Cornstalkers: Lost in the MaizeThe Escape Ventures - OrlandoEscape roomIRLI’m going to keep this short. The overall experience could be a bit more cohesive. I wish the middle section was a bit more interesting. I wish it had a much better ending. But this game is amazing. It is absolutely amazing. And the work your gamemaster has to put into it to make it work is even more amazing. Go experience it.
Ghost PatrolTrivium GamesEscape roomIRLI will not say anything about this game except A. This was very different tonally and story-wise from what I was expecting, it definitely isn’t a traditional ghost story (even already knowing this was absolutely not a horror game). B. Wow! Easy top 5 right here for my 70th room.
RobotopiaOmescape - SunnyvaleEscape roomIRLWow. Just wow. This game more than justifies it’s feature film length time by feeling like a feature film in itself with a 3-Act structure that you get to be the main character in! This game’s scope is absolutely massive and creates a world that really feels lived in with limited space and only grows throughout the experiences and actually makes you feel like a part of it. Both puzzles and setting evolved throughout the entire game while staying delightful and occasionally hilarious. The only issues this game has comes from it’s overall gameplay as the unique puzzles feel easy and somewhat short-lived with most of the game’s difficulty coming from repetitive and sometimes overly-difficult memory puzzles. There are way too many memory-based puzzles in this game, especially in the 2nd half. Regardless this game is one of the absolute best games I have ever played!!!
40 ThievesMindTrap Escape Room - TemeculaEscape roomIRLThis is such a well put-together experience. Like, there’s a few puzzles that have definite gameplay issues or some that feel a little too simple and lazy and feel like they were just tacked on. But every puzzle feels naturally part of the games story, every little detail feels like a natural part of the world, and despite the game being a traditional escape room keeps managing to pull off surprising effects that kinda blow my mind that they were made on an escape room budget and not on a Disney/Universal ride budget. This is probably the game that feels the most lived-in out of any non-actor game I have played. Honestly, I just kinda wish there was more.
Mogollon Monster: Scouting for Arizona's BigfootThe Nemesis ClubEscape roomIRLAn absolutely amazing game. Honestly I have some issues with the middle third of this game and it’s gameplay. But the introduction and finale of this game are some of if not the most amazing moments in any immersive experience I have ever seen. Play this game. Also I hope you like the distant smell of milkshakes.
Sal's CyberneticsThe Immersive MachineEscape roomIRLA very well realized small-scale adventure. It begins fleshing out its own universe from the moment you enter the lobby (and apparently the company is trying to make the lobby even more immersive) all the way to end, and the adventure only grows along the way (and while I call the overall scope of the adventure “small-scale” the gameplay itself is surprisingly extensive). I don’t think I’ve seen a game that creates its universe and story quite as charmingly as this one.
The Edison Escape RoomPalace GamesEscape roomIRL𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 �𓅝𓃄 �𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿 𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 𓂨𓅝𓃄 𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿This review contains spoilers.Unscramble𓀗
Click 'N Glitch Arcade PalaceThe Escape Ventures - Port CharlotteEscape roomIRLLike all of the best The Escape Ventures games, it is an all around fun game with decent puzzles, amazing set design, and of course really good interactions with the game master. The character the game master plays in this game is so smartly integrated into both the story and the gameplay. However, he doesn’t show up enough. The interactions you have with him are so fun and I wish they appeared more, especially in the second half of the game. That feeling of wishing there was more applies to the game as a whole. I legitimately have next to no issues with any aspects of this game as it stands. Everything that Escape Ventures is normally good at is done just perfectly here. I just wish there was more of it. I wish we could have spent a bit longer exploring the more interesting areas of the set (and maybe spent less time in the less interesting areas). But maybe making the game longer would make it become too much of a good thing. If I had to nitpick something else about the game, it would be that the finale it builds to feels a bit too simple. It realistically couldn’t have been harder than what it was, but for being an important part of the story it could have felt a bit more engaging. I have been waiting for a game that conveys the aesthetic of an arcade (bordering on the aesthetic of Chuck E. Cheese) and this game really delivers on both that set and tying puzzles to both that set and to the fun story that the game conveys. It’s basically perfect for what it is. TEV Ranking: 1. Orlando: Cornstalkers 2. Orlando: Arctic Storm 3. Port Charlotte: Phantom FIles 4. Port Charlotte: Click ‘N Glitch 5. Port Charlotte: Nightfall 6. Orlando: Bros for Life 7. Orlando: Neighborhood Watcher 8. Puzzle Corp.: Secrets of the Swamp (they designed this) 9. Orlando: Satirical Mircale 10. Orlando: Outage 11. Puzzle Corp.: Doomsday Disaster (they designed this)
The Last SupperQuest TavernEscape roomIRLIt’s special. That’s all I’m going to say. Just know you’re going to have to interact with a character a fair amount (but you can essentially just interact with this character as yourself so not liking improvisation shouldn’t be much of a barrier), know that I think this game is a fair bit more intense than most give it credit for, and then go into this completely blind.
