Operation Treehouse: Capture the FlagThe Escape Ventures - Winter Garden [prev. Escape Goat]Escape roomIRLI know all my fellow enthusiasts have moved on to the newer and shinier rooms, but dang do I feel like this game still deserves lots of love. Yes there's only 1 room, yes there are a ton of locks, and no there isn't a live actor, but... do we really need a cookie cutter blueprint to have FUN in an escape room? The theme is cute and funny, there's still some fun tech for the lock haters, there's plenty to do even for just one room, there's tons of puzzles so groups of all sizes can be engaged, and there's still some delightful reveals in place of a second room. Everything in this game builds upon the theme, the story/objective is always clear, and you can't deny the set is on point. Despite the lighthearted theme, this game still presents a strong challenge for all the adults who have outgrown their treehouse days. This is seriously still a must play in my opinion at this venue, and I'll be sad to see it go.
Area 51The Escape Ventures - Winter Garden [prev. Escape Goat]Escape roomIRLFor an older room, I thought this was pretty fun. There's a decent mix of tech, and all the puzzles were well designed. The set is kind of small which I felt made this suffer in terms of narrative elements. It was also kind of lacking a memorable ending. I would highly recommend it for beginners, but I think even enthusiasts would think this is a solid game worth playing.
Cannibals In The CatacombsPrototype Escape GamesEscape roomIRLAnother fantastic game from Prototype. The set has a lot of details to aid in the immersion while also not being too dim to be playable. All the props were high quality and satisfying to hold. The footprint of the room isn't too big, but they certainly packed a lot of variety of puzzles throughout and some nice reveals. I will be honest that I thought the scare factor was a bit gimmicky here largely relying on the fear of getting tased. That being said, I'm not someone that gets frightened easily, but they did get me good with one jump scare haha. Even without the scare actor, I think this would a very enjoyable game.
Jacobs NightmareHuddys Escape - GainesvilleEscape roomIRLThis was close to getting a heart from me, but the lack of a climax or cohesive story really dragged it down for me. I also felt that the game was very front loaded and started losing steam as the game went on. I don't recall encountering any puzzles that were out of commission or any jump scares like previous reviews mentioned. There was a lock that was broken, but the gamemaster told us ahead of time to not open the box it was for until a certain puzzle was solved so I wasn't too bothered. The beginning room was my favourite part and had a lot of fun puzzles and nostalgic theming. The 2nd room was also pretty good, but from there, the theming and set design became quite a bit more sparse and the puzzles much more one dimensional. The atmosphere is certainly eerie, but there wasn't a single time anyone in my group got scared so I'm not sure if there was something missing in our experience. The ending also felt completely anticlimactic as there was no pay off for that build up.
Swords Stones and MagicHuddys Escape - GainesvilleEscape roomIRLI had a great time as someone who loves everything Arthurian. That being said, the room felt a little under baked for me. The bones are all there for an amazing experience with a great set, fun props, and thematic elements. However, it kind of stumbles at fulfilling its full potential. The puzzles are lacking in depth which gives the solve a lack of satisfaction. The story has moments of intrigue, but fails to build up into excitement and tension. The rooms are quite narrow too which makes it difficult to traverse with even a group of just 4. You can tell there was some serious thought behind this buildout, but it could use some help in the other areas. It's a shame because this could be an exceptional game if given some more love, but it doesn't seem to be a priority for the management.
Escape Area 51Elite Escape GamesEscape roomIRLThis is a very soft like for me. My mind cannot comprehend how this was a 4x TERPECA nominee even in 2021 (must less 2023) aside from some serious insider trading. This room is in DIRE need of maintenance. The puzzles are fairly simple, but tings are so worn out that it caused a lot of artificial difficulty. Gamemaster was of no help either. The one thing I can compliment about this room is that the atmosphere does feel very space-like and the ending was fun. It's a bit cheesy, but it did put a smile on my face and turned the overall experience from a thumbs down to a thumbs up. I couldn't recommend this room in good faith though until the maintenance issues are addressed at the minimum.
Wild West HeistBreak Out CharlestonEscape roomIRLThis room scratched the escape room itch, but I remember feeling somewhat annoyed needing to pay a 3 person minimum to play it given how doable it was with just 2 people (the other person being my roommate who had never played an escape room before). The choice to incorporate science with a Wild West theme was certainly a choice. I suppose I didn't hate it, but it wasn't really incorporated in an interesting way. The puzzles made sense and were varied in type. The final reveal was fun. Overall, I still thought it was a fine room, but I had one major gripe. At one point we had to ask for a hint because something required EXCESSIVE force to move. The stiffness of that prop seriously needs to be addressed, but at the very least, the gamemaster should be noticing that I'm interacting with it and letting me know to use more strength. Aside from that, our gamemaster was great though.
Baker Street MysteryEscape Hour AustinEscape roomIRLI honestly preferred A Christmas Unremembered which was the game this replaced by a fair margin. The room was solid but a weak offering from Escape Hour given their repetoire. I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, and this was kind of a miss in terms of theming. There were a couple of references to the books, but it felt entirely surface level. The room had an emphasis on puzzles, and there were plenty to solve. Things got confusing at times, and the flow was a marked step down from their other games as well. That being said, I didn't hate any of the puzzles, but there weren't any puzzles I felt were particularly novel or clever either. Overall, the only way I could describe this experience as is... fine. Really the only thing I think was executed poorly was the incorporation of Sherlock Holmes in the narrative, but there also wasn't any wow moments or surprises. I'm sure my disappointment in this game failing to capture the essence of Sherlock Holmes played a big part of my lack of enthusiasm as well.
Hidden Temple60 to Escape - GurneeEscape roomIRLI really have to compliment how well crafted this set was as it might be the only room I've played that evoked the feeling of being inside a tomb the entire time. Incredible use of lighting, effects, and tactile set pieces. There was lots to do, and the room felt properly challenging for a group of 4 enthusiasts whereas I generally find 60 to Escape to be on the easy end. The adventure just kept on going and going, and there were points that we needed to backtrack. A few sections did feel underutilised though as there were opportunities to pack more puzzles. Overall though, you would be hard pressed to find many rooms that can execute a set better than this.
Mystery Manor60 to Escape - GurneeEscape roomIRLEverything that this room had, was done incredibly well from the set design to the humour to the puzzles. That being said, there was a serious lack of content in the gameplay portion. My group of 4 finished this with over 25 minutes left on the clock, and we weren't rushing. I still really enjoyed the room, but
Blast From The Past60 to Escape - GurneeEscape roomIRLAs someone who grew up with arcades and really loved the culture behind them in their heyday, this was quite a delightful experience. Lots of fun little interactions and details though the last room bordered on tedium and is where I think the experience lost some steam. I really didn't have any critiques on the game until it came to the last room. While the game was very non-linear, the space restriction at the end made it hard to solve things in tandem. I also thought the puzzles in the last room were markedly more tedious to interact with and frankly kind of annoying at times. The set was still very impressive despite all that, and the final room overall made sense with the theme so this still gets a heart from me.
Split Personality - CLOSEDJust Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis is an old game, but the gameplay was very solid. Where the room lacked in terms of story, set design, and immersion, it made up for the deficiencies by just being a fun game to play overall with plenty of puzzles for a group of 4 enthusiasts.
Floor 66Just Escape RoomEscape roomIRLFloor 66 marked the first room from the new ownership, and it was a marked step up from everything else made by the old owner. There was quite a bit more involved tech and more thought put into the set design. There were many delightful touches, effects, and interactions sprinkled throughout. While a monumental step up from the previous offerings, there were some missed opportunities in terms of storytelling. I couldn't really quite follow what the story was or what exactly we were doing until it was recapped at the end with our gamemaster. Speaking of the end, it felt pretty anticlimactic. I enjoyed the puzzles that were there, but they did end up feeling sparse as my group of 3 ended with quite a bit of time left. All in all, this was a fun experience I can happy recommend to anyone and a great sign of things to come from the new ownership.
The AtticJust Escape RoomEscape roomIRLI'll be honest and say that this was a pretty basic room that probably doesn't have much to offer for the well-seasoned escape room player. While there was nothing that really stood out about the game, there also wasn't anything wrong with the room either. This would be a decent option for someone just starting out into escape rooms to get an idea of what they have to offer.
Game NightCU Adventures in Time and SpaceEscape roomIRLIt may seem like this room is marketed more towards the 80s/Dungeons & Dragons crowd, but I feel strongly that anyone not in these two groups can still have an amazing time if they come in with an open mind for adventure. What starts as a nostalgia trip quickly evolves into an immersive adventure where your party becomes characters in a heroic tale. Our gamemaster did an excellent job transforming into her character and allowed for interesting roleplaying opportunies at multiple points in the game. The set pieces were so well crafted and thoughtfully chosen, and it felt so satisfying holding one of the props you encounter in the game. The finale of the story really rallied everyone to work together for one final goal. I really commend CU Adventures in Time & Space on truly bringing a Dungeons & Dragons campaign to life.
Mafia HeistMind Trap Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis room gets a heart for being the most fantastical and ambitious set I've experienced yet, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the best set in the country. There are still moments in the game that I look back and wonder how the hell they achieved that effect. The surprises kept on coming, and how much they were able to pack in here is a true marvel. That being said, the gameplay is mediocre at best which is a shame given how much went into the room's set design. I also feel like this really should be a 90 minute experience rather than 75 as there's just so much crammed into it. You can't really fully appreciate everything due to how much you need to rush. There were a couple of solid puzzles, but most of them were pretty blah. Backtracking is necessary, but really there wasn't much indication when this would be required. While we didn't need that many hints, you are forced to use a walkie talkie which is never a great experience. Great set design with middling to bad gameplay seems to be a trend with this location, and I implore them to really reconsider keeping the gameplay an afterthought as I think this is the only thing (and the customer service) setting them back from being a top tier escape room facility in the country.
Rise Of The IcarusCU Adventures in Time and SpaceEscape roomIRLThis was a really well crafted room that promotes teamwork and has a lovely GM/player interaction. That being said, I do feel like this room may be veering away from escape room territory and more into live action videogaming which isn't necessarily a bad thing but wasn't my preference. I was alone in this feeling for my group as everyone else loved this room the most of all the rooms we played here, while this was my least favourite (but I still enjoyed it!) for the reasons mentioned. This room was loaded with tech throughout and nothing felt asynchronous to the setting. There were several lines to work on at one time, and we never felt bottlenecked during the game. There was one section that has to do with a "pit" that our teammate who was assigned to it said did get a bit exhausting after a while. Otherwise, everything seemed to be executed very thoughtfully with no technical mishaps which is quite an impressive feat given how tech heavy this room was.
Revenge Of The CabinCU Adventures in Time and SpaceEscape roomIRLI know this room already gets a ton of love, but I still feel like it's so underrated. This room strongly incorporates the narrative throughout without a live actor (though I guess this can be debated) which is something I really wish was more common in this industry. There is one narrative reveal that still has me giddy thinking about it, and it couldn't have played out better based off our group's dynamic. The room is jam packed with great puzzles, a gripping plot line, and well set scenery to accommodate the narrative. There's even bonus puzzles that play into the story if you finish early enough. How great is that? I will admit that the bonus puzzle was maybe a bit too much of a thinker, but I still appreciate that it exists nonetheless, and would be the only (minor) critique I have of the room.
The Wizard's CurseCU Adventures in Time and SpaceEscape roomIRLThis was a bit less meat than the other rooms here, but I still think it's absolutely worth doing as a warmup to the rest of CU Adventure's phenomenal lineup. They pack a LOT into this small space and use every bit of room there is. Great gameplay, fun reveals, and detailed set design... this room has everything you need for a good time. The spell slinging also worked much better than I expected. Bonus points for supplying the appropriate wizard gear for our adventure.
Doctor Death Escape RoomMind Trap Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWhile the scenery and atmosphere was amazing, I was letdown quite a bit by everything else. We selected the live actor option, and honestly, I don't think there was much of an impact here as calling it a live actor experience is definitely a bit of a stretch. Perhaps that had to do with our gamemaster, who did not seem to really care about the job that much. The gameplay was very forgettable, and there is an egregious red herring that wasted the most amount of time I've ever worked on a red herring to this day. The darkness is like 90% of the difficulty here which is not a good way to make a room challenging. The set was really well made, and they did a great job of setting an eery and dreadful tone. I do think the set slightly sputtered out at the end as it was quite a bit more basic than the rest of the room. The ending was abrupt and very confusing from a narrative perspective. There were still some fun twists though, and overall, I liked the room mostly due to the strong theming.
