The DogHouseEscape Room 66 - Laguna HillsEscape roomIRLNot a terrible room. This was right on the line. A few combination locks in an escape room are bearable, but this room had almost double digits, only half of which were labelled to indicate which lock to input your solution, which is a must for combination lock rooms imo. I didn't love the pacing of the room. Front loading is an expectation with non linear rooms, but the connections in between completing puzzles to their end were a bit choppy and a little unsatisfactory. Theming of the room is great, everything follows theme well and has a ton of character and fun references. I truly enjoyed the decor. One issue is that the color motifs of pink, orange, green, and blue are everywhere, including some clues which obfuscates puzzle connections as a form of unnecessary artificial difficulty. Overall I think this room is great if you're either: 1. <10 total escape rooms done or, 2. Never done a nonlinear escape room or, 3. Value theming and decor over puzzle design and tech Again, not a bad room, but a bit outdated and some bumps in the decision making make this one a bit disappointing for me.
Elevate: SkyloungeWild Goose Escapes - IrvineEscape roomIRLExcellent room, no complaints. Puzzle design is fair, themeing is excellent, pacing is good, story makes sense as you move areas. Great non linear room. Highly recommended
London Dungeon Escape RoomThe London DungeonEscape roomIRLOne of those rooms that prioritizes theming over puzzles. Somewhat unclear how destructive in the game you're supposed to be. Low light room, music is way too loud to hear your team, and that's probably to cover the fact that the experience is built right next to the horror attraction so you'll hear people randomly screaming, and other sounds that don't relate to your game, but could. Overall I liked some of the puzzles, but the other half were duds that really dampened the experience for me.
