Movie MayhemCodeword EscapeEscape roomIRLThis is the flagship room at Codeword Escape, and although a few years old, holding up well due to the thematic unity of the set design and puzzles. The movie theater theme is fun, and rarely are puzzles in an escape room so in-universe and integrated seamlessly into the design - all the puzzles, perhaps a large one towards the end a little less, made sense and were a pleasure to puzzle out. Our GM Sasha was also really attuned to our gameplay and always asked whether we wanted a nudge if we seemed stuck on something. We were on multi-room trip and they also were able to run our three game back to back without making us wait for the scheduled times, which was greatly appreciated.
Be'WitchedLara's Labyrinth - WethersfieldEscape roomIRLOur favourite of the games at this location, partially because it (the adult version) contained one of the strangest, most memorable scenes I’ve ever experienced in an escape room. If you’re a hardcore puzzler, it’s better to approach this room with the attitude of going into an immersive experience m - I think the game will not let you fail so you can have the full experience (something I personally like, although since we made it out with fifteen minutes to spare, perhaps we could have flailed a little bit longer.) The incredibly hard-working GM and the multiple characters you encounter are part of what make this a really fun game. If you don’t mind a bit of profanity and a bit of thrills (and are not playing with small children), I would definitely recommend doing the adult version!
Projet R.E.S.E.T. [Project R.E.S.E.T.]Immersia Escape GamesEscape roomIRLIt’s hard to write a spoiler-free, fair review of Project R.E.S.E.T. because you’ll either love the mechanic that drives the game or hate it. I’m of the latter camp, so this ended up being my least favourite game at Immersia. I can still appreciate the genius of the idea and especially the execution of it, and our GM was great as the in-room character. The set is pretty IKEA, so less spectacular in many ways than the other rooms at this location (until it is spectacular for another reason!). Due to the mechanic, the puzzles have to be on the simple side, so the inclusion of two process-y/time sink puzzles wasn’t the best for a team of two (again because of the particular mechanic!) If you are very patient and/or enjoy a certain type of video games, you might adore this game - it’s just not for everyone. The title is brilliant :)
Le Château du Supplice Éternel [The Castle of Eternal Suffering]Sauve Qui Peut - Saint-JeanEscape roomIRLIn a trip of great escape rooms in Quebec, this is the one that stood out as the most well-rounded blend of immersiveness, game design and story (poignancy/emotional resonance plus humour!) It’s an amazing game, only rivalled by Wardrobe for Sale in my experience for this balance. I cannot commend the owner enough for prioritizing providing the full experience for everyone. The story deserves being experienced in full, and knowing that we would be nudged along if needed allowed our team to really enjoy the large scale of the game (in contrast to some rooms in Quebec that still boasted of their low escape rates.) As two people in our fifties, we were a bit concerned ahead of time about how scary the game would be, and how physically active. The owner encouraged us to just do it, and I’m glad he did. It has a few moments that are a bit scary, but the tension is always released with humour or empathy. The physical part is more doable IMO than many family-themed rooms in Quebec that take excessive crawling or climbing. Overall, this is a superb, not to miss game for people between 16 and 60-ish, well worth traveling for.
Le Grand Immersia Hotel [The Grand Immersia Hotel]Immersia Escape GamesEscape roomIRLA really fun heist room with a beautifully expansive set and a couple of nice twists. A bit of hide-and-seek that stays on the humorous/fun side rather than getting too scary. Puzzles flowed well and there’s a clear narrative/objective that makes sense. One of my favorites at the Boisbriand location, definitely doable with two players but possibly chaotic fun with more players.
Le Cirque des Âmes Perdues Ver. 2025 [Circus of the Lost Souls]Immersia Escape GamesEscape roomIRLMy favorite Immersia game this far due to the sheer amount of charm and humor, aided by a great performance from our in-game GM character and my favorite hint delivery mechanic of all times. There’s a clear story that hits narrative beats, giving us a proper reason to keep solving puzzles, and finish on a high. Simply a delightful light-hearted game with accessible puzzles. One puzzle was a bit process-y, but the GM explained they usually take it out for two-player teams.
Le choix du barbier prev. Le Barbier [The Barber's Choice prev. The Barber]EzkapazEscape roomIRLReally clean, enoyable puzzle design and a nice story with theatrical flair - we haven’t played the original version, but this revamped version was very enjoyable and made us want to play all their games. We’d booked Opus Memori for the wrong day and got to play The Barber’s choice as a makeup game instead (for which we were very grateful!), so came in completely cold. We were entertained and had a great time - might be a bit short for larger groups of experienced players, but perfect for two or as a nice puzzle snack for when you want a break from crawling or running up and down stairs.
La Colère de Poséidon [The Wrath of Poseidon]Sauve Qui Peut - Saint-JeanEscape roomIRLThe Wrath of Poseidon is I believe one of the older games at this location, which shows in the relative lockiness of it (compared to Castle of Eternal Suffering and Falderon), but it’s still well worth playing for immersion, a clear objective, and a lovely reveal.
BermudaEscape Porvoo - Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis game is TERPECA top 100 quality, and likely the only thing standing in the way is that it’s in Finland and an hour away from Helsinki, in the charming historical town of Porvoo (well worth visiting for its wooden houses, excellent tearooms and cake before, inbetween or after Escape Porvoo’s rooms). The set design of Bermuda is epic, the story interesting, and it contains more than one wow moment. In my team’s opinion superior to most Helsinki rooms and worth taking the easy 1-hour bus ride from Helsinki for a day trip. Staff&owner were also super nice.
A Very Merry MysteryProdigy Puzzles Escape Rooms [prev. Mystery Soup Escape Rooms, Lock & Clue]Escape roomIRLThe Inheritance: A Very Merry Mystery is a complete rehaul of the previous The Inheritance game, changing everything but the footprint. Story, puzzles and interior are all new, so it’s a great play both for new players and those who have done the original The Inheritance. We liked the previous game very much, but the Christmas- themed new version is a real treat. It’s puzzle-rich, but because the puzzles are at an accessible difficulty level, keeps the players moving and solving speedily. The puzzles flow logically and are wonderfully on-theme. This would be an amazing introduction to escape rooms for kids and families, but it’s so well designed that it was equally a delight for a couple of enthusiasts. As always, the owners and gamemasters are great. I’m almost tempted to borrow somene else’s kids to get to do the game again.
Nonna's HouseOcean State EscapeEscape roomIRLNonna’s House is the final Ocean State Escape room we’ve done, and it probably is our favorite of them. Yes, it is first gen, so you will encounter locks, but not an irritating amount. There are shinier rooms out there, but Nonna’s House has charm and personality, plus clean, logical puzzle design throughout that makes it a fun, frustration-free play. The personal connection to the owner-designer’s family is that extra sparkle dust you can only get in non-chain escape rooms. I wish they’d turn their experience to designing a new room so we could go back!
Witch's HollowStained Hourglass Escapes LLC.Escape roomIRLThis was our second escape room at Stained Hourglass and well worth the wait for it to open. Despite the Salem-obligatory witch theme, I didn’t find the room overly kitchy, and Stained Hourglass thankfully avoided the gory-silicone-body-parts type of design; the room works well for families and those averse to gore. They made some really cool choices with how the room starts and how you interact with the puzzles and the GM; just like The Boring Office, it at times called to mind much bigger and super high-end rooms like Escaparium’s Wardrobe for sale. The puzzle design was varied and flowed satisfactorily with few bottlenecks, and there was laughter and delight along the way to the end. Clearly this team is very talented, and we can’t wait to play their third room!
The Posie Ring & The ChapbookSociety Of CuriositiesEscape roomTabletopAll of the Society of Curiosities games are great, but this is my favorite this far. There were a couple of delightful game elements that unfolded at different times that offered interactions that felt really fun, and their hint system is so nuanced that you can figure out where you’re going slightly sideways without ever getting spoilered. I’m only now realizing how much I appreciate the mission debrief email at the end which gives you the flow of the puzzles solved and how - I wish in-person escape rooms did this as well! Top recommendation for play-at-home with two people.
The Heart of the Mountain - CLOSEDBeyond EscapeEscape roomIRLIt’s so refreshing to come across a room you haven’t already seen a dozen times (don’t get me wrong, I love those Egyptian tombs, too)! The story and the texture of the world The Heart of the Mountain built are really lovely, utilizing lesser known Nordic mythology. Along with the world building, the puzzle design really shone: it’s clear, clean and logical. I think it’s the first game our team of two has ever played where we didn’t need any nudges; not because the game was too easy, but because it felt so well designed (and/or playtested). We did a day trip from Boston to do all three rooms at Beyond Escape and it was well worth the trip. Also, everyone working there from the designer-owners to the GM we met were just great. Would highly recommend as worth a trip!
Escape from Timeout - CLOSEDBeyond EscapeEscape roomIRLThe concept of the room is such great fun, and even if it is geared more towards families and kids, our team of two adults enjoyed ourselves very much. As with their other rooms, the puzzle design is logical, well clued in the room, and flows well. There were moments of great delight, and one task that was simple enough, but one I had never done before in an escape room and that was just fun. It was impossible to not smile in this room! Great place to start with beginning escape room players, but well worth doing for experienced ones as a pleasurable puzzle snack.
Mother Of Frankenstein: Volume 3Hatch Escapes - OnlineEscape roomTabletopI can’t bring myself to thumbs down Volume 3 because it continues a wonderful series (adult, brave, not dumbed down, trusting that people can and will read.) There continue to be aspects that were lovely and not-terribly-frustrating in Volume 3. BUT. There are elements of it that are akin to completely irrelevant can-stacking for the sake of aesthetics, AND the cans are microscopic, fiddly, tear apart easily and interrupt game flow for hours. HOURS. Volume 1 is in our top three at home escape rooms, and Volume 3 is, well, not. We are, however, grateful for the hint system that eventually allowed us to bypass the fiddling and just get to the end of the game without actually setting it on fire in frustration. I love so much about this series, but it is such a shame I can only recommend volume 3 to a person combining the eyesight of a child, finger dexterity of a watchmaker and the patience of a horde of saints. (Or, just bypass the r****)
The Cellar: Dead End [prev. The Cellar II: Saul's Revenge]Prodigy Puzzles Escape Rooms [prev. Mystery Soup Escape Rooms, Lock & Clue]Escape roomIRLOur team of two chickens decided to become braver and try a scary room: this was a great intro to the scarier side since it was more creepy than terror-inducing; i.e. it was still possible to think. This room is recommended with a 3-person minimum which makes sense; our fairly experienced 2-person team barely got out in time and had to get repeated nudges to cover our search fails. The character in the room really makes the game, and there was a nice little piece of story to work out too. Of note: one person needs to not be claustrophobic to be able to play.
Agent Z.E.N. - CLOSEDProdigy Puzzles Escape Rooms [prev. Mystery Soup Escape Rooms, Lock & Clue]Escape roomIRLMy partner and I had previously done The Inheritance and The Sorcerer’s Curse at the location and wanted a chance to do Agent Z.E.N. before it was going away - I would recommend catching it before it's gone. Although there isn't much there story-wise, the puzzles are varied, pleasing and logically clued, the set well differentiated and expansive, and (this goes for all their games) the staff/GMs are great at reading the room and nudging without overhinting. The Valentine’s duck promotion was also very cute!
The Hincks Gazette: Vol. 1, Issue 3: JuneBluefish GamesEscape roomTabletopThe humour and whimsy in these games continue to delight; clean puzzles cleanly clued.
Madok's Lost TreasureSociety Of CuriositiesEscape roomTabletopThis was our first physical game by Society of Curiosities (we’ve done virtual ones before), and they’d packed a lot in the box! It doesn’t come with: a huge box or tons of props, which is great for storage and feels ecologically healthy. It does come with: loads of satisfying puzzles and fun integration of virtual/irl and physical/tactile components in the box, plus nice twists. Hint system is good - we failed in the execution of one puzzle and were able to get ourselves back on track without being spoiled.