Irvine School of Wizardry and the Goblin's SecretsHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLBIG BIG WOW! Stop reading and just play it lol! I’m not even a big Harry Potter fan and still absolutely loved it. How could you not?! The decor is top of the top. Game play smooth. Wow moments in every room I kid you not. One wow moment in particular that no other company rn is even coming close to touching. We talked with Cody our GM after for like 15 min lol just nerding out on the set design. Instantly a top 3 game for us! The second track in this room that’s close to being done has got me super excited to come back for it.
Pirates of the Mediterranean: The Curse of the Crystal Cavern - CLOSEDTop Tier Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLAmazing room! The set was beautiful, lots of thought into the design! All of the tech worked for us too! The multi-layer approach to the puzzles was very clever, challenging but very satisfying to solve… I appreciate the creativity and strategy you can tell the owners put into this. Few good laughs, definite wow moments too! Go into this noting that details are everywhere which is pretty cool so vocalize where you find things to the team. It’s a top 5 game for us, so much FUN!
Jewel of the SeaIntrepid Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWow moments galore! The set and decor were top notch. Special effects and unique puzzles had elements I’ve never seen before. Magical moments had us saying WHOAAAA several times that’s all I gotta say lol. This place is amazing - you can even play a fun game in the lobby - details galore here. A must play!
Heart Of Bastet [prev. Red Giant]Lara’s Labyrinth - San Diego [prev. Quest Room]Escape roomIRLThere were two parts that were so much fun and wow moments! One in particular was unreal - a moment we keep talking about even now. I wish one part was working right - to be fair they did say it was finicky. Overall loved it and really appreciated the decor - honestly felt like you were in an Egyptian tomb.
Cosmic CrisisThe Escape Game - OrangeEscape roomIRLIn my top 5 games all time - the wow and aha moments were so fun! The game made perfect sense which made the flow great - felt like we were in a movie. Truly a unique game in a sea of games that look alike. A must do! Also all the tech and decor were 10/10 with all perfect execution - that’s a rarity in an age of broken parts and pieces in rooms.
Captain Maniacal's LairboratoriumRed Door Escape Room - San DiegoEscape roomIRLIt’s a mini with smooth game play! Fun tech and cool special effects that work! Could be their best room here. I wouldn’t call this their easiest room - I would say that this room has the smoothest logic maybe of all their rooms which makes it flow well. Smooth flow without unnecessary frustration = enjoyment in our book! Go play it!
Fair GameRed Door Escape Room - San DiegoEscape roomIRLTop 10 game for us! The most FUN we’ve had in a room in some time! So clever, great tech! Very satisfying solves. One puzzle was challenging physically but once you get it down it’s rewarding.
Trapped In Time - CLOSEDPuzzle Workshop by UNLOCKEDEscape roomIRLLOVED THIS! 2-3 puzzles in this room were VERY unique and fun solves. The retro items and vibe were great. All of the tech was on point too. Good puzzles are the ones that require thought but are actually solvable - great logic in this one, appreciate that. Blake the GM was very friendly and Claire on the phone adjusted their schedule to get us in 30 min earlier because of our schedule conflict, that’s great customer service in my mind. This is our fav room their location!
The Last JobConfusion EscapesEscape roomIRLA MUST PLAY! Come on a real TRUCK… that works! Every puzzle makes perfect sense, great logic. Next level immersion! The cleanest and most crisp decor around - just see the care taken after every play, every week - their quality checks. Al and Stacy the owners are bursting with passion, everything you could want in an escape company.
Code Samurai - CLOSEDEscape The ArcadeEscape roomIRLWow! Kyle the owner is a wiz! The center stage part of this game could be the most impressive design component in any game we’ve played ever. One of a kind game!
SEV3N - CLOSEDDeceptive GamesEscape roomIRLWe LOVED this game! Do it! Perfect blend of gen 1 and 2, locks plus tech. Decor and set design is so original, creative, and polished. This one is difficulty level hard for sure but if you can focus amidst all the non-linear going on then the puzzles make sense and are satisfying solves. Not scary but has that seven edge too it. Check it out, it’ll make you want to do all of their other rooms - these guys have mad skills and the right recipe that is so hard for escape rooms to nail down.
Atlantis: The Forgotten CityHypnotic Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLA MUST DO! The set production is unmatched here. Puzzles make you truly wonder how they made that happen. Arguably the best room we’ve done. Arthur (owner) was the best!
ExcaliburMindTrap Escape Room - MurrietaEscape roomIRLSuch a BEAUTIFUL room! Take a moment to admire the quality of the build honestly. Some crazy cool tech I’ve never seen before - room is bursting with originality. Loved the room- truly a must play! I must add the customer service here is second to none - been here 3 times now and they are always the best! Emma the co owner and the GM Hailey are always amazing!
Loot Wars: The HarvestKing's Eye EscapeEscape roomIRLGO DO IT! Still thinking about 2 special tasks - it broke traditional rules beautifully. So special! The best clever style of gen 1 play. Adjust the scare/thrill level as needed. Owner Mark designed these with such great puzzles with a meaningful strong message fitting perfectly for the times we live in. Take the time to truly appreciate the careful artistry of the build here!
Loot Wars: The X-TractionKing's Eye EscapeEscape roomIRLLOVE the passion in the design here! Some unique, custom professional tech that I haven’t quite seen before. Just goes to show that small room escapes can be just as fun as the big ones if done right, and they nailed it here. So there’s games like 40 thieves at Mindtrap that are clear overwhelmingly positive games but I would rate this in the same ballpark in a different way. This place is kind of a hidden gem right now honestly. Don’t overthink the experience and be a weird critic analyzing everything lol, go have fun and you’ll see their efforts and love this clever experience! Also shoutout to Mark (owner) and Mire the GM - just the best to talk to honestly we chatted with them for a while and it was just awesome.
Operation NightwalkerMindTrap Escape Room - MurrietaEscape roomIRLOn par with Universal Studios decor except here you can actually interact with it all. Excellent puzzles too! Clearly the best zombie game around - just that good! Some jumps and a little scary but totally doable even for a jumpy group like us. Could be my fav room at Mindtrap - such a special experience with top immersion. Shoutout to Emma (co-owner) who is always do pleasant on the phone and props to Jacob the GM, rocked it!
The Return Of The MagicianUNLOCKED: Escape RoomEscape roomIRLABSOLUTELY loved this room! Just goes to show you that low to mid budget rooms can compete with the top budget rooms when done right and with passion. This is prob the best I’ve seen such puzzles match the theme with such uniqueness. Also finally a room with nothing annoying lol- so smooth. One big thing to note is that we personally play for the wow moments in a room so if a room has one big wow moment then that’s a win, but this one had multiple that had us in the middle of the game saying - WHOA that was unexpected (and that’s playing over 50 games). this is a gen 1 game with low tech and it was amazing - this is our fav style so there’s that. Jay the GM was amazing too, felt like family and took the time. First room to give us a Polaroid on the spot, nice touch! Julie and Dom were on the phones too - great service! So yeah we’re playing their other room tomorrow lol - “game on arcade.” I was waiting to do reviews on morty till now - lol had to start with this one. This game should be rated “overwhelmingly positive” overall - go play it now!
Game On: UNLOCKED ArcadeUNLOCKED: Escape RoomEscape roomIRLSo much HEART in the design! Wow! Do appreciate the details here as you play. Pouring with passion in every moment here. Imagine being a kid and then asking them what they like in an arcade escape room and this is what you have - beautiful! The second part not going to ruin it but it was a WOW moment like really are we here doing this lol. So cool, go enjoy it and bring kids too if you have them!
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