) without hesitation!
Galaxy Quest Vol 2 - CLOSED60Out - DowntownEscape roomIRLThis was a solid, fun room! We were an experienced team so maybe it wasn’t as challenging for us, but for less experienced groups I would imagine this would definitely be an enjoyable experience. Even so, we had a good time - there’s definitely enough humor and sass to make this a fun time and some of the props are hilarious.
Bloodmore Manor - CLOSEDThe EntrapmentEscape roomIRLThe Halloween version of their Disappearance at Fogmore Manor room. It’s a delightful work over and perfect for the holiday - all the puzzles are brand new though of course the sets will be familiar, so you might have a slight advantage if you played the regular version of the room before. But don’t let it fool you into thinking you’ll get out with time to spare - as I mentioned before, the creator has an uncanny knack for knowing how to challenge groups just enough that they’re usually on the last step by the time the clock is close to running out and it’s only a few precious seconds that determines whether you escape or not! Absolutely loved the last few puzzles especially and how they play to the theme. Worth playing when the season comes around!
Mutiny: Skull IslandEscape Games at the RiverEscape roomIRLAll of their games have an incredibly high bar in production value, but Mutiny has to be my favorite just in terms of the sets involved and the flow of puzzles. How they transition you into the last room is just absolutely ingenious storytelling - anything more and I would spoil the rest! So I’ll just say if you have the luxury of doing several at Escape at the River, definitely include this room!
The Great Candy ChallengeEscape Games at the RiverEscape roomIRLProbably their most popular room for good reason! What a gorgeous design for a lusciously delicious theme - and who doesn’t love free candy?! I was a little frustrated by a couple of the puzzles that I think were made needlessly more difficult by the lighting, but the young and old of all experience levels will all find something to love in this room, guaranteed.
Kingdom Of Cat-tastrophyOmescape - SunnyvaleEscape roomIRLWhat an adorable theme! And the room is so faithful to it in every way - the puzzles, the perspectives, even the audio and hint system! I can see why folks have talked about this for years. The sets are polished and the puzzles challenging enough that there’s also substance behind the glam. Would definitely recommend for all ages and escape room experience levels!
