The Sunken RuinsPortal Adventures - BeavertonEscape roomIRLPure puzzle fest with a fun decision to be made near the end of the. Good set, fun premise, and oh so many puzzles. This is not your typical room in that you are not trying to escape, but instead, you are trying to get as many points as possible.
The Frozen ForestPortal Adventures - BeavertonEscape roomIRLWe played with three players and no actor. I really feel that you need to play with 5-6 players and the actor to get everything out of this game. The set, including sound, lighting and video is absolutely top notch. Seriously impressive. I found the gameplay to be very repetitive and procedural. Step 1, then 2, then 3 and rinse and repeat several times. The puzzles were very simplistic and boring. I never once felt clever during the game and that left me feeling unfulfilled. And often, even with just three of us, there was nothing to do. If we had played with the actor, I don’t feel that we have finished in time, but to play with the actor (which I think would have added enough to overcome the weak puzzles) you need more players so that some of the group can distract/trap the actor, allowing the rest of the team to complete the list of tasks. I see the hype and love for the room. It just didn’t do it for me the way we played it.
VoyagerPortal Adventures - BeavertonEscape roomIRL𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 �𓅝𓃄 �𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿 𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 𓂨𓅝𓃄 𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿This review contains spoilers.Unscramble𓀗
Tomb of the GodsPortal Adventures - BeavertonEscape roomIRLI really loved the set in this room. It fit the theme perfectly. The puzzles were fairly straightforward, but there were still some really fun moments in the room and there was enough to keep our team busy. This is the one room at this location that feels like a traditional escape room so it may not get the attention that their other games get, but this one was my favorite.
The Pharaoh's Lost RelicHour to MidnightEscape roomIRLThis theme has certainly been done to death, but this one stands out nicely from the crowd. The set was really well done and included audio cues. I really enjoyed many of the puzzles and the room just kept revealing new spaces.
Crypt of ShadowsHour to MidnightEscape roomIRLThis was such a cool use of total darkness in a room. I really liked the way that you could go from the area with totally darkness to an area with light so that you weren’t just stuck in pitch blackness if you didn’t want to be there. The set was well done, including a soundtrack and some lighting cues. A lot of the puzzles required teamwork, which I love. This one was definitely my favorite at Hour to Midnight and it was the standout room on our three day, 14 room Portland trip. I highly recommend it.
Assassin's Deadly GameHour to MidnightEscape roomIRLThis one didn’t hit the same heights as Crypt and Nibiru, but it was a good game. The set made sense and it had a couple of really fun and unique puzzles.
Operation GryaznayavodaIn Search Of An ExitEscape roomIRLYour first task is to get into the place and it only gets more charming (stranger??) from there. The set was straight out of the 80’s and the interaction with the GM/computer was fun. I usually don’t care about the story, but this one really stands out and the story drives the experience. The puzzles were creative and there was plenty to do.
Lombino's CasinoIn Search Of An ExitEscape roomIRLThis room had some of the most difficult and multi-layered puzzles that I can remember in a room. Fun, and clever, but brain burners for sure. The videos of Vinny Lombino were hilarious and kept the room lighthearted. The set was adequate and the story was okay. This is a good room, but not outstanding to me.
Ronnie’s HouseNW Escape ExperienceEscape roomIRLThis one toes the line between a love and like for me. The set was good and matched the story. The scare factor was fine and not over the top. Some of the puzzles really stood out and one of them makes my top 10 of all times.
Operation: D.B. CooperNW Escape ExperienceEscape roomIRLThis is a fairly linear room with a lot of traditional locks. The story is unique (we’ve only played one other DB Cooper room). The set was decent. Some of the puzzles lacked signposting.
Atomic CafeNW Escape ExperienceEscape roomIRLCute, little room. The GM-led intro is fun and unique. The puzzles were straightforward, but still interesting. Very friendly staff.
Jurassic ToursNW Escape ExperienceEscape roomIRLThis room has so many fun, nerdy references and Easter eggs ………… mixed with a bit of hokey, eye-rolling humor, which made for a good time. I appreciated the fact that you have to make a decision about 2/3 through the game that decides the puzzle path that you will see through the rest of the game. The puzzles were fairly straightforward and most of them only require one person. I wish there was more teamwork involved in the puzzles, that the space was a little bigger, and that the view through the windows was a little more realistic looking. Overall, it’s well worth doing.
Sins of WhitechapelKey and Code Escape Rooms - South Reno Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLI believe that this is currently the best scary room in Reno, and I enjoyed Freakshow, Dead Silence, Blood of the Original, etc., but this one really stands out. The set, including the physical room, soundtrack, lighting and sound cues were all very well integrated into the experience. The chapel’s vaulted ceiling and the door to the chapel were wonderfully done. I usually don’t care about the story, instead I normally focus on the puzzles, then set, but I really enjoyed how the story revealed itself at the end. And, everything made sense within that story’s framework. The puzzles were good, and made sense for the story, and there were a couple of good ‘that’s really cool’ moments. I am not a horror fan; don’t watch scary movies and avoid haunted houses, but I thoroughly enjoyed this room. It had the right amount of spooky atmosphere and gore, and it all worked together. This theme/setting could definitely be polarizing for some, but you can also say that it is unique and not the usual trope of a killer has you trapped so you better figure a way out before he returns, and I appreciate this. The room is on the dark side and there are a couple of small spaces so this may make it difficult for certain people, however, not everyone needs to enter these spaces. Parking is simple and the staff was great. *** note: we played this room as a beta test group so it is subject to some small tweaks before it opens, but I feel that it was 98% or better in its final form.
ExcaliburKey and Code Escape Rooms - South Reno Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis is a really fun room. The set is fantastic and the use of lighting and sound to enhance the set really makes it wonderful. I like the puzzles. None of them were particularly difficult, but they all worked well with the theme and the props were well done. If you’ve played a similar room in Boise, no worries as they are different enough to still enjoy this one.
Prisoner 775Key and Code Escape Rooms - South Reno Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLGreat set and some innovative puzzles made for a fun time. The staff, Mikayla and Izzy were very friendly and welcoming. The new rooms at Key and Code are a huge step up and worth visiting.
Operation NightwalkerKey and Code Escape Rooms - SparksEscape roomIRLGreat set; the actual room, lighting, fog, and sound were all good and added to the overall vibe. The story is interesting and makes sense in the space. The puzzles were good and matched the theme. The room is difficult and I would imagine that casual players will struggle. The signposting is lacking a bit and the low lighting added a bit to the difficulty. The only real complaint though is that it was unclear what triggered upon completion of a puzzle. It’s definitely an above average room and enthusiast will enjoy it and will be challenged. If you’ve done a room with a similar name at MindTrap in SoCal, please note that although both rooms were installed by the same company, they are totally different rooms.
BiohazardDeadline Escape Rooms 2Escape roomIRLI really enjoyed this room. I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t because of the theme and because there were so many locks visible when you first enter, but the story really came through and there was a mix of tech and locks and everything fit the space nicely. There were a few stand out puzzles that really impressed and the set was really well done. Deadline always does a nice job, especially considering that it is all made in-house.
Viking’s Hammer – RagnarökKey and Code Escape Rooms - SparksEscape roomIRLI thoroughly enjoyed this room. The set is really well done and on theme and I kept looking around, enjoying it long after we finished the room. The soundtrack, audio cues, and lighting enhance the experience. The puzzles were all fun and intuitive. I also like the puzzle paths; the first space has one puzzle and then it becomes non-linear with plenty to work on in the second space. These then converge into one puzzle that gets you into another space where it becomes non-linear again, allowing for the team to split up again, until it once again converges for the final puzzle. I love when rooms do this. It allows you to split up and work in multiple puzzles, but then pulls the team back together again at key points in the game. I would say that this is medium in difficulty. Novices may struggle with a couple puzzles, but enthusiasts will probably be fine. This is definitely a top three room in Reno and arguably number one at this point in time. I highly recommend it.
The NemesisMission Escape GamesEscape roomIRLI’ve done a few spaceship themed rooms, but this one stands out from the others. The physical set is really well done and feels like you’d expect a spaceship would be, but this one also did a great job of integrating sounds, video and lighting into the gameplay as well. There are a ton of puzzles, and a couple of them are on the difficult end of the spectrum, so I’m recommending 4-6 for this room, which is more than I usually recommend. The puzzles were all fun, on theme and tough (in a good, clever way). Mali, our GM was great and we chatted about escape rooms prior to our game. I also like the unique hint system in this room; letting you select a level of hint that you’d like. I was genuinely pleased with this room.
