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Reviews

Reviews

Sleep No More [Immersive Theatre]

Sleep No More [Immersive Theatre]

The McKittrick Hotel

  • Escape room
  • Other
Complete otherworldly experience! This is not an escape room nor is it a haunt. It is a theatrical performance, but it is much more than a play. The best way I can describe it is if you were an invisible shadow on the set of a live drama. You can walk around the 5 floors of a hotel however you want, as long as you wear a masquerade mask provided to you and are completely silent. You are free to explore, and the environments and rooms are extremely well-decorated with astonishing detail. But if you’re here, you’re not just going to snoop around. You’re here to eavesdrop, watch, and follow actors as they run around, interact together, dance, and silently perform with an invisible audience around them. I love that you can choose to follow people, stay in one room, change who you choose to stalk, or even none of the above or all of it. It’s a true choose-your-own-adventure except it’s not about you. The show gets graphic, psychological, violent, and downright spooky, though it’s not what I’d call a haunted house. But I absorbed every minute, climbing up flights, being a lemming with the crowd as they ran after a performer, and just soaking in the sights and trying to understand the narrative. If you’re lucky, you may even get a special 1:1 experience with the actor, like I did! And wow, if I didn’t already love this immersive theater show before, that sealed the deal! The actors were amazing! Loved them all! Check this out now if you can before it closes for good! It’s worth it as a unique experience not easily found elsewhere!
The Nest [Immersive Theatre]

The Nest [Immersive Theatre]

Hatch Escapes

  • Escape room
  • Other
Poignant and thought-provoking, The Nest is more immersive environment experience than puzzle-driven escape room, and I love that about it. It’s reminiscent of video game walking simulators like Gone Home, but with actual walking. In the room, you follow a guided path through corners of a woman named Josie’s apartment. You can see her treasured items, figments of her past, and you can also listen to narrated tapes of her personal story. It’s as much a trip through her memories as much as it is a tour of her hoarded apartment, and masterful use of lightning and set designs show more than tell. The immersion comes in a different way from traditional escape rooms. I didn’t just feel like I was somewhere else entirely; I also felt like I knew Josie personally. There are actually a few puzzles, but they’re never overbearing, and there is no time limit really. You are meant to soak in the story, which is deeply personal and emotional. Be prepared to feel, to cry, to think about your own life. This room affected me in big ways, and I’m glad I experienced it with my love.
Wizard Quest

Wizard Quest

Wizard Quest

  • Escape room
  • Other
Wizard Quest is a breathtaking one-of-a-kind experience! While you are not strictly escaping, this large attraction features multiple quests spread out across 4 elemental fantasy-themed worlds. You get around 2-3 hours to complete as many as you can. The game utilizes a tablet device for players to interact with the quest givers and to solve quizzes. Most puzzles are exploration-based, and require running around the world and closely examining the environment. It’s truly immersive, and there are hidden paths and secret buttons all over the place. There are live actors who can give hints, and you can also collect items and real, tangible prizes from finishing quests. I can’t stress enough how impressive the life-size figures and detailed environment are, not to mention the voice acting. One of the best exploration game experiences I’ve ever had! Highly recommended if you are at Wisconsin Dells!
Activate [Interactive Arcade]

Activate [Interactive Arcade]

Activate - Lexington

  • Escape room
  • Other
Activate is not an escape room, but it is a super fun series of physical arcade-like challenges. It’s as if you were transported into a video game! You have to run, jump, shoot, crawl, climb, and throw in multiple challenges. Each of the 8 rooms has different modes and difficulty levels. And as long as nobody else is in that room, you can go straight in with your group for a private game. Once you start, you have 75 minutes to do as many challenges in the facility as you can or want. Games include pressing buttons to spell words while hiding from a gigantic eye, running on colorful disco floors platformer game style, and throwing balls onto specific targets. There are so much more, and you probably won’t get through them all in one session. There are 10 difficulty levels per game too and they ramp up fast. The challenges are so fun, and you will work up a sweat! As you win games, you get points that cumulatively add up across your visits in any of the locations across the country. Those points get you rewards like keychains and water bottles. Again, this isn’t an escape room, but there are similar challenges that test both your brain and agility. It’s intense, replayable, and a ton of fun with a good group! I’m already wanting to reactivate soon!
Activate [Interactive Arcade]

Activate [Interactive Arcade]

Activate - Chicago (Oak Brook)

  • Escape room
  • Other
More of a physical challenge activities facility than an escape room, Activate is often a great time! The company has multiple facilities around the U.S. and Canada, and the location in Chicago has more games than the other one I went to in Lexington, Kentucky. It has active arcade games like a portal challenge, where you throw balls into holes and they pop out of another hole, and a game where you have a control panel similar to a video game adventure. Most of the other games are great too and range from being in an interactive platformer video game to throwing basketballs to solve trivia. We end up sweating from all the running around and crawling! There are about 15-20 rooms, so there are a lot of choices. The only thing that was tough is if it’s busy, you may have to use up more of your limited 75-minute time slot waiting for people. And if they’re too loud, you can’t hear some of the audio-based challenges. So it really depends on the day. I still recommend it for groups, and I would definitely say it’s a great spot for parties and big hangouts!
The Real Unreal [Immersive Art]

The Real Unreal [Immersive Art]

Meow Wolf

  • Escape room
  • Other
The various Meow Wolf locations around the U.S. are not escape rooms, but they are immersive and interactive art exhibits. The Real Unreal in particular has a deep lore mystery that intrigued us, with similarities both setting wise and art-wise to Stranger Things. There is also an optional scavenger hunt and other activities that you can do with a special phone app. This was my 2nd Meow Wolf (1st one being Radio Tave in Houston, Texas), and both were amazing! I love the local art on display, the funky music, and immersing myself in the house of odder things. There is food and drink that you can purchase too. We took about 2 hours vibing to the art, and it felt so real unreal to me!
Great Big Game Show: The Original [Immersive Experience]

Great Big Game Show: The Original [Immersive Experience]

Great Big Game Show - Oakbrook

  • Escape room
  • Other
I loooove game shows! This special experience from The Escape Game lets you be a contestant in a game show, complete with a live host and a set with professional lightning, music, and video! You can go with as few as 2 and as many as 14 people split into 2 teams. There are physical and mental challenges, and a 1-hour game can have as many as 10 minigames. It’s lots of fun for big groups. You may have to play with or against strangers, but that’s how real game shows are anyway. So glad to have something so great near me!
Escape The City - Chicago [Outdoor]

Escape The City - Chicago [Outdoor]

Escapely - Chicago

  • Escape room
  • Other
Very unique escape scavenger hunt using the real world to find clues! You get a real box in the mail containing envelopes, sheets, a pen, a lockbox, and some other important goodies for solving the mystery. Yes, it’s a whodunnit, which I love! Then by going to the real life location, you solve the puzzles and use your phone to scan codes and submit clues. I absolutely love how it uses murals, walls, and other clues hidden in establishments and landmarks for the puzzles. There is a road block puzzle that takes a while and I think they expect you to grab a drink or a bite while solving it? That’s what we did. It’s perfect for a date or for a group of scavenger hunters. This of course requires everything to be open and hopefully bright and not rainy outside to complete. It’s great for a walk around the city too! The Chicago box actually takes you to Fulton Market, which is a trendy part of the city with lots of good food and drinks. It’s fairly safe, comparatively, but be careful still and be alert especially if it’s darker outside. We actually ran into some people who were also doing the box at the same time and also met a person who was curious why we were just staring at a wall haha! Such unique experiences that felt special! Technically you can use hints and pictures provided by Escapely to solve puzzles without traveling to the location, but what’s the point in that? This is very much a tour of Fulton Market, and it’s cool that you get to see some companies and places that I assume have partnered with Escapely for this escape game. If you’re visiting Chicago, be aware that Fulton Market is outside the typical tourist area (so not exactly Millenium Park, the Bean, Navy Pier, or Michigan Ave). It works perfectly for this game to be in this walkable fun area, but Fulton Market is not the Chicago area you’re probably thinking of! Fun aside, but we actually did a beta test for Escapely and some puzzles and the mystery were similar. Yet it didn’t even hamper our enjoyment of this awesome scavenger adventure around Chicago! DA BEARS!
Dungeons & Dragons: The Immersive Quest

Dungeons & Dragons: The Immersive Quest

Dungeons & Dragons: The Immersive Quest

  • Escape room
  • Other
The D&D Immersive Quest, while not an escape room, is an interactive adventure with bite-sized challenges, life-size attractions, and an epic final battle. First, we chose from 1 of 4 classes, such as Fighter and Druid. The journey starts with a live show with actors. The tasks range from physically jumping on platforms or performing spells with hand motions. It’s fun for D&D tabletop fans for sure, though those not as familiar with nat 20s may consider this more to be a critical failure. We love D&D and Baldur’s Gate and the lore and had fun, despite some technical setbacks. There’s also a bar and a market for merch. This attraction was a critical roll!
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