H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!Halloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseThis house was really campy which is not my personal preference in haunted houses BUT I can still admit when it is well done. Even though this house isn’t very scary, I appreciate the variety in scenes and costumes. It was a unique concept and was executed well.
Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of DarknessHalloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseI wasn’t sure what to expect in this house but I really enjoyed it! There was a lot of variety in this house and the music only added to the experience. The train section was my favorite!
CybergoriaHalloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseI heard that this was supposed to be one of the scariest houses at HHN but I didn’t think it was notably scarier than any of the others. I thought that the sets were well done and I appreciated the way that the path progressed through the story. That being said, the scares felt pretty repetitive by the end of the house.
Madlands: Caged CannibalsHalloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseThis house gets more hate than it deserves. I found it to be one of the more enjoyable ones in the park because the concept was unique and well executed. I’ve heard that this one smells terrible but I didn’t really notice any unpleasant scents infused into this house.
SinnersHalloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseI didn’t think that this house was scary but it was very immersive! Walking through this house feels like you’re in the movie. The actors were all perfectly cast in my opinion!
Invasion: Alien AbductionHalloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseThis was by far my least favorite house at HHN. The Alien’s were really cartoonish and not scary at all. The scares were repetitive and became predictable very quickly.
Bigfoot: Secrets of The SwampThe Escape Ventures - Orlando I-DriveEscape roomIRLI LOVED this game! The Escape Ventures always makes great rooms but dare I say that this is one of my favorites? This room was not as scary as some of the other rooms at The Escape Ventures but it was very immersive and the puzzles flowed so perfectly together. If you’re thinking about trying to venture out into scarier escape rooms but want to start off with something a bit more tame, this would be a great option for you! Our game master (I believe his name was Miles?) also very clearly loved his job and did a notably great job making the experience fun for us!
Super Bomb Squad: Commandos AwesomeDoldrick's Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis game was really fun! It is admittedly my least favorite at Doldrick’s so far but don’t let that discourage you from visiting! The only reason that it is my least favorite is because the other two rooms I’ve done (Spoopy Bones and Crazy Train) are so insanely impressive. This room is still very well done and I’d highly recommend!
Haunted HarborThe Escape Ventures - Winter Garden [prev. Escape Goat]Escape roomIRLWe had a really great time in this room! Our group has done most of the rooms at The Escape Ventures and I personally believe that this is one of their most challenging rooms because there was so much to do. The puzzles were really well made and fun! I would highly recommend this room for anyone who wants a challenge!
Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & ControlHalloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseThis was my favorite house at HHN! There was a lot of variety in the costumes and technical effects in this house and I loved that I never knew what I was going to see next. This house was really creative and enjoyable!
HellraiserHalloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseI think that this house was objectively well done if you are familiar with the movies. Personally, I felt like the scares were pretty repetitive in this house and the strobe lights were a little bit excessive (I don’t mind occasional strobe lights but this just felt like overkill). I will note that the lighting might have only felt so jarring because I did this house when it was mid-afternoon and my eyes were struggling to adjust from the brightness outside to the darkness inside.
Evil Dead BurnHalloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseI really liked this house because I felt like I was walking through a movie! The variety of characters intrigued me and I liked the way that we were able to walk through what felt like a really fleshed out storyline.
Stranger Things 5Halloween Horror NightsHauntHaunted houseI didn’t love this house because every scare felt the same. The demogorgon costumes were well-made but I wish there was a way to add more variety to the scares because I was kind of bored by the end. Nevertheless, this house was immersive.
System Overlord: Dawn of the MachineThe Keepers of BalanceEscape roomIRLI enjoyed this game! With that being said, the style and design of this room felt very different from the other two rooms at Keepers of Balance and I’m not sure that I enjoyed this one quite as much. I think that the sets in their other rooms are more compelling but the puzzles in this room are still very good. I would still recommend this room even though it isn’t my personal favorite at this location!
InariTimed OutEscape roomIRLI enjoyed this game for the most part! The puzzles were challenging but not overwhelming and the gameplay flowed in a very natural way. My biggest complaint about this room would be the video aspects as I found them to take away from the immersiveness of the rest of the room. Based on the style of the videos, I suspect that some of them may have been made by AI and they just weren’t incredibly believable. I still enjoyed the gameplay and puzzles in this room though!
51Timed OutEscape roomIRLThis room was probably my least favorite at Timed Out but it was still a decent room. The puzzles are quite non-linear and it’s not always clear what to work on next but the individual puzzles are still well done. I can’t say that I fully grasped the storyline and conclusion of the room but I did enjoy it for the most part!
Under PressureKey to EscapeEscape roomIRLThe theming of this room was very well done and immersive! That being said, there were a couple of shortcomings in this room in regards to gameplay. There are so many puzzles in this room and when you combine that with a couple of red herrings in the room, it’s not always intuitive what you should be working on at what time. This room has so many things to do that I would typically just recommend going with a larger group BUT this room felt small with just a three person group. It feels as if you have to choose between an ideal number of participants to solve puzzles and an ideal number of participants to navigate the space. Additionally, multiple parts of this room malfunctioned as we tried to solve puzzles which ultimately kept us from finishing the room (in my opinion). Overall, I would recommend the room if you want to experience a well-themed room and support an owner who is very kind and clearly passionate about his business but in the spirit of full transparency, this is not the most fulfilling experience in regards to gameplay.
A Twist Of OzKey to EscapeEscape roomIRLI can see why this room would get a lot of recognition in the escape room community a few years ago! It is a well done room but admittedly feels a little bit dated in the current escape room scene. The theming is fun but not 100% immersive. The puzzles are enjoyable but are a bit more prompted than I personally prefer. This would be a great room for younger escape room enthusiasts or people who are new to escape rooms!
Defenders of the Sunken RealmThe Keepers of BalanceEscape roomIRLThis game is so incredibly immersive but some of the puzzles seem to be abnormally difficult (this is coming from someone who considers herself to be pretty good at puzzles). Overall, I would highly recommend this game but would warn prospective players that they will be hit with very difficult puzzles immediately upon starting. I can’t say enough positive things about the immersive and interactive aspects of this room! The beginning of this room (aka the strangely difficult puzzles) set the tone poorly for our group but we were won back over by the immersive nature and flawless execution of the rest of the room.
The Coral Kingdom AquariumMasterpiece EscapesEscape roomIRLThis room was super cute! It is not my favorite at Masterpiece (because some of their other rooms are phenomenal) but this is a great option for children or escape room enthusiasts who don’t like to be scared. Some of the rooms are quite small but are still well executed. The puzzles are very well done and unique!
