The Istanbul GambitEnigma Adventures - BloomingtonEscape roomIRLSignificantly better and harder than I anticipated. Small floor space, but dense with puzzles and well built props. Nothing super unique but executed really well.
Scooby-Doo™ and the Spooky Castle AdventureEscapology - St PetersEscape roomIRLIt’s fun! Nothing groundbreaking, but it flows well with a good variety of puzzles. Very tactile.
The Library - CLOSEDTrapped Puzzle RoomsEscape roomIRLA early generation room, but clearly hand built with care. The final reveal and prop was really neat.
The Apartment - CLOSEDTrapped Puzzle RoomsEscape roomIRLUsing the standard furniture and props of an apartment let them get away with pretty basic scenic, but some good story beats and fun puzzles. Clearly built with love, and I enjoyed how the story resolved itself and the final reveal.
The AlchemistSherlockedEscape roomIRLWhat do you even say? Incredible and world-leading scenic. Giant practical effects that hide a lot of technical prowess. Breathtaking. The puzzles themselves are not the highlight, though the interactions you do are tremendous. Must do in every way.
Pushed for TimeEscape PlanEscape roomIRLLike their other rooms, you can feel their love for escape games and the engineering they personally do to make their room succeed. Less puzzle dense/overwhelming than their other rooms, but makes for a more fun experience.
Henchmen’s HeistThe Nemesis ClubEscape roomIRLA killer room all around; something for everyone of all age groups. One of my all time favorites.
The DepthsThe Escape Game - Kansas CityEscape roomIRLTEG is absolutely in a groove, for good or bad. Fantastic set design and puzzle flow. I just wish they were longer.
Matchday MayhemBreakout KC - River MarketEscape roomIRLMy favorite room at Breakout. The theme really ties the room together, with good character for standard puzzles. Tons of puzzles and mechanical interactivity.
Cosmic CrisisThe Escape Game - MinneapolisEscape roomIRLAnother successful room from TEG. Requires more group cooperation than some, and I’d love more physical space. Their latest rooms are a bit tight. But high quality interactions and tech.
PearlCruise Ship - Norwegian VivaEscape roomIRLWhat a disappointment. And in theory the props, tech and scenic point to a solid experience, but practically everything was broken. It turned into look in corners and pick up pieces to the final puzzle.
BRKthrough RoomsBRKthroughEscape roomIRLNot a traditional escape experience, but a really neat evolution/hybrid. You buy a 2 or 4 hour pass, and then go with your group of 2-4 to different mini experiences to set high scores. Some rooms are small escape experiences, but most test teamwork, reactions, and physical skills. More physical than you might expect. Food and drinks available inside. Cool family/friend activity.
Timeliner: Train Through TimeThe Escape Game - Kansas CityEscape roomIRLReally neat! Shows TEGs evolution integrating tech with more physical puzzles. Great scenic and production. Just too darn easy and short. Still fun! But would have loved more.
Roll Out the BarrelEscape PlanEscape roomIRLIt’s a real good time. They take real pride and are very intentional in their design. It’s nothing high-tech or absolutely ground breaking, but so much fun.
The Mind Of Moriarty - CLOSEDSherlock: The Official Live GameEscape roomIRLClearly using the footprint of the original Sherlock experience, and the television cast couldn’t be bothered to be too involved. That said, it’s a more puzzl-y room and more physically involved than the original experience. I think the theming makes the original room a superior experience, but this is absolutely a solid addition.
SingularityBooby Trap Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis “fully automated” room caused problems - the very first puzzle misfired, and that set the tone for the rest of the experience. I think this would have been an ok room otherwise, but the technical issues really soured the experience. We also got clues for components we hadn’t encountered yet - wasting everyone’s time and goodwill.
The HeistThe Escape Game - MinneapolisEscape roomIRLEscape Game brings a level of quality to their games that is hard to match. You can tell this is one of their earlier designs - not as creative or technological. But still a fun time!
cQ OrigenesclueQuestEscape roomIRLVery high production values, but way too many puzzles for an hour, including audio puzzles and a video game section that stretches time out towards the end of a long room. Very linear, to the point you’re wasting your time if you’re touching something not on the current puzzle. Answers not signposted to the next component well. Not recommended for 2. If a great escape room makes you feel smart, this room makes you feel really dumb.
The Battle for BritainEscape PlanEscape roomIRLUnique for 2 reasons - very non-linear; I don’t know that a room could have more parallel puzzles. Also has a unique scoring mechanic - breaking out isn’t an issue, getting the high score is. Integrated very well into the them - even the high tech components have tactile feel. The main mechanic of the game is also very WWII/war movie bucket list.
The Adventure BeginsEscape PlanEscape roomIRLA really tactile experience that they’ve clearly put a lot of thought into design. Nothing too surprising, but really well crafted.
