The Wizards PubRoom Escape WilliamsburgEscape roomIRLPlayed this almost a year ago, just forgot to review it. I remember enjoying it a great deal and it being very well done
Vampire HunterEscapeWorks Denver - Convention CenterEscape roomIRLDid this one solo and it was a great game. The puzzles were really great and the atmosphere was very spooky. Highly recommend this one. I JUST BARELY made it out with seconds to spare.
ClueBreakout Games - AshevilleEscape roomIRLI loved the madcap, somewhat chaotic feel of the game. The puzzles were fun and not challenging at all. There was one that involved timing that might brought our family to words if had gone longer. A really great homage to the game.
Mystery of the Mad Scientist - CLOSEDWhole Brain EscapeEscape roomIRLWhile not as immersive as some rooms, what the rooms at Whole Brain have in spades are puzzles. Word puzzles, pictograms, logic problems, numbers, ciphers, etc. If you have a favorite type of puzzle, you are likely to find it in one of these rooms. We wanted to make sure and catch Mad Scientist before it closed in September. One thing about these 1st gen rooms here, the props are lovingly and thoughtfully crafted. I wanted to stick around to thumb through some of the custom books and props in the room. Whole Brain is definitely a vibe (IYKYK) and its good balance to some of the other rooms out there, because its like doing pushups or running laps - it keeps your brain nimble. Personally Im glad whole brain it still doing these puzzle-loaded rooms, while my heart sometimes goes for the more story laden immersive ones, this definitely has my mind.
Curse of the Crimson DragonWhole Brain EscapeEscape roomIRLThis was a completely different type of escape room than we had ever done, but we loved it all the same. I think if escape rooms (regardless of quality b/c there are good and bad of all styles) were on a spectrum this would occupy the left side where things are more linear, logical and puzzle driven vs. the right side which is more immersive, exploratory and story driven. As noted by other reviewers the games at Whole Brain seem to be very linear and very "Think but don't overthink" in their design. It progresses riddle/puzzle-lock-riddle/puzzle-lock. Once you get the rhythm down, that start here literally means start here, that you can trust all the labels on everything and just take it at face value. The puzzles become fast-paced and fun as you go from brain teaser to brain teaser, split up, and come together again. The flip side is that it isn't an immersive room. Don't get me wrong it is well-themed and well-designed, but the puzzles on the walls and boxes you need to enter and locks you need to open are all front and center. Our family has been going down the rabbit hole of immersive rooms where you aren't even aware of the puzzles before it is really time to solve them because they blend. Here it was like, "wow there are so many things that are obviously puzzles and so many things that are obviously boxes with locks" our family very randomly was trying to open things and work puzzles that seemed complete but WERE NOT complete (because it was linear - yeah duh). Once we got out of our typical strategy(go around the room and grab everything; try any obvious hands-on style stuff early, etc.) and realized just how linear it was we had a ball. It felt like a good mental workout. As a result, we barely made it out because we didn't really catch on until 15 minutes in (SMH). Now that we understand the game designer's approach and mindset we are really looking forward to going back and doing the rest of the rooms.
Steampunk SubmarineWake EscapeEscape roomIRLOur team wasn't on our game on this one and we just missed escaping (literally a few pumps away (IYKYK)). The puzzles were great and the room decor was very well done. We hadn't been to Wake Escapes since before the pandemic, so it was good to be back to the place we did our first. The GM did a great job with hints and tried to keep our team from imploding. I agree with the statement about just a few too many old style combination locks. I personally always have trouble with those (old High School locker PTSD), but they fit the theme. Overall a really solid room and I would definitely recommend it.
Egyptian TombEscapeWorks Denver - Convention CenterEscape roomIRLDid this room solo while on a biz trip to Denver. It was just enough of a challenge to make it exciting but not so difficult I felt overwhelmed. For my first time by myself it was a great fit. The two GMs were super helpful. Hinting system was great. The room itself was very well designed with lots of great immersive features and really great art.
DaVinci DiamondFox-N-Otter Adventure Escapes South Asheville LocationEscape roomIRLAnother amazing game from Fox-N-Otter. So far every room there has been a delight. This one was an earlier room and used a lot of locks, but we loved it because it made the puzzles great brain teasers. The story and setting were well done. Plus Ferrin is an amazing host and GM what a great company. If you are in NC, you MUST stop by one of their rooms.
The Cabin Spell EscapeTimes Up! Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLReally enjoyed the room. The puzzles and ideas were very creative and the set design was better than most in the area. Our group of three made it out with just at 5 minutes to spare. So many of the props and puzzles were really clever, but were beginning to show wear. It would be amazing if they just gave this room a light refresh (it is definitely nothing an afternoon and a trip to Home Depot couldn't fix.) Even though it is a spooky atmosphere it's not scary at all. Time's Up's hinting system of a touch screen is good, but sometimes isn't at exactly the same spot as you are in the game. It also could use a bit of a refresh with some new AI voiceovers that would sound more natural and help with the theming. There were a couple of times also where it felt like the game hit a lull where it wasn't intuitive what to do next to move it along. If you are relatively new to escape games and haven't played in a bunch of bigger locations, this is a GREAT room to check off your list. As far as rooms in the Triangle, it is very nice. If compared to top-tier rooms in other locations, it feels a little first generation. The bones are there to be really something special, but it just needs a bit of an update. I hope Time's Up puts some love into this and a couple of there other rooms, because its good to see original plays vs. the chains and off-the-shelf games and I'd love for it to take its great concepts and creativity one step further.
Bayou BoathouseFox-n-Otter Adventure Escapes Hendersonville LocationEscape roomIRLThis escape room was VERY well done, and the owners are some of the nicest people we've ever met while doing escape rooms. It's really fun when you can tell the folks who own it and run it are really into the games themselves. First off the set design is fantastic - the boat, dock, and boathouse were all so well done, it made for a very immersive experience (sound effects too). The puzzles and games were all very logical, but very fun and on theme. We had a couple vsibility things (us being on the older side), but the GM was SUPER helpful making it easy for us when could quite see it. The storyline was lots of fn and it is super inventive. I LOOOVE their philosophy at this company that some people like foxy games that are logical and thoughtful and others like very hands on otter-stye games. It made for a VERY balanced room overall and a super fun experience. We did the room with two people in about 50 minutes with about 5 hints (some of which were visibility things). Again this is a super company and a super room. We will be doing the rest of their rooms in the future and look forward to it. If you are passing through the area give this escape room a go, you will be glad you did.
Experiment C73Conundrum Escape Rooms - ArvadaEscape roomIRLDid this room with a group of 8 co-workers. It was a great team-builder and such a unique theme. The GM was fantastic and the overall game play was terrifically fun. The slight touch of personalization was an awesome easter egg for our team to find. For most of our team it was their first escape room and it worked very well. There was plenty to keep multiple groups busy without ever feeling like we were in each other's way. Really clever puzzles and games. Agree that this is a must do in Arvada.
DraculaNerd EscapesEscape roomIRLThis was our first at nerd escapes and we were impressed. Definitely one of the best and most immersive rooms in the Triangle. Beautiful staging and prop design with intuitive puzzles. Annabelle was an exceptional host. The storyline was also interesting. Even though the room wasn't overloaded with puzzles, the pacing felt very good.
MacGregor ManorGame On Escapes & More - CaryEscape roomIRLThis was a great and somewhat surprising room. The story is well thought out and the experience is great. Some really nice theming and a well-run game. Definitely a good one to try out when you're in the Triangle. We had four players, but ran this one when we were still relatively new to escape rooms.
Enchanted Kingdom - CLOSEDBull City Escape - DurhamEscape roomIRLThis room was very cool and inventive with good decor in the different areas. Mars was a great host and made the experience even more enjoyable. We got stuck at the last puzzle and were close when time ran out. As others said there were some elements that just weren't intuitive and a couple of blatant red herrings that wasted time. We can all debate about whether that is good or bad game design, but it certainly ate up minutes where clues that synced up painted a different picture than what was supposed to actually be happening. There were some really amazing looking props and great cyphers and such so much more good than bad. I loved about 85% of this room. Overall though it was very enjoyable - a couple of small edits to remove the red herrings and clean up the story this would have been a LOVE instead of just a really like.
The HeistRoom 5280 - RaleighEscape roomIRLThis room takes the thief trope and breathes a little life into it with some of the really cool puzzles. The room decor is OK but I get wary of rooms that just feel like a decorated office. However the creativity of the game play made it an overall great experience.
Ramses RevengeWake EscapeEscape roomIRLThis was my second escape room and our family was paired up with a group of 5. That number turned out to be just a little crowded as a couple people felt drug along. The theming was really good (at least in my pre-pandemic and unexperienced memory). I also remember really enjoying the whole process. It definitely ranks high in my memory.
Exit Protocol - CLOSEDWake EscapeEscape roomIRLThis was our first escape room for me and my wife on a date night pre-pandemic (can't remember when exactly). At the time it felt very challenging and we got close to the end. In retrospect it was probably a bit more straightforward. Can't remember a ton of the features other than that we really enjoyed it and it hooked us. We went back a day or two later with our teenaged kids and it set us on a course of doing rooms regularly as a great family outing.
SherlockRoom 5280 - RaleighEscape roomIRLA good take on the typical Sherlock room. Some fun puzzles, but limited decor (although you can't get too fancy with a Sherlock's office theme). Some clever puzzles and overall a lot of fun for our group. Great staff and GM!
Sherlock's LibraryAll In Adventures - Raleigh [prev. Mystery Room]Escape roomIRLThis is one we did forever ago at the mall. I remember, as many people have said, the noise from the other rooms. Also the room was NOT immersive. Some of the puzzles were fun, but when you have wallpaper of a bookshelf instead of a bookshelf, you know you're in canned, not so great territory. It was a fun diversion, but there are better ones in town. Ok way to burn an hour.
Room 555Times Up! Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis room was pretty cool and definitely spooky. We had four in the room and it was a tight fit. Some really good effects and cool puzzles, but the creepy atmosphere is the star of the show. The hinting system is a good thought but feels like it needs to be updated with a bit of AI. Loved the use of certain animated and activated props.
