The Winery InfiltrationSurf City EscapesEscape roomIRLFun with themed decor. Admittedly a silly premise, but overall entertaining. Not sure if we were out of escape room shape after a few months break, but we got unexpectedly got mini-stuck a few times. Not sure if there were slight jumps in logic or we were just facing puzzle types we hadn't seen before
Irvine School Of Wizardry And The Dragon WandHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLIt was a magical experience and I understand why people love it. Definitely the best wizard/Harry Potter-esque themed room we've done. Truth is, we would've loved this even more if we had done this earlier in our escape room journey, but we've seen a lot of other great rooms. I wouldn't do this with too large a group or else there won't be enough to do in the second half. We got out with 11+ minutes remaining, but we also wasted 5+ minutes on one puzzle just trying to see in the dark. There's a fun mix of puzzles (oh puns). One puzzle we weren't particularly fond of because we knew what to do/look for, it just was hard to do so in super dim lighting so it was a bit of a time-waster. But it was a fun and magical immersive experience and will tickle your Harry Potter dreams at least a little.
Vendetta 15 [prev. Villains Vendetta]Exodus Escape Room - Anaheim Hills, CAEscape roomIRLA fun escape room. Great for beginners and families. Super nonlinear so everyone can split up to do their own puzzles, which works toward the ultimate goal. So there can be a lot for everyone to do if your group size isn't too huge. Compared to other rooms, you're not really advancing in storyline or progression with each puzzle you solve. You already know what you need to do from the start and can basically simultaneously work on everything at once. A few puzzles were harder/cleverer than others, but nothing was incredibly difficult. If you're into 80s toys/music, this one will be even more enjoyable. A strong recommendation as a fun room
Hijinx at Joffre ManorNerdy by Nature Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLDefinitely as close an experience as you'll get to a real Scooby Doo adventure! It was really enjoyable. Very cool opener for the set design, and the set design stays solid impressive the whole way through. It was expansive considering how well it used all its space. The whole set all fits to the Scooby Doo mystery-solving storyline, so the immersion is really, really great. The vibe is mysterious-spooky with some dim lighting, but nothing scary overall. The puzzles were of a good variety. We definitely enjoyed them. I will say there was at least one puzzle where the leap was a little much for us. Even with all the experience we have (~70 rooms), we didn't make the connection and had to ask for a hint. Some puzzles were really simple and we overthought it too hard, and others you definitely had to think more lol. So keep your minds open and think both deeply and not so much. We did this as two experienced players and escaped with maybe about 10 minutes remaining? This is a great game for anyone because of the immersion and story and set design. Definitely great for families, too.
Wicked WonderlandEscape Room 66 - Laguna HillsEscape roomIRLEscape Room 66 has a signature style. Lots of locks of all types which makes it more Gen 1, but wrapping it all in excellent decor and clever/fun puzzles. We did this as two experienced players (~70 rooms) and finished in 45 minutes. There was a lot to do, but this room is mostly linear so having extra people only adds more brainpower to the current puzzle at hand, but can't help you solve through the multitude of puzzles faster through parallel work. There were so many puzzles, and of so many types, but everything was tied into the theme of Alice of Wonderland, and that was great. Through the puzzles and decor, you definitely felt like you were Wonderland even though it's not as high-tech a set design as others out there. The only tough part might be the availability of so many locks around you at once, so you have to figure out what you're currently working on. Because the room is mostly linear though, it does help with the flow even though you have 5-6 locks available at once. Definitely a fun one that we both thoroughly enjoyed! It's not in my top 10, but it's entertaining/fun and definitely worth playing, especially if you like an assortment of puzzles and/or Alice in Wonderland! Also definitely on the pricier side if you have less people. $60/each for 2 players but it's more normal if you have 4+ players.
Ink & AshesExodus Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis is now one of my favorite rooms! In my top 10, likely top 5 as of writing. It's so well-put together. It's rare that the puzzles, storyline, theme, effects and set just tie altogether throughout the entire experience. We're about 70 rooms in, and there were numerous puzzles we hadn't seen before. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into the details of this game design. Definitely really immersive and enjoyable. I can see why this room is on the difficult side. The puzzles are not necessarily straight-forward (but they were so, so, so appreciated because they're not just simple!). There were so many clever and fun puzzles, and they all helped advance the plot nicely. We did this as a group of 4 and escaped with slightly under 6 minutes remaining. We had 2 beginners and 2 experienced players. Our experience definitely helped us recognize the intentions of certain clues and puzzles a lot quicker. Otherwise, this would be a tough room for a newer group of players. There is definitely a decent amount of things to do, so definitely use your group's size to your advantage. When the room ended, I already knew it was one of my new favorites. It was very satisfying and I really didn't have any complaints. A couple special effects were just so unexpected but fitting and these specific details just really enhanced the experience. I love new and clever puzzles and mechanisms and this room nailed it all. This room did have a good amount of locks/combo locks, and that can age or detract from a room, but there was also a good mix of tech, and honestly the puzzles were so fun that I didn't mind the combo locks at all. Emanual is a passionate and enthusiastic GM and we appreciated his energy. I wish there were other rooms of this caliber here, and elsewhere. This is a highly recommended room!
Olympus: Eternal WinterExodus Escape Room - Anaheim Hills, CAEscape roomIRLThis is a fun room, especially if you like Greek gods/goddesses or Percy Jackson type theme-ing. There is a lot of nonlinear things to do at once, but it's not the most difficult room. We got out in 35 minutes and based on the top scores, the best groups have gotten out in under 20 minutes. It's a recommend for new players and families. For enthusiasts, this could just be a decent room to do for fun, especially maybe with just 2 players.
The Missing Season - CLOSEDSteal and EscapeEscape roomIRLThis was a cute game. It was a funny start and a fun ending, and while I typically don't enjoy an escape game completely guided by a narrator, it was also done with humor. The narrator guides you along what puzzles to do half the time. There are no combo locks in this entire room. All the puzzles are more or less physical puzzles. That doesn't mean that you need to be strong and move heavy things around, but most puzzles require physical action of moving things, placing things, etc. We saw a couple new puzzles, and that's always a nice surprise after having done a lot of rooms (~70). It was a medium difficulty room with an okay amount of things to do. I wouldn't have objected to having a couple more puzzles. Main issue with this room is the low quality speaker system. Made it hard to hear the narrator sometimes, especially in the first main room. The storyline/theme was nicely put together, and it was a pleasant experience. It's not a must do imo, but it was a fun enough one with some new mechanisms (for us).
The Lost ExpeditionSteal and EscapeEscape roomIRLMost of the reviews already cover the main points of this room. It's an adventure type escape room where everyone has a different assigned role, and there is the really novel concept of having a certain amount of Fuel instead of a traditional timer. The more things you keep on (mainly lights), the faster you burn fuel and the less time you'll have to finish the escape. We had 30% fuel remaining when we finished (and had been inside for 58 minutes supposedly). Depending on your fuel usage, your game experience can be anywhere between 10-90 minutes. Note that our group was super conservative with fuel, to the point it was slightly detrimental. Word to the wise, this room is REALLY REALLY DIM/DARK if you don't turn on more lights. And this room requires noticing a lot of DETAILS. So take those things into consideration. There are a decent amount of things to do, and they are of a good variety. Note that different roles have different tasks and are given different tools, but after the initial split-start (surprise!), anyone can help out anyone else and roles can be more fluid. I was the geologist, and I certainly could have done better. The geologist definitely has to do the most thinking and a lot of communicating for the team to complete core parts of the game. That's a good note to have when assigning roles among yourselves at the start. Other roles have more straightforward responsibilities. But once again, anyone is free to help another out and you should work together anyways. This was a very fun game. We played with 4 people. It can go up to 8, but I think 4 was a solid number due to the size of the physical space. Overall, it's a medium difficulty but there are parts that are definitely tricky and I could see teams losing valuable time/fuel being stuck on them. Just like Missing Season, it's not really a combo lock room. A lot of the puzzles are physical puzzles or built into the set. The set is themed well, but not the most impressive visually haha.
The GiftRed Door Escape Room - San DiegoEscape roomIRLThis was a decent, fun room. We were told afterwards the escape rate is a very low 38%. We completed the room in 44.5 minutes as an experienced team of 2. We were aiming for the weekly record but missed it by 3 minutes because there are some parts that were ehhhh There were some clever puzzles in this game for sure. But there were also parts that didn't have enough breadcrumbs. Ironically, the store in the storyline is named "Red Herring," and there were definitely issues with some flow in this game. There are a decent amount of combo locks in this game, and sometimes you have multiple ones at the same time, so it's not always clear which one you'll open with your current 4-digit answer... Other puzzles you have to stretch your thinking or attention a little bit more than usual. There's a phone and a phone number, but you don't input the expected phone number format into the phone... what. Perhaps most frustratingly, we were told that one puzzle is arranged differently because we only had 2 players. We lost a lot of time on this one. It's clear that you need to activate three sensors simultaneously. Usually, you are given 3 props to do this. However, apparently because we only have 2 players, they only give us 2 of those props. And we are just supposed to KNOW that we can use one prop to do two sensors at once??? Just give us all 3 props even if we only have 2 players... This part was baffling. There were some fun puzzles and some new puzzles we had never seen, so overall we still enjoyed the room despite the flow and overall game design issues. I liked the first room of the set. The rest was okay. The storyline seemed to make sense before the game started, but it felt like an incomplete story when we finished the game. That could probably be thought out better. Also, don't forget you have to push the button to officially finish the game! It doesn't just end when the door opens.
Grandma's SurpriseTrapped! Escape Room - Los AngelesEscape roomIRLThis was a fun room! Storyline was pleasantly amusing. The set and puzzles were nicely immersed in the theme There was some tech, but it feels like a bit of an older room. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a note. We (2 experienced players) took 23 minutes to complete the main objective. We took a total of 49 minutes (11 remaining) to also complete the adaptive/bonus puzzles. The main objective had relatively easy puzzles. The bonus ones clearly took us a bit more time and thinking even though there are only 3. I appreciated them even though I stumbled way too slowly over them, as it makes paying for the room more worth it than finishing in only 23 minutes Fern was our GM both times at this location, and she's great!
Black DragonEscape Room LAEscape roomIRLLike many others have said, this is probably one of my favorite starts to an escape room ever. My unimpressed parents didn't recognize this part of Hong Kong, but the set was nicely done and expansive. There were a lot of great details put into the set and decor. The set was a good size and there was a solid amount of things to do. It definitely was on the easier side because we had 6 people (escaped in 42 min). In comparison, we struggled a bit more with 6ppl in Atlantis (57 min) and with 2ppl in Here, Kitty, Kitty at this location. Puzzles were relatively set to the theme well. GM is in the room with you, and s/he's in character.
Escobar: Part 1 (The Betrayal)The Escape RevolutionEscape roomIRLFor better or worse, Escape Revolution (E.R.) definitely has their own style. This is our 2nd room at this location (Prison Break being the other). I didn't have high hopes for this room, and by the end, I still had mixed feelings. While there definitely puzzles that I thought were solid and clever, there are also the issues I have with the two Escape Revolution rooms I've seen so far. tl;dr: flow issues & leaps in logic. 1) The least of the issues is that there is a lot of going back and forth between rooms. This is pretty normal, but you definitely notice it more when the set is on the larger side (add stairs, too). So this part isn't necessarily bad, but it is rough if you're falling behind on time 2) Imperfect flow. There have been times in both rooms we've done at E.R. where we just don't know what we're looking for or trying to do next. I think it was worse in Prison Break for us, but there were some moments of stuck in this one as well. 3) Leaps in logic. In hindsight, you can see how things sort of make sense. In the moment though, sometimes you have to reach a little more than you would in really well-designed rooms. Given 8 sheets of paper filled with a myriad of text, even after figuring out which sheet is important, you're left wondering what you need from that paper. Because you have 2 locks and 2 other physical pieces that take numeric input, and you don't have an idea of which one you need to focus on right now, much less which of the 500 digits you need from the paper. It's really open-ended. There are other small examples of this. After you're done, it might seem to make some logical sense, but in the moment, it wasn't near straightforward enough for progression. We fell behind from the start and ended up asking for clue after clue to keep moving, which I've never had to do and not how I ever want to escape a room. This was most likely the most clues I've ever had to take. Sometimes we were stuck, but as things went on, we really just knew we were running out of time and couldn't waste more time if we wanted to see the whole game. The positive: the set design, puzzles, and storyline were cohesive. Those parts were well-designed. The puzzles and flow themselves were where my issues were. But being in the space and set was very fun and definitely put us in the right atmosphere. Final thoughts: As with any E.R. rooms, the first issue is they start the timer as soon as you walk through the door with your game master. You put away your stuff in lockers. Then the GM gives a speech about the background story and basic rules. Then you might ask questions. By the time you actually get going, you're already 5+ minutes into your 60 minutes. Poor business decision for escape rooms. This room has its perks and fun puzzles and some "A-ha!" moments that people would love. I'd recommend a large group looking to have fun and not expecting the most brilliantly logically designed room. Casual players looking for an immersive set experience will enjoy this. Don't get stuck on one puzzle for too long and don't be afraid to ask for hints because there is a decent amount to do and a lot of back and forth. Most of the objectives take X amount of time to do no matter how good you are so that's another reason you can't waste too much time wandering cluelessly.
The Temple of Lost GoldMaze Rooms - Robertson BlvdEscape roomIRLThis was a decent, fun room. It's their newest room at this location. It's a physical room in that most of the puzzles require physical action/work (not too crazy) instead of logic (to my chagrin lol). This means moving stuff and placing things correctly. It's not physical like an intense workout at all though (there is one set of stairs at least one person must take). We finished in 35 minutes (should be a room record as of this time, according to their lobby sign. Previous record was 38min). We only had two of us. We were a little stuck on the start but after that we flowed smoothly through the rest of it. It's not a must-do, but it was fun and had its moments and some different puzzles than we've seen.
Sherlock Holmes & Beautiful MindMaze Rooms - Robertson BlvdEscape roomIRLThe room started off fine, but it starts to derail not too far in. I'm not sure why this is Sherlock-themed, because the storyline just gets weird and very un-Sherlock... That definitely took away from the experience for us. There are technical issues with this room as well. First, it requires linearity, which is fine, but there is one part that really shouldn't have to be waited on to do. We wasted time because we tried solving it too soon, which made us wonder if we had the solution wrong (but really there was no other solution lol). Another puzzle was very finnicky, so things have to be nearly perfectly done or else the sensors won't detect the puzzle as solved. Then there's a timed puzzle that really just needs some TLC because it was very frustrating to work with controls that clearly aren't responding well. Then things really fell completely apart story-wise, and outside knowledge/a huge jump in logic was required. I'm still baffled that this puzzle was ever created because it's so ridiculous that I questioned my own reasoning when I suggested the solution. We had only two of us, and we finished in 37 minutes. This is supposed to be the easiest room at the location, so we were looking to finish in under 25 minutes. But all the issues we mentioned above definitely slowed us down, and we weren't quite satisfied even after escaping. I wouldn't recommend this room, except to casual players/large groups of new players/families. Experienced players with high standards and expectations likely won't enjoy this room as much. Our game master Jamar was really cool, though, and I don't envy him because he was working solo and there were 5 active games while we were there. He did a solid job running everything for all the groups.
Blackbeard's Lost TreasureBack In Time Escape Rooms - East TorranceEscape roomIRLHaving done about 60 rooms by now, mostly in 2025/26, this is an okay room. My partner-in-escape and I chose the advanced option and braced ourselves for a hard experience ...and ended up escaping with 17 minutes left. It has some fun pieces, but nothing completely new that we haven't seen before (other than a talking parrot. Wait no, we've seen that before, too lol). The room is pretty straightforward. There is some reading and logic required, but I've definitely had to think much harder in other rooms. It's a dim room, but they allow you to use your cell phone light as you want. Not super high tech, mainly RFID and magnets and key locks. Overall, it's a room to do but by today's standards and for experienced players, it's not a must do. It probably was great for 5 years ago though, or if you're a casual group or family wanting to do an escape room. Side note: a lot of places charge more for only 2 people, but this one wasn't worth $54 each in our opinion.
ElixirExodus Escape Room - Anaheim Hills, CAEscape roomIRLI did Elixir with my partner-in-escaping and we enjoyed it so thoroughly! It's a small room but it's packed so well. The puzzles are tied so strongly to the theming and story to create a really great immersion. Not many escape rooms I've been to have intertwined the puzzles and theming so well. The puzzles themselves are so fun, clever, and detailed. We saw a good amount of mechanics that we haven't seen before, even after 50+ escape rooms. The flow is really great, too. The special effects definitely are satisfying and enhance the experience just the right way. There is a mix of tech and locks, but it all worked well. We had a bit of a slow start but after that we smoothly moved along at a good pace. With just the two of us, we got out with 12:18 remaining while moving at a decent/good pace and not asking for a single hint. Two experienced players can do this, otherwise I'd suggest a group of 3-4. Chad the owner was so great, too. You can tell he's really passionate about escape rooms, but also about creating immersive, detailed, and unique experiences. We definitely got that in Elixir, and we'd strongly recommend this room! It definitely would be one of those I wish I could do again if only an escape room were more than a one-time thing
The Mad RapperScenario Escape RoomEscape roomIRLI can see why this room is so loved. Its custom sounds for its theming and storyline definitely is a highlight. The puzzles were varying and clever and fun. Storyline/immersion: really solid. The plot makes sense, moves along, and it's a satisfying enough ending. The set design is solid. It's not a fantasy or adventurous theme, so not the most special visually, but the sound design throughout the game makes up for that. Puzzles: Love it or hate it. I loved most of the puzzles. My partner did not enjoy them as much, so I can see why there are some reviews that knock on that aspect. There were a variety of puzzles. Some were visual, some were audio, some were critical thinking, some were skill based. So depending on what you like/dislike, that might affect your opinion here. That said, I will say there were a couple puzzles that I also didn't like as much. One especially required a decent jump in logic/association that I didn't expect and we ended up having to ask a hint for. Another puzzle I personally liked but I could see others struggling with (esp if English isn't your first language, or you just don't like playing with words lol). In that sense, it sorrrrt of felt like outside knowledge being required. There is a decent amount to do in this room, but maybe it felt that way with only two players. This can be done with two experienced players, but it's definitely meant for maybe 3-4 decent players. Overall, I loved this room a lot and would highly recommend it!
Down The Rabbit HoleTrapped! Escape Room - UplandEscape roomIRLThis was an okay room. The set is decent and there were a few moments/puzzles I appreciated/liked. Our faults with it were that puzzles didn't completely make sense sometimes, and if it were not for our GM telling us something was done or needed to be perfectly placed, we wouldn't know if a puzzle was solved correctly (happened more than a few times). This would be fun for a family. Escape room enthusiasts would find this one average and dampered by the issues I mentioned above. Plus points for no combination locks at all, but it's definitely on the older side of tech puzzles with a lot of finicky RFID reliance.
CastiglioneLost SG Escape RoomEscape roomIRLContext: I've done over 50+ escape rooms, mostly in California with a few in Vancouver, Canada. I've played really top-notch rooms. My expectations for Singapore escape rooms aren't nearly as high (especially without many reviews or ratings on the Morty app). This Castiglione room pleasantly surprised me a bit. It was decent, but with flaws for sure. Set design/immersion: average. The rooms mostly looked the same, but I was happy to see multiple rooms. Immersion was okay, you get immersed in the story, but the set design is nowhere near the best ones. Puzzles: there weren't a lot of puzzles. Some were really easy, there was one or two I liked the concepts of, and there were a couple really are-you-serious-this-is-ridiculous puzzles. I will expand on the latter. One puzzle, (in a really vague sense so as not to be a spoiler), you had to figure out how to distinguish whether something was of Group A or Group B. We ultimately had to ask for a hint. Their response was clear, but the logic to the solution was so ridiculous I couldn't believe it. Hardly anyone would ever think of that, and even if you did, it's not a sensible, logical concept for an escape room. In the second, baffling puzzle, we figured out what to do, but it is really difficult if you don't have someone that is familiar with Chinese characters. Luckily, I was, but I could see others really struggling with this one. Pricing: Great. Probably the cheapest escape room we've ever done (comparing to American rooms). Game Masters/service: ehhhh. We were taken care of when we arrived and introduced to the start of the game well enough. When we finished the room and escaped, we were confused because NO ONE came to get us. We eventually just walked out and an employee off-handedly told us to put our walkie talkie into a basket. THAT'S IT. They didn't ask us how the game was, if we had any questions, any congrats or comments or whatever for escaping, or offer to take a photo for us. Really awkward. I would say it's straight business, but even then, you would care a little more in hopes of getting someone to be a return customer for another room. They are nothing like Game Masters in the US, full of enthusiasm and passion and willingness to talk about the room and encourage you to try their other rooms. Overall: a decent time, good value for the price we paid. We were going through the room really fast until we ran into the two difficult/ridiculous puzzles. Production value is solid, but nowhere near the top escape rooms in California (and around the world)
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