The MCoBeauty Heist - CLOSEDEscapology - TempeEscape roomIRLI really expected more from a brand new offering from a franchise. Two of us completed this half hour game in TWELVE minutes. $50 would have gone further and been more fun at Dave & Buster’s across the way. We left pretty disappointed. But the staff in Tempe has always been great! It’s not their fault. We didn’t expect a great game, but I think it’s reasonable to expect something better than what we got - a rebranded, shorter, smaller Antidote game. (It takes place in 2/3 of the original Antidote room’s location.) Does Escapology approve every game their franchisees put out? If yes, shame on them. It truly felt like this game is a quick cash grab. I recommend skipping this one.
Haunted HouseEscapology - ScottsdaleEscape roomIRLThis was a pretty cool game! The decor was great and the puzzles were fun. And most surprising - everything worked! Well, except for one tiny thing, but the game master caught it pretty quickly so it didn’t hurt the game.
Davy Jones' LockerExit 4 Escape - ChandlerEscape roomIRLThis was a fun game with several unique puzzles, and the owner and staff were very welcoming and enthusiastic. The variety of puzzle styles kept us engaged throughout the experience. If you’re newer to escape rooms or just looking for a straightforward, puzzle-driven experience, this is a solid option. As someone who has played many escape rooms, I was hoping for a bit more immersion and environmental detail from a franchise location. Overall, it’s an enjoyable experience, though more experienced players may want to explore some of the other highly immersive rooms available in the valley at a similar or lower price point.
The J-Rome MineConstant Evolution Escape Rooms - Site 1Escape roomIRLThis was a surprisingly great little room! We didn’t expect much from a small town escape room, but the creators really built a gem here! Puzzles were unique and everything was on theme. Easily in my top 15 of over 200 rooms. I wouldn’t recommend more than 4 players since they are tiny spaces.
The Last SupperQuest TavernEscape roomIRLGreat game! Extremely immersive character-driven story. Easily in our top 10 of over 200. Just go play!!
Frost Base ZRabbit Hole Recreation ServicesEscape roomIRLGreat room and extremely well-done set! We had a great time exploring everything and figuring out the different puzzles. There’s a great variety for all types of thinkers. We struggled with some of the puzzles and needed EIGHT nudges/clues. But we were told the average is 15, so we did really well. Definitely one of my favorites!
Hansel & Gretel 2.0Escape Rooms VallartaEscape roomIRLWe played both games here and both were fun. They can give clues in English or Spanish and most of the written stuff in the games is also in English and Spanish. Not a lot of tech, but a few cool elements that kept it fun. We enjoyed Hansel and Gretel more as the story seemed to flow better. But both room have some pretty worn out props that could use replacing or updating. Despite that, we both still had fun here. Staff was very nice and even helped us figure out Uber back to our hotel.
Shipwreck LagoonEscape WestgateEscape roomIRLThis was a cute well-built set and there was a lot to do to keep us busy. We prefer games with fewer padlocks - especially knowing this is a newer room. But the games fit the theme and flowed well. We had a good time.
Diamond QuestParanoia Quest - TempeEscape roomIRLMy favorite of their current 3 games. Set is awesome!
KnightFallExodus Escape Room - Rancho CucamongaEscape roomIRLThis is a very well executed room! We all enjoyed it. Lots of cool stuff, unique puzzles and automations. In my top 10% of games for sure.
Unhaunt the MansionAxescape RoomEscape roomIRLThis is a fun room! Three of us played with 4 strangers. (They give the option to pay extra for a private experience.) It was a little tight on space, but the story flowed well and was clear, so we only needed one clue. We did see a couple unique games in it, which is nice to see after 198 escape rooms. Fun experience from start to finish! We are happy to support this family owned and operated business!
Return of the PharaohsParagon Escape GamesEscape roomIRLThis room is phenomenal!!! In my top 3 of 195 so far. It’s easy to see why it’s on TERPECA’s list. It’s worth the drive all the way to the east end of the valley. Go play it - you WON’T be disappointed.
Space RacerPecan LakeEscape roomIRLThis is a TINY room. We played with 4 of us and it felt cramped. They don’t warn you in advance. It’s a linear game and not too hard, but we enjoyed it. Beginners may need the entire time. Theming could have been better but was still better than a lot of rooms we’ve played.
Haunted MansionPecan LakeEscape roomIRLI feel like this room was designed for beginners. The set was well designed and it had a great soundtrack, but it was 100% linear and there weren’t a lot of puzzles. I think there is room for improvement, but there are plenty of worse rooms to play in AZ. I’d put this one near the middle of the pack.
NarcoEscapology - TempeEscape roomIRLWell… This room should have ranked middle of the pack Pi l compared to everything else we’ve played (190+ rooms) but when you add in multiple puzzles that didn’t work right and a couple of head-scratching leaps in logic, it quickly fell to the bottom 10%. I wasn’t happy by the end of the game. On average, my wife and I might ask for a clue 2 or 3 times a game. We had to ask over a dozen times here. Also, most (but not all) puzzles fit the theme, but they didn’t really create a cohesive story.
Batman™: The Dark Knight ChallengeEscapology - TempeEscape roomIRLWith licensed games you always start out hopeful. The set was above average for Escapology but that’s where it ends. Multiple tech puzzles didn’t work. Over 190 escape rooms played and we’ve never had to ask for so many clues. For one puzzle, the game master sent us an un-requested clue the second we walked into that room because the leap in logic is so bad they didn’t even wait for us to ask for help with it. Designers; if a puzzle is so bad that every single group needs help with it, then the problem is with the design, not the player. I would expect a franchise to at least refine their games before installing them around the country. I really wanted to like this one, but we left pretty disappointed. My poor wife kept apologizing since this was a birthday gift to me. But even a bad experience at an escape room is a pretty good day.
Who Stole Mona?Escapology - TempeEscape roomIRLThis is on par with Escapology games. Nothing crazy difficult about the room, but nothing crazy cool either. A couple things had broken, and rather than fix them, they put replacement puzzles in their place. This could just be one of the things the franchise does if it’s hard or costly to repair a broken puzzle. I don’t know. But it was a fun game overall.
A Pirate's CurseEscapology - TempeEscape roomIRLThe set was on the better end compared to their other games. And overall Escapology tends to have slightly above average sets and decor. Nothing looked too worn and it appeared everything worked. But also consistent with Escapology, gameplay could have been better. We aren’t used to asking for clues, and we needed several this time because many of the games are not intuitive and actually a little abstract. Game master and host were friendly and attentive, so it was a good experience overall.
Stranger Than Things - CLOSEDFunEscapeEscape roomIRLI really wanted to like this game. Based on previous reviews and having played all the games at their other location (Escape 101) we didn’t have high expectations, but we were still let down. Staff was friendly, but we asked to only get clues when asked, and we kept getting unsolicited help! They made almost no effort to make the set look like Stranger Things. You know exactly where the puzzles are because all the game wiring runs inside the walls - just follow the conduit! One puzzled didn’t work so they had to come into the room to fix it - and couldn’t. I’m an escape room builder so I showed them how to bypass the puzzle just so we could get back to playing. Lots of loose wires and a couple broken things shouldn’t happen to a room this new. They took our picture but we never got it in the email - but they provided links requesting reviews… We played because of a discount, but may not bother going back - even at the $15pp discount.
The ObservatoriumRoyal Caribbean - Navigator of the Seas ShipEscape roomIRLThe game was decent. Puzzles were pretty good, set was great. But they slammed it full with THIRTEEN people!!! Then the game master’s English was extremely hard to understand. I had someone literally take game pieces from in front of me and take over the puzzle without asking at all. That makes for the worst experience ever. RCCL should never allow 12 players in that space. It’s too many. We sat back and watched 80% of the time and just gave people answers because we figured them out while they were fumbling around. I only recommend playing it if you know at least half the people playing. We weren’t even allowed to take a picture after! ☹️
