The Code: Cyber HeistEscapology - GarwoodEscape roomIRLLess high tech than I would have liked given the theme. I wish it had been a little more colorful, it’s a little more drab in person than the photos. The puzzles themselves were fairly standard, nothing too hard but some fun “ah ha” moments.
A Pirate's CurseEscapology - GarwoodEscape roomIRLA very standard pirate room, nothing that really stood out to me. It’s on the smaller side, we were a little cramped at 6 so a smaller group would be better. This is definitely the kind of room where if you think you could have solved something, check every drawer as there is no indication that you were correct or anything unlocked. I do appreciate that it deviates from the standard Escapology ending of “input a code to exit” however.
Legend of the YetiThe Escape Game - ChicagoEscape roomIRLThis may be up there with my favorite games. Everything flowed incredibly well, there wasn’t anything that seemed like a logical leap. There were several puzzles that were very unique or something I’ve only seen once before. The puzzles themselves were a blast to solve, several moments where I knew what to do but figured it couldn’t be that cool of a solution. The atmosphere was as amazing as always, the room you start in was especially cool.
Mission: MarsThe Escape Game - ChicagoEscape roomIRLReally solid, but not my favorite TEG room. You cannot go wrong with any of the rooms, they just have stronger ones in my opinion. The puzzles themselves didn’t flow as well as I would have liked. The set was on par with my expectations however, they always do an excellent job making the rooms feel fun and immersive. The tech was a little finicky and I wasted a ton of time try to press a button just right or to turn a dial ever so perfectly. I can’t compare it to their other space room but good overall. There were puzzles I absolutely loved and parts of the set, particularly the last area, completely wowed me. Their rooms are always excellent so I feel like I hold them to a high standard.
Nautilus RisingSolve It SherlockEscape roomIRLAs soon as you step inside, you are aboard the Nautilius! I really loves the sound and set design, it felt like you were actually on a submarine. The puzzles themselves were CHAlLENGING, yet managed to be so fun to solve. This was their newest room when I played it and it was so cool that I cannot wait for them to open another one!
Tesla's Legacy [prev. Edison's Secret Laboratory]Ultimate Xscape RoomsEscape roomIRLThey really embraced the aesthetic and technology of an “Edison Era.” The attention to detail in the set was really cool. What shined in the room was the timely and creative puzzles that our group really loved solving. There were a lot of really satisfying solutions that provided a good challenge. This is the kind of room you would want 3-4 players in given one of the puzzles and the amount you can do and discover at once.
Quest for the Realm [prev. Dragon Castle]Ultimate Xscape RoomsEscape roomIRLA love of Game of Thrones and fantasy was evident in the room (although don’t rely too much on GOT knowledge). There puzzles were a lot of fun to solve and fit the theme super well. This room would be right up the alley of anyone who enjoys fantasy and dragons in general.
Star ShipCloak and Dagger Escape Rooms - HamiltonEscape roomIRLThe start was honestly super fun! Just a little immersion before the game actually started! The set design was really cool, especially later in the room where it began to really feel like a starship. There was a lot of 3D printed things that made it feel a little cheap, but one of my teammates thought it fit an old cheap and cheesy sci-fi TV even if that wasn’t the intention. There were some puzzles we really liked, although it felt like there often wasn’t a ton of direction on what to do. There were a few things that I wish were more clear. One of the last puzzles we had to solve was downright painful so we ended up using multiple clues. I highly recommend a bigger group of 4+ because there is a lot you can do at once so it was fairly nonlinear at times. The ending wasn’t as fun as we had hoped, we expected a little bit more. Overall, it was a fun room if a bit difficult. A lot of the challenge comes from a lot to do and not as much guidance as we would have liked.
Game of StonesCloak and Dagger Escape Rooms - HamiltonEscape roomIRLWill you find the egg? Or will you just spend the hour sitting on the (knockoff) iron throne? We really enjoyed all of the GOT and DnD-esque puzzles. Everything flowed pretty well together and there were some fun puzzles. This is definitely the type of room to doublecheck you didn’t leave anything behind or feel around to see what could be moved or opened as a lot is easy to miss.
The Great Train HeistAmazing Escape Room - FreeholdEscape roomIRLExcellent use of their location’s history. One of the most solid AER rooms I have done, so surprised to hear it was one of their hardest. Nothing overly challenging, more so just a few twists and an insane amount of things hidden that you had to find (telling us there was one more thing to find was the only clue we actually needed). There was a lot to find and do so that may be where this difficulty comes in. It had a really fun ending and the decor was spot on, it felt very old timey inside. The only downside, which is common in their rooms, are the subtle openings when you solve something. We didn’t always know if we solved a puzzle and what exactly opened. Sometimes it opened what we expected, sometimes it opened something in another room which left us scrambling for a few minutes trying to see if and what we had opened.
File XAmazing Escape Room - FreeholdEscape roomIRLThere was a lot of potential in this room that felt wasted. Some puzzles had really cool and interesting high tech solutions that had excellent “aha” moments. The second room was so good it made the first room look really disappointing in comparison. The second room was seriously phenomenal in set design. One major flaw was a LOT in the room looked like puzzles and were not…at least ones we were supposed to solve. Old puzzles that remained and left us thinking we still had a ton left to do, especially when we found the final thing because time continued for a few minutes after we had it. A lot of delay in response times also left us unsure whether we had done things correctly or what we solved to open things. The second room alone could have easily been a heart for me, but the issues above and the first room dragged it down unfortunately.
Blackbeard's Revenge - A Pirates CurseSt. Louis EscapeEscape roomIRLReally cool set, I always love when rooms go the extra mile with the immersive details. I chose it because I saw the TERPECCA nom so I went into it with expectations that may have been a little high. The puzzles themselves were fine, it’s definitely an easier room for a reason. I am always disappointed when word locks are easily guessed words because one member of my group guessed it so we opened it before we even got to the puzzle it gave us the code.The only clue we actually needed was because we needed to reuse items for another puzzle so we learned our lesson when it happened again. A solid experience overall, maybe just had too high of expectations.
Magic CastleEscape OshkoshEscape roomIRLA very “magical” experience. I played as part of a public game on Valentines Day, even though games are generally private. The room is challenging so I recommend having a team you trust. They took advantage of the magic/wizard theme in some cool and unexpected ways.
Vegas HangoverEscapology - HolmdelEscape roomIRLA fun romp of a room, I think they put the Vegas/Hangover inspired things to good use. I feel like each space you open was equally useful and satisfying with its use and puzzles. The set in this room was super fun! A few puzzles that we seemed to skip, unused things that seemed like they have have been a puzzle prior, and some puzzles that could have been a little clearer or they could have given us a little more time to think on before being giving help so we didn’t fully understand the WHY. Others mention someone getting handcuffed which wasn’t part of our game so I guess they got rid of it or offer it to larger groups for an extra challenge. Overall, we had fun and they went with a different ending than most of their other rooms which was a welcome surprise.
Lost CityEscapology - HolmdelEscape roomIRLA super adorable room, definitely one of their easier. I highly recommend this room if you have younger kids or first timers. The decor was fabulous and there were some cool puzzles in the room. We only had 3 but we wished there was more to do in the room, especially because it says it holds up to 10. It’s probably my second favorite after Mayday.
AntidoteEscapology - HolmdelEscape roomIRLTheir easiest room, if you are an experienced player than I recommend a small group. We breezed through pretty much every puzzle because they were pretty standard without much of a challenge or twist. There were not a lot of puzzles as well, so we ended up not spending a ton of time in the room. There were some cool touches in the decor at times that were unexpected and we enjoyed 🛸. A very standard lab escape room from puzzles to decor and nothing super unique or impressive. Several things were not properly which, combined with the low difficulty in the room, left us pretty disappointed with the room.
Asylum - CLOSEDAmazing Escape Room - FreeholdEscape roomIRLThe bus aspect was really cool, it definitely added to the immersion on that front. It’s pretty narrow and cramped so less people would probably work better. The puzzles themselves were pretty standard, nothing that was very difficult but nothing I haven’t seen similar before. One of their hardest was right at the end and it was a physical puzzle which almost cost us the win. The game master was nice, but one downside to the room is they cannot see you very well (because it’s a bus and many locks are floor level) so one of our clues we received answers for several things we already solved before getting to the puzzle we actually needed which are up time. Another downside to being in the bus was there were many things that couldn’t open and those that did, we had to close immediately so we could actually walk through the area so we had to keep double checking what we actually opened. The room also required outside knowledge which is always a little disappointing, even when you have that knowledge. A couple of fun effects, although not as scary as I would have hoped and it seemed when the game master mentioned jump scares. Really a unique aspect to be on an actual bus for the room.
The Realm Of DarknessThe Realm Of DarknessHauntHaunted houseA really excellent time. I was impressed by the variety of scares and experiences within the haunt, particularly for the area. It wasn’t insanely scary (at least to me) but the effects and props were excellent so I found myself more geeking out at how cool it was. I also really appreciated an indoor queue as I have been to plenty of places where we spent almost an hour in the freezing cold bored and playing on our phones. They did a good job explaining the “green means move on to the next area and red means wait” although I think there were areas where that wasn’t as clear as it could have been so we got a little bogged down. The cast was also excellent and did a good job playing off our group.
MaydayEscapology - HolmdelEscape roomIRLA really awesome game that used its layout to its advantage as it felt like you were walking through a plane as you moved through each room. And each room was actually well done and felt meaningful to the story. Overall, the puzzles truly fit the story and it was a ton of fun. Only two things really fell short in the room. One seems to just be a symptom of their rooms: a lackluster ending that elicits a “that’s it?” The other was minor, but the room did require outside knowledge that doesn’t feel like common knowledge which is always a gripe of mine. In this case, we possessed that but not everyone might. Still, it was overall a fantastic experience inside the room. The airplanes seats by the way…SO COMFY!
DreamcatcherEast Coast Escape RoomEscape roomIRLPretty room and surprisingly creepy at times, the atmosphere was really great! They totally played into the dream aspect with the puzzles and how they themed everything.
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