Orient Express, The MurderGame Over Escape Rooms - PittsburghEscape roomIRLI don't use the thumbs down button a lot, but this room almost got it from me. Some of the puzzles badly, badly need to be reclued - things you're supposed to figure out which led me and my partner to say "well, I guess that makes sense" but did a poor (or non-existent) job of leading you there. The room is set up well and has nice immersive-ness, very cute set. There were a few puzzles I enjoyed, but I'd say the majority I did not. We actually did not complete this in time, but the GM gave us a couple more minutes and we got it, which was appreciated.
Haunted MansionGame Over Escape Rooms - PittsburghEscape roomIRLMultiple reviews here talk about needing a clue for one particular puzzle because you'd never be able to figure out the combination based on what you're given. They are correct. Once you do this room, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. We did the puzzle correctly, and still didn't get the correct combination; there is absolutely nothing leading you to read the completed puzzle in the manner it wants you to. Besides that frustrating experience, I enjoyed this room a lot more than Orient Express. It was significantly easier, and the jump scares aren't hard to handle even for someone who is a bit of a wuss like me (although they got me once). It is a TINY room. We had two people, more than that would be a lot.
Curse of the Hidden TempleTeam Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLPossibly my favorite room of theirs that I've done, and we've done most of the rooms here (and all are good). The puzzles all made sense and were fun, there was some innovative cluing. Temple raiding is a bit overdone / tired in the escape room space, but they did a good job for the space they had and everything looked very nicely put together. We escaped with about 10.5 minutes left, but we are a very experienced duo; I'd call this more of a medium room difficulty for sure.
Monopoly: Get Out of Jail!Breakout Games - West ChesterEscape roomIRLFun room with lots of interesting things to do and a few physical challenges. These challenges are tough with 2 people like we had, but very doable. Nothing ground breaking here, just a room with fun puzzles and a commitment to the Monopoly theme. We did have one of the puzzles get stuck and I think the GM pressed the solve button for us, but that was a minor complaint.
The Upside DownThe Games We PlayEscape roomIRLAlthough there was one or two puzzles we did not feel were particularly well-clued, and another one or two puzzles that could be solved early (by fairly easily figuring out a missing letter or number), this was a nice family-run game that obviously had a lot of enthusiasm. I am not a Stranger Things fan so I'm sure I missed a lot, but I'll bet this is a must-play if you are a fan of the show!
Nightmare in PinkTeam Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLEscaped with 2 people with almost 20 minutes left on the clock and didn't need any clues. That's not to say this is an easy escape room, it will be challenging for most groups, it was just very well put together and made perfect sense for us (who have done 130+ rooms). There wasn't much we hadn't seen before, although one particular room was very unique and extremely fun. The cluing was clever. This is a spooky themed room but it was more like...fun Halloween than actually scary, no jump scares here. We've done most of their rooms and this one is the best so far! Had a great chat with the owners before and after, they are passionate about escape rooms and extremely friendly.
The Weeping WitchCross Roads Escape GamesEscape roomIRLVERY scary room, especially with just two of us. GM was absolutely incredible. As someone who has successfully duo'd 100+ rooms, this one was very tough for just the two of us to finish. We were literally seconds away from failure (our GM told us that failure sequence auto-starts, so there's no ability to give someone just a little extra time if they need it). So be prepared to ask for help if you want to finish and you're a smaller group...but there's a cost associated to that help. I enjoyed that there was a (mostly) clear delineation between scary times and puzzle times. As someone who is uncomfortable in scary rooms, this really helped me enjoy it without flinching at everything, expecting a jump scare.
The Magic CottageInfinity EscapeEscape roomIRLCute room! Definitely one of those rooms that you can tell was really top-of-the-line 10 years ago. We successfully duo'd this, although some parts were fairly dark (bring your glasses!) and there were a few audio things that we missed / did not hear, but our GM was willing to repeat things when we asked. Puzzles were varied but all on the easier side, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. Had a nice chat with the GM / owner as well, and he was willing to walk us through the room and chat about logistics!
Project Minotaur - CLOSEDQuest Room - HollywoodEscape roomIRLThis was an interesting experience! Everyone is correct that it's not really a true escape room; it is a thrill experience with puzzles and unlike anything I'd done before. If I'd done this room a few months ago, it would have been a for-sure heart for me, but I recently did a European-style chase/horror escape room that did this SO MUCH better (Cornstalkers), so it knocks Minotaur down a peg for me. We did this room with just the two of us, which I've been told is very unusual. It made things that much tenser because if one of us got "captured", the experience was over. That said, apparently I lock the &^*# in when my very expensive experience is on the line, and while I got adrenaline like no other room had ever given me, I found it actually LESS frightening than many horror rooms where you are meant to stand and experience the fright / jump scare. Here, you actually have to save yourself and by god I was going to do it (and did). The puzzles? WELL. Not great, to be frank. The first room has a mechanic which could literally stop you from completing it if something goes wrong (and it almost did, for us) and we were later told some groups spend 40+ minutes in there (!!) completing the single puzzle (!!!). There were a few others which were just plain done poorly. But you're not really here for the puzzles...you're here for the experience. Get a couple friends and experience it. If you're expecting a great escape room, you'll be disappointed. If you're just looking forward to the very unique experience that is hard to find elsewhere, you'll enjoy it.
The Nest [Immersive Theatre]Hatch EscapesEscape roomOther Definitely make note of "immersive theater" - if you're going into this thinking it's an escape room, you'll be disappointed. It's a story, so take the time to slow down (you're in no rush), listen to the tales, and really enjoy & admire the scenery which is very well done. There ARE a few puzzles, and you'll need to do some searching, but nothing extraordinarily difficult. I found the ending quite moving and was tearing up at the end.
Red Giant - CLOSEDQuest Room - HollywoodEscape roomIRLThis is an escape room on the easier side; with two (experienced) players we spent only 43 minutes, and we're not usually that fast. Yes, it's another Egypt / tomb raider room. The theme isn't very inventive, but it is probably the best room I've done with the theme. (That's not saying a whole lot...most Egypt rooms are quite bland.) A couple very cool moments. Mostly, the puzzles were done well. There was one puzzle where we knew what to do, we just really struggled with making it work, which is always a frustrating moment. It's dark as hell and we only got one headlamp. This worked just fine for the two of us but was occasionally frustrating. GM was good, but we didn't get our photos sent to us at the end, which was a bummer.
The BirdMyssTic RoomsEscape roomIRLThe Bird is a wonderful room for 2 people. MAYBE 3, if you're pushing it. But as someone who almost exclusively duos rooms with my s/o, this room felt like it was made for us! Nothing ground breaking here, but a collection of very good puzzles. The ending was a delight. All the GMs here were awesome; I don't particularly love the written-out clue system, but this is about the best I've ever seen it done. Worth a trip if you're in NYC!
Ghost LightMyssTic RoomsEscape roomIRLThis is one of those rooms where I kept thinking that I knew EXACTLY what to do on a puzzle...and it turns out I didn't. Close, but no cigar. Happened on a few of them and I'm quite honestly unsure whether myself or the clueing needed a little work. It was probably me because I still found the room enjoyable, although it lacked the ending satisfaction of a TRULY excellent room. The theme was novel, the GMs were awesome, and although I'm not a big fan of the written clue system, this was probably the best I've seen it done. I enjoyed The Bird a lot more (did not get to do any other rooms) but this is worth playing too.
Cryptic CayNexus Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis is a classic example of an early, first-generation type of escape room. We spoke to the owner and he did mention it was his first escape room he ever built, which absolutely tracks. If you're familiar with the escape room generations, you know this means nothing is going to blow you away, and you're going to see a ton of manual locks and puzzles you have seen before (if you are an escape room veteran). That being said, the room itself is fairly well done. We didn't really need any clues except for helping find a hidden object, which to me generally points to clues making sense. Story line is light but there was one moment that was neat and I hadn't seen it done before. Oh, yeah...and there is SAND, a lot of it. Ask for shoe covers before you head in, you won't regret having them.
Cursed CityCloak and Dagger Escape Rooms - Fort LauderdaleEscape roomIRLWe went a few minutes over on this one and the GM let us finish, which I appreciated. We are an experienced duo and the GM said we were the only group of 2 he's ever seen finish, so take that as you will. There is a lot to get through here, and some of the cluing is EXCEEDINGLY mediocre. I'd say about 80% was pretty good, 20% were puzzles that could have been made better in some capacity. Certainly not the best room I've ever done. Parking is paid and a bit of a PITA. They have a "hint" button which is overall worthless and also a "clue" button where you can actually speak to the GM. Overall a very middling experience.
Cornstalkers: Lost in the MaizeThe Escape Ventures - Orlando Waterford LakesEscape roomIRLEscape Ventures does it again with (imo) their best room yet. We finished in enough time that our GM gave us a back stage tour (thank you!) and we found out that this room is dynamic, meaning that if your group is small or struggling, they can remove puzzles to ensure you finish. Something to be aware of: if you come in with a group of 2 (like we did) they typically remove a few puzzles automatically as they don't expect you will get through them all with just 2 people. We had just finished Operation Arctic Storm with 20 minutes left on the clock and based on that performance they opted to keep all the puzzles in for us. Just something to be aware of if you are a very experienced escape room duo, you may want to let them know so they can keep some early puzzles in for you. I typically tip my GMs, but you should DEFINITELY consider tipping this GM if you don't usually do it. The amount of work they will put in for you is staggering. James was absolutely incredible! I am a total wuss in scary rooms and while I absolutely did scream (a couple times), I had a total blast. The puzzles were so well done. Even the scary parts were super fun. One of the best rooms I've ever done. Worth the trip!
Operation Arctic Storm: The Final MeltdownThe Escape Ventures - Orlando Waterford LakesEscape roomIRLEvery room these guys do is fantastic and this one is no exception. The theme is fun (albeit less immersive than some of their other rooms) and the puzzles are well thought-out. There was one puzzle that was a little finicky (we knew what to do, it just wasn't happening) but that's my only real complaint. We did this room with two people and had about 20 minutes left to go when we finished. If you've done a lot of rooms, you may find this one a bit on the easier side (we didn't need any hints which is pretty rare for us) but still absolutely worth a go. There will be some physical activity in this room!
Jurassic World: EscapeUniversal Studios OrlandoEscape roomIRLWe did this one because it was a TERPECA nominee and, well, I should have skipped it. First off, it's public, and you'll likely be placed with others, very likely children (it is a theme park, after all). We had a great group with two parents and two teens that were cool, but I saw a lot of VERY young children in the lobby; imo they would not have been fun to play with. As others have mentioned, this is not an escape room in the traditional sense. Much like rides, it's on a railing, giving you a certain amount of time to complete as many of X tasks as possible before shepherding you to the next place. A majority of the tasks are not particularly difficult, just time-consuming. The storyline is basic, the practical effects are neat but nothing particularly note-worthy. This experience is at CityWalk. If you're enjoying a day at the park, it's not worth it to take time out of your day to go and do this. If you're just in Orlando...could be worth your time.
Cows in SpaceTeam Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWhat a well put-together room! Despite only having two of us, we were able to finish with about 10 minutes on the clock and just one hint. That doesn't mean it's easy, but we're a more experienced duo and that usually means the room is well-clued, and it certainly was. TONS of cute jokes and touches. It does suffer a little bit from the low lighting in one room, but I understand why that's done and it's a minor complaint.
The Butcher's Sins Killer Noob EscapesEscape roomIRLSuch a creative way to use a small space that can't really be expanded! Really enjoyed everything about this one - the theming, puzzles, game master, everything was on point with the exception of one puzzle that was a weeeee bit fritzy. Absolutely worth a visit!
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