Tyler

Reviews

Reviews

Election Day

Election Day

Appleseed Avenue

  • Escape room
  • Other
Election Day by Appleseed Avenue is a bold and refreshing take on escape rooms, blending crime-solving and even an autopsy into a whimsical puppet-filled world. It felt like stepping into an old-school CSI video game, scouring evidence, evaluating crime scenes, and piecing together clues to crack the case. With a generous 100-minute runtime, the game gave us plenty of time to immerse ourselves in the beautifully designed sets, which were so charming and full of personality that I didn’t want to leave. The humour was adorable, the characters were delightful, and we found ourselves laughing throughout the experience. That said, I did wish there were more spaces to unlock as we progressed, as this could have created additional moments of surprise and adrenaline. Some of the gameplay leaned heavily on screen-based tasks, which, while appealing to some, made the pacing feel slower for me at times. There’s also an intriguing detective-room cabinet with numerous compartments that only opened a few times. This felt like a bit of a tease and is a missed opportunity for more interactive reveals. Still, these are small critiques of what is ultimately a creative and highly enjoyable escape room experience. Election Day is an impressive debut and one I expect will quickly become a must-play for escape room fans visiting or living in Los Angeles.
The John Wick Experience

The John Wick Experience

John Wick Experience

  • Escape room
  • Other
This is immersive theatre at its worst. You wait the entire experience for something to happen as the rooms continually build tension, but then nothing really happens. The John Wick films are known for their hand to hand combat and well choreographed shootouts. This experience has none of that. The only redeeming quality are the impressive set pieces. Most of the actors were giving nothing, save for the casino dealer, who was quick and funny with his insults. Save your money and go elsewhere in Vegas.
Stranger Things: Face the Dark

Stranger Things: Face the Dark

Netflix House - Dallas

  • Escape room
  • Other
I was really excited to visit Netflix House Dallas and experience Stranger Things: Face the Dark, formerly titled Escape the Dark. The name change is definitely a good move, because this is by no means an escape room. I was initially confused when I booked it and then arrived to learn it had nothing to do with puzzles or traditional escape room gameplay. What this experience does exceptionally well is scale and immersion. The sets are impressive, the use of live actors adds real intensity, and the technology and production value are ambitious. There are moments that genuinely make you feel like you’ve stepped into the world of Stranger Things. The references to the show’s lore are thoughtful, and there are some genuinely effective scares. Overall, it’s clear that Netflix is aiming high here, and much of it works. Unfortunately, my visit was significantly impacted by technical issues and poor staff response. Because of a snowstorm that day, I was the only guest in the experience, which I was okay with because it meant that the actors were playing up their performances to me directly, which was kind of fun. About 10 minutes in, my headset stopped working. Without it, I couldn’t hear critical audio prompts directing me through the show. I notified three separate staff members. Each one radioed backstage, but no action was taken to resolve the issue. Eventually, when I was physically being ushered into the next room, I verbally refused to continue on, explaining that I was missing half the experience without functioning audio. Only then did a manager appear from backstage and offer to restart the experience with a new headset. I was happy to do that, but I shouldn’t have had to advocate for myself multiple times, especially as the only guest in the building. This experience is designed for groups of 30 to 40 people. If resolving a one-person technical issue was this difficult, I can only imagine how challenging support would be during a full session. To make matters worse, the first replacement headset they gave me also didn’t work. Thankfully, we caught it before restarting. The third headset finally functioned properly. Once the technology worked, I genuinely enjoyed the experience. The performers were committed, the environments were detailed, and the overall value for money felt fair given the production scale. It’s an ambitious and fun concept. While I didn’t try the Squid Game experience at this location, I did attend the traveling Squid Game experience in Los Angeles and had a great time. I hope to return and explore more of what Netflix House has to offer.