40 ThievesMindTrap Escape Room - TemeculaEscape roomIRLMindTrap is always amazing and this is their best game! Fun! Engaging! Challenging but logical. Love this room. I especially enjoy the way the story drives the puzzles.
Mogollon Monster: Scouting for Arizona's BigfootThe Nemesis ClubEscape roomIRLThe atmosphere is amazing. The story is so good and builds intensity well. There are fun puzzles and unique moments. The only thing holding me back from a heart review was the pacing. We felt pretty rushed throughout the experience with hints, and were surprised when we had ample time to spare at the end. It felt like there was not a good balance of letting the team struggle vs getting us out quickly. I also think with the set design there could’ve been a few more puzzles. It is definitely worth playing.
OzMindTrap Escape Room - MurrietaEscape roomIRLFavorite game of all time. I mourn the loss of Oz. Storyline was a unique twist. Every puzzle fit the world. I played it twice just to see the sets again. Truly a magical place.
Lockbuster Video60 to Escape - SchaumburgEscape roomIRLOne of my favorite Illinois rooms! Love the storyline, atmosphere, and challenging puzzles. Lots of unique moments. A must play! The low lighting in one section did frustrate, alongside a few less intuitive moments coinciding with the low lighting, but it didn’t overshadow the absolute fun of the rest of the game. Don’t play with more than 4. They say 6 can fit in here but it would be incredibly tight.
Chapter One: Occam's ApartmentEvil Genius Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLRIP to one of the greatest games to ever be made. I remember leaving this game (chapter 1 & 2 back to back) and literally planning to open an escape room. I never did. But that’s not the point. This game was just so fun and immersive that it made me fall in love with escape rooms in a way i hadn’t before. It was my 55th room but it feels like it was just yesterday and not 2018.
Moriarty's ManorMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLAnother great room! Not quite as charming to me compared to black and white cafe. However, it’s a ton of fun and has some great moments. Would recommend for 3-5 people groups. Always a great time here!
Winnie The PoohMindTrap Escape Room - MurrietaEscape roomIRLFull disclaimer: I am MindTrap’s biggest fan. I wear their branded hat at least once a week. When I meet people who live in Temecula or Murrieta my first question is - do you want an escape room recommendation? All this to say, I am a fangirl because MindTrap creates consistently immersive, fun, interesting, story driven experiences. Winnie the Pooh is a must-play. It is whimsical and truly feels like magic multiple times throughout the game. The puzzles are fun and rewarding. The narrative drive makes it feel like you’re living in a Winnie the Pooh story book. I know some people review games like this as potentially too easy and whine about “not getting their full hour” but I would much rather have a fun game with logical flow than a time-suck game meant to frustrate experienced players for the sake of better Morty reviews. Winnie the Pooh can be enjoyed by anyone of any experience level because it’s just a good escape room. It’s fun. It will make you smile. Although high tech, the puzzles still give the classic feeling of an escape room. It’s not an adventure of putting things where they go. It’s solving puzzles within an immersive story. I recommend this game to you. Whoever you are. Oh bother, I love this game.
The Hex RoomCross Roads Escape GamesEscape roomIRLTimeless classic! Spooky with some scares but accessible to vast majority of people, even scaredy cats like me. Love the creativity of the entire game. Really stands out.
Irvine School Of Wizardry And The Dragon WandHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLYou’re a wizard, donkey! Beautiful room that stands out in a sea of HP knockoffs. Truly magical with unique puzzles and an immersive set design. Played it with a group of 3 experienced players and wished we had 1 more for the sweet spot. Such a brilliant game though, would recommend for anyone that loves magic or wizards or feeling like a powerful spell caster.
The Curse Of The Black KnightEscapeX Rooms - IrvineEscape roomIRLThis game is really hard to review for me, especially on the “scale” Morty provides. This is an overwhelmingly loved game, and I understand why. There’s also significant issues with the design of this game that made it less enjoyable for myself and some of my teammates. The physical aspect of this game is ROUGH on the knees, and you can’t “avoid” these moments. Terribly steep uneven stairs, crawling on hard wood, and stooping low for puzzles. The website does say “crawling and climbing” but I don’t think it accurately portrays the level of risk, especially to the knees of participants. This game is absolutely immersive, makes great use of space, has fun moments, and uses a cool twist on a familiar theme. With all that said, I think it could have been made to be more accessible and thus more enjoyable.
