The Man From BeyondStrange Bird ImmersiveEscape roomIRLWow!! What an experience... Unlike anything we had done. Sets the benchmark for immersion, set design, and live acting. Literally, from the moment you enter the premises, you feel you've stepped into something else. Even the lobby was designed purposeful, and the game started in an unexpected way. From start to finish, I was completely absorbed in the theater the live actor had created (they are actual professional actors who put on a proper show and stay in character throughout). The puzzles are moderately challenging if taken individually but the non-linearity makes them more challenging. Hints were given when the game felt you needed them (a different approach to the traditonal way of asking for clues). It can be perplexing on how/where to start when the game truly begins but don't worry, just do whatever makes sense to you. The flow comes eventually. It's not a "scary" game but definitely spooky. I wouldn't recommend this to a group of completely new players. That being said, I would recommend everyone to try this game at some point. The staff do a great job and can accommodate custom time bookings if all slots on a day are booked (subject to staff availability).
The CryptEscape Hour AustinEscape roomIRLPacked with surprises and fun!! Highly, highly recommend. Tantalizing puzzles, immersive ambience, many "wow" moments, and a very good game master. The puzzles are of excellent variety and challenging (in a good way that makes you go "aha!") requiring a mix of thinking. It was a 70-min room (like their other rooms) but doable in 60. The gameplay is spiced with aspects of non-linearity, design unpredictability, and a very attentive game master who watches, hears and follows your progress with helpful nudges. A solid team of 4 would be great, but also doable with 2 experienced and adept players.
Wizard's TaleEscape Again RoomsEscape roomIRLI was surprised by this room. If you love escape rooms, this is one that should be in your wishlist. 90 mins of engaging fun! The puzzles stick to the theme throughout with good flow and variety. The game masters at this facility are top-notch!
Timeliner: Train Through TimeThe Escape Game - The ColonyEscape roomIRLThis is a high-tech escape room with an interesting premise that weaves through the experience in a meaningful way. The puzzle-solution system was very cool! It can be tricky to get started because you are just thrust into a room with a lot going on. But once you solve a few puzzles, you get the gist of it and understand the rhythm. The sound/lights effects were additive to the experience. There was a good variety of puzzles that matched their circumstances. The game may seem non-linear but the linearity falls into place. The staff were welcoming and accommodating. The games are NOT private - but you can call the business to explore options to make it so. (The location is at a high traffic zone.)
Wong's ChineseThe Perfect EscapeEscape roomIRLMust do! The setting is unique and feels authentic (for the theme) - because it is actually based off the owners' real-life connection. You are transported to a true-to-life looking Chinese restaurant. A unique blend of puzzles, requiring a group of 4 experienced players (or a group of 5-6 with a mix of experience) to solve it successfully. The gameplay is non-linear. The mission and starting points are not obvious - requiring attention and observation - a recurring theme throughout the experience. It's a challenging experience overall but quite rewarding when you solve and make progress. Our GM was welcoming, friendly, and provided helpful nudges. Although you can get unlimited hints, any more than 3 won't count toward leaderboard eligibility. The clues are typed out on the screens - and we appreciated that the GM would pause the timer if he needed to manually input the clues. I'd recommend this room to all enthusiasts. Better to go with a team of 4-6 and split up to tackle different puzzles.
The Salem Witch HuntBack In Time Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWe liked this room! Everything felt "clean" and functional. The puzzles were an interesting mix requiring keen observation, correlation and positioning of various elements. There were a few "aha!" moments and cool tricks! While everything was thematic, I did feel that the primary objective of the quest was more of a superficial dressing to tie in with the overall arc of "Back In Time" missions. You essentially solve linear puzzles leading to the final code needed to escape the room. I'd recommend this room - and will return to try the others. It wasn't "scary" but had a mildly spooky atmosphere. GM Victor took good care of us, was welcoming and friendly with a sense of humor.
Outlaw's HideoutEscape Again RoomsEscape roomIRLFun and engaging puzzles with a nice flow with the overall experience made totally enjoyable by our gamemaster. He was constantly engaged and attentive during our game time and gave us timely nudges to ensure we didn't waste time and finished the game satisfactorily! We were two people who maintained a good momentum throughout. I will say that while doable with 2, ideally, 3-4 people would greatly help attend to a few puzzles in parallel and more efficiently. This, along with the 2 other rooms in this location have been memorable experiences. Management is very good.
Vampire SlayerBack In Time Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis was an enjoyable room - suitable for 2 experienced and zoned-in players in terms of puzzle number, complexity, variety, and linearity. The room felt similar to the Salem Witch room. It was not scary but had a spooky design overall. A couple of helpful nudges kept us on track for success. The set design and the lighting was pretty decent. However, some of the "major props" could have benefitted from better design for immersion. Like their other rooms, when you solve a puzzle, there is a slight delay in form of changing lights or sounds before the result is revealed - just something to keep in mind if you're new to their rooms. The room is mostly mechanical. The surprise factor was not very high. Also, as is a theme with their rooms, there is always a secondary objective you need to accomplish - get the code to "escape" the room after you complete the primary objective. Handy to budget 5 minutes for that last bit!
Nightmare HotelGame Over Escape Rooms - KatyEscape roomIRLThis was our second room at Game Over. First of all, their decor was quite inviting, and the room felt quite "clean" and maintained. Secondly, customer service was excellent with our game master Gaby following the game proactively. About the room... it's a scary one with well placed jump scares (just keep that in mind when bringing people to the experience). We enjoyed this room! It flowed nicely in an immersive, spooky atmosphere. The spaces had a quality of simplicity about them which added to the atmosphere and aided with the gameplay. The set pieces in the game worked wonderfully, leading to "woah!" moments. The puzzles themselves weren't that difficult if you're a group of experienced players but the variety will keep you excited. I will mention that there is one puzzle that could feel overly time consuming in the grand scheme of things so make sure you maintain a decent pace to add buffer for that puzzle (you will know when you get there). While they have a 3 tiered automated hinting system (think "nudge" , "help" , and "full explanation" aka "Emergency"), we appreciated the direct interactions with our GM, Gaby. She was proactively following our game and seemed invested in our progress.
Blackbeard's ChallengeDowntown Escapes Rooms - ShermanEscape roomIRLThis was a fun little escape room that turned out to be more challenging than anticipated. It's on the older side in terms of design and presentation with a classic lock-and-key gameplay. Although it's a pirate-themed one, you are not finding any hidden treasure but quite literally escaping from the area (still in-theme). It's a good one for a beginner but might be quite challenging if the entire group consists of beginners. The limited surprise elements are compensated by the puzzle variety and challenge. The gameplay is not linear as you will be exposed to several puzzles at once. However, you won't be able to solve every one of them simultaneously - so there is some sequencing that is not obvious (part of the challenge). We were a group of two experienced players who felt having a third person would have been handy (we were still able to complete the room with some helpful nudges from the game master). The lighting is low throughout. While there is an in-game lamp, you are free to use the flashlight from your cellphones. Hinting is through a screen and you can let the gamemaster know how proactive you want them to be with the hints. Our gamemaster was friendly and attentive.
