Witch's HollowStained Hourglass Escapes LLC.Escape roomIRLThe only thing better than doing a witch-themed escape room in Salem is doing one that's also very fun and cleverly designed! My friends and I have a tradition of doing an escape room whenever we're vacationing in a new city, and you couldn't ask for a better one in Salem. The puzzles are the right level of difficult for experienced teams, but the room also has a fun hinting system, ensuring even less experienced ones will have a good time and likely make it to the end. If you're on Morty, you're probably an escape room fan, but in a broader sense, I think Witch's Hollow deserves to succeed not only as an excellent room, but also as a genuinely fun and immaginative witchy thing to do in a town that has its fair share of cheesy cash grabs. If you and your friends or family want to go on a witchy adventure and try your hand at some surprising spell casting when you're in Salem, forget all of the wax museums and "haunted attractions" and come here instead. There's some real love, passion and creativity on display in this imaginative escape room. And if you're an escape room fan planning a vacation and wondering if this little two-room venue has got it...it does! Hopefully someday we'll be able to do their second room as well.
Through The Sugar GlassQuest TavernEscape roomIRLThis room was a blast! The theme was whimsical and fun, and the puzzles were surprisingly challenging with many having multiple steps. We were a group of six experienced players and we were all challenged the perfect amount. I loved the beginning as well as the surprise twist at the end and the free candy throughout the room was a great bonus. I was also really impressed with the designers’ clever use of the room’s limited space. Overall, really well done!
The Orphanage60Out - KoreatownEscape roomIRLI feel like this one’s only highly rated because it’s scary and atmospheric. As an escape room, it leaves a lot to be desired. The puzzles are confusing and don’t always make sense. We had to ask for so many hints, and we’re pretty experienced and rarely need to ask for hints. The story was also pretty strange. The atmosphere was effective and well done, but there are definitely better scary rooms out there.
Witch's CauldronQuest TavernEscape roomIRLI'd been wanting to check out Quest Tavern for a while and it didn't disappoint. I believe Witch's Cauldron is one of their earlier rooms, and it does feel a little straightforward, but the atmosphere was well done and the story was fun. Most of the puzzles were simple enough, but there were a handful that stumped us. (If this is their easy room, I can't imagine what their hard one is like!) Still, we managed to escape with a group of three, and all of us had fun, so I call that a success. Really looking forward to coming back and checking out their other two rooms, perhaps with a slightly bigger group.
Armored Vehicle HeistThe Escape RevolutionEscape roomIRLDefinitely different than other rooms I’ve done, and the fact that it’s built around an actual armored car is fun. That’s also sort of a problem, though, because unless you’re familiar with armored cars, you’re probably going to spend a lot of time flipping dashboard switches and trying to figure out how to do certain things that have nothing to do with the puzzles. Still, the actual puzzles themselves were fun and different, and the final moment was A+ and worth the experience. The room is more physical, so keep that in mind. People with mobility issues and who have trouble climbing and crawling might not be able to do it.
The Escape - CLOSEDThe Unlockables - San DiegoEscape roomIRLThis is a great room for a group, especially if you’re experienced. I loved how we started separated and the variety of puzzle types was impressive and assured that there was something for every member of our team. The story was a bit weird, but also unexpected and really, we were having too much fun escaping to think all that hard about it.
They're ComingMaze Rooms - Culver CityEscape roomIRLA real sleeper and the best room at this Maze Rooms location. One of the more clever starts to a room that I’ve experienced, and the way the story progresses is fun and highly immersive. Some slight, unrealistic gore, but the room isn’t too scary and as a bonus, it’s full of Easter eggs, especially for Evil Dead/Army of Darkness fans! Worth playing, for sure!
The Weeping WitchCross Roads Escape GamesEscape roomIRLVery clever use of limited space. Challenging puzzles, clever hint system and some good scares! Probably the best room I’ve done in Orange County, and while all of Crossroads’ games are worth doing, this is, imo, their best.
The Magic CottageInfinity EscapeEscape roomIRLThis room wasn’t awful. There were elements that I enjoyed, but overall found it not up to the hype. It’s super dark, so if you have trouble reading in darkness, you’re going to be pretty worthless. Also, there’s a repetitiveness to it and I didn’t find the ending as satisfying as it probably could have been. That said, it’s a clever idea and there were a few moments that I found pretty delightful. I’m giving it a thumbs down, but a thumbs sideways would probably be more accurate.
