The Grand Gold HeistEscape Room - StrongsvilleEscape roomIRLI unfortunately have to agree with the other reviews that this game is a far cry from what you can otherwise expect from this company. The first puzzle of the game was simply ridiculous and didn’t make any sense, and the design of the game is also disappointing compared to the other games like Asylum or the previous Chocolate Factory. This game is not representative of what Escape Room Cleveland is capable of and should instead be considered an unfortunate fluke.
The CellEscape Room - CoventryEscape roomIRLThis has to be one of the more unique rooms I've ever done, perfectly in line with how the Coventry location feels overall. This room looks incredible from start to finish, feeling so authentically like it should in every room. There's lots of interesting quirks and areas in the room that make it shockingly immersive - pun intended. While the puzzles were somewhat noticeably Trapped feeling, the old charm almost made sense for the sake of the room. Overall I think it was a good room that has held up on the grounds that Trapped was the one to make it initially.
Dr. Jones And The Sword Of KingsEscape Room - Middleburg [prev. Trapped! Escape Room]Escape roomIRLAlthough this room sort of flew under the radar for me for a long time due to having a relatively uninspiring theme, this game pretty much met my expectations as a room that was solid, and not much more. The game had a pretty interesting story and one very unique device, along with a notably well built second (and first) room. The game also did a great job at making you pay attention to detail and find the answers where you sometimes least expect them. The puzzle lineup as a whole was good, but not great, which can also be said about most of the puzzles individually. It didn't have a standout puzzle, but there were some annoying ones that bring down the room a little bit. It is also worth noting that the door to the second room is one of the best-hidden I've ever seen. Although the room may have been a bit too difficult for two people, the puzzles are overall mediocre, and we were missing a prop, the room still does its job well and serves as a great member of Middleburg's supporting cast.
The ChainSaw RoomEscape Room - ClevelandEscape roomIRLI feel very compelled to call this room a work of art. A stellar set design paired with a very unique set of puzzles that incorporate elements I've never seen before in almost 40 escape rooms complement each other very well, and the way the room interacts with you is also spectacular. The room isn't without its difficult moments, but it's a satisfying solve that I recommend to all Saw and escape room fans.
Submarine: Lost At SeaEscape Room - ClevelandEscape roomIRLI was hesitant to play this room because I had only ever heard negative things, between customer testimony at the escape room I work at and the other reviews right here on Morty. My expectations were blown away from the very beginning. For starters, in typical Escape Room Cleveland fashion, the room looks amazing the second you walk in. I don't usually like submarine/Titanic/ship type escape rooms, but this one was probably the most immersive one I've done out of about 5. One of the other things that put this above the other submarine themed rooms is that this one actually had unique puzzles. Whether they were puzzles I was familiar with but have never seen in escape rooms, or original concepts I've never seen anywhere, all of them were enjoyable. While there was one puzzle not working and another one being somewhat touchy, I didn't know the former until after the game ended and the puzzle (which they said is hardly ever not working) would've made the room even better. While the room is certainly difficult, their game master and I agreed that having an experienced group (you do need at least three people to complete one of the puzzles!) will lead to less frustration, I was able to appreciate it objectively due to having a good group of people. All things considered, this is a top 10 room out of 36 for me at the time of writing. Great puzzles, great design, and overall genuine fun.
Tiki Bar - CLOSEDEscape Room - Middleburg [prev. Trapped! Escape Room]Escape roomIRLThis is another Escape Room Cleveland room that benefits highly from its unique theme and well-built design - definitely one of the better ones I've seen. As far as the puzzles go, all of them were enjoyable and fit the room quite well. There were two puzzles I struggled with, but our game master was happy to explain both of them to me. All things considered, a great room I heard not so great things about, and I'm glad I looked past that and gave it a try.
TH3 C0D3Escapology - SolonEscape roomIRLI think this competes with Antidote for being the best beginner escape room I've ever played; it has a great theme that is applied well in the game while also having mostly simple puzzles. Although there were two puzzles that were a bit obscure and maybe above the otherwise low difficulty of the room the puzzles are otherwise straightforward and enjoyable. Some elements felt a little overkill to the point of them being irritancies, but overall a simple but well put-together room that I would certainly recommend to all.
Budapest ExpressEscapology - SolonEscape roomIRLTrains just seem to make for a great escape room theme. Although the end puzzle was way beyond my intellectual capabilities, and perhaps one of the hardest puzzles in general out of any of the 25 rooms I've played, the rest of the puzzles were great, straightforward and fun. The set design and collection of props were also very well done and makes me excited to hopefully play the new version at Mentor in the future. There is also a very well done story integrated into the videos/audios.
Prison BreakThe Escape Game - Crocker ParkEscape roomIRLIn competition with Escapology's 7 Deadly Sins for the hardest escape room I've played, with some frustration spawning from the amount of hints my group needed, I’m really trying to put our puzzle solving abilities that didn't live up to par aside when deciding how much I enjoy this room. This room's visual spectacle is back on par with that of Timeliner and Gold Rush in its own way, and the gimmick of being separated into two cells in the beginning is an incredibly unique, fun, and inherently challenging feature that I'd love to see more often - if it fits the theme and is used properly. The puzzles were fun, albeit very difficult at times, and admittedly more forgettable than those of rooms like Gold Rush. It is a lot of lock and key with generally basic means of finding the numbers or letters, but basic does not mean easy in this case. This room might have the most impressive visual spectacle of any room I've seen in terms of physical build, with Timeliner being better for its use of technology. It also has a very detailed and impressive lore that doesn't play a huge part, but still impressive attention to detail. Current rank: 3/23
Gold RushThe Escape Game - Fisherman's WharfEscape roomIRLWith the most unique puzzle lineup of any game I've played, this room just might also have the best puzzles out of any room I've played - Timeliner's theme just barely keeps it from being my favorite room of all time. The room itself was incredibly immersive as well, and with production value you can only find from The Escape Game. Out of 22 escape rooms I’ve played at the time of writing, this one ranks a very close 2nd.
Saving Santa - CLOSEDEscapology - SolonEscape roomIRLI played this room at the Escapology in North Olmsted, but since North Olmsted isn't going to have it anymore and it's the same game at both locations, I'll review it for the Solon location. The room is obviously oriented towards kids and the puzzles are all very simple - some so simple that adults would overthink the puzzles (I know I did!) That said, though, I think the room does a very good job at being a fun, immersive Christmas experience and kids will love the satisfaction of solving the puzzles, saving Santa, and escaping the room. Out of 20 rooms I've played at the time of writing this, this one ranks 8th - I genuinely think this one is that well-made.
Sherlock Holmes - CLOSEDEscape Room - ClevelandEscape roomIRLSuch a great room, and such a frustrating fail for me. God knows how much time our game master added on and yet it still wasn't enough. The first room was incredibly sized and the puzzles in it were all lots of fun - flowing together nicely and plenty of well-hidden compartments. Game masters at this location apparently don't hear the audio in the rooms, which as a game master myself is very unfortunate as I think it may have been easier to get some extra guidance that way. Overall, a very fun room that made it all the more frustrating when it didn't feel like I was progressing as I was so excited to see what came next. Out of 21 escape rooms I've played at the time of writing, this one ranks 7th. I definitely recommend having more than two people for this one as my one friend and I who are kinda good at these struggled quite a bit.
Escape The TitanicThe Escape Room USAEscape roomIRLThe experience you get at Escape Room USA is more or less unique from start to finish - the problem is that for every good unique thing, there seems to be at least half of a bad one. The location, in the heart of downtown and in a 19th century building, is beautiful and charming. The game masters were nice and somewhat personable, but to me didn't feel as passionate as others. As for the room itself, it was fine.. I guess. The slanted floors did a good job at adding to the immersion, but otherwise the rooms did not flow together that well. None of the puzzles were particularly fascinating to me, though - and a lot were tedious. One puzzle seemed to require more knowledge or skill than an escape room typically should in my opinion, and casually (dare I say lousy) hidden props and explicitly stated puzzles didn't make up for what was otherwise a room that was far too easy. Another annoying thing was that a color coordinated lock didn't translate 1:1 with the colors in question, which was a bit misleading. I'd come back, but for the feel of the place more than the joy of the room. Out of the 20 escape rooms I've played at the time of writing, this one ranks 12th... but it might fall down a few spots.
Enigma - CLOSEDEscape Room - StrongsvilleEscape roomIRLAs is to be expected from Escape Room Cleveland, the room is built fine and everything worked no problem. Unfortunately, a black and white room doesn't make for the most memorable experience. The puzzles all worked fine, even though it wasn't my favorite set of puzzles and some were pretty tricky. Probably for the better that it's gone in place of something hopefully better, but that's not to say it was bad. Out of the 19 escape rooms I've played at the time of writing, this one ranks 15th.
Deadly Manor: A Murder MysteryEscape Room - StrongsvilleEscape roomIRLAlthough I admittedly do not remember this game that well, that does play a part into why I don't like it - the game was mostly forgettable and the only particular elements I remember are negative. The game itself wasn't particularly original or interesting, and the puzzles I can remember were tedious and at times overly difficult in my opinion. Out of 19 escape rooms I've played at the time of writing, this one ranks 18th. This should not be reflective of the experience Escape Room Cleveland provides both in their customer service and other games.
Inside JobEscape Room - Middleburg [prev. Trapped! Escape Room]Escape roomIRLUPDATE 2/13/2025: Finally got around to playing it under Escape Room Cleveland's ownership. While I admittedly remember very little about the original game, I can safely say that I like this one, but it is fairly difficult. The game is very immersive and has a decent selection of puzzles, but there are lots to do across lots of rooms, and it strangely seems to increase in difficulty as my group started off doing very well before falling completely flat closer toward the end. I definitely recommend checking it out, but bring lots of people and expect a challenge. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I played this room back when it was still owned by Trapped, which is known for providing a terrible escape room experience. I hope to play it again under new ownership as I have heard they have made improvements to it. That said, this room wasn't my favorite bank then. Some of the puzzles were notably confusing or difficult, and in typical Trapped fashion, some things were not working like they should which shaved off a lot of unnecessary time.
Island Escape - CLOSEDBreakout Games - Hyde ParkEscape roomIRLJust leaving this review to bookmark what I've played. I played this way back in 2016 and remember next to nothing about it outside of the fact that it was well-made and difficult.
The Adventures Of Dr. Jones - CLOSEDEscape Room - ClevelandEscape roomIRLObviously not much to say, nor does it matter anymore. I don't remember too much about this room but it wasn't my favorite - not all of the puzzles were very cohesive and one prop that said it was not to be touched did end up indirectly being part of the game which I found a bit deceptive. Although I wasn't big on it's successor, Bank Heist, this one won't be missed much by me. Still a decent time, though. Out of 19 escape rooms I've played at the time of writing, this one ranks 16th.
Lost CityEscapology - North OlmstedEscape roomIRLThe puzzles themselves are fine, and despite the theme being overused in the escape room industry, the immersion is solid as well. The two major issues are as such: the first one, which is not nearly as bad, is that three different puzzles require you to do the same thing, which I'm not as big a fan of (I prefer when everything is used once, which keeps everything fresh and exciting.) The much worse issue is that out of roughly 4-5 things that could break in this room in a way that negatively impacts your experience, all but one of them do more often than not. The room itself setting all of that aside ranks 13th out of 20 for me at the time of writing - my least favorite Escapology room as it is - and that's before the slew of issues. I do not recommend playing this game unless it gets major, permanent maintenace improvements.
Cabin In The WoodsEscape Room - ClevelandEscape roomIRLI think my reasons for enjoying this escape room as much as I did was 80% the room itself and 20% my game master, but that is not to discount the room by any means. This room's elaborate design that doesn't skip any details, combined with the (unintentionally?) cheap and creaky floors made this one of the most immersive escape rooms I've ever played. We (myself and one other) probably would've gotten out had it not been for us spending the first 10 minutes hiding in the corner because we were so scared! That can be attested to William, our game master, who made sure to explain that grown men had peed their pants in the room and the lock didn't work because someone broke it trying to sprint out of the room. Although it wasn't very scary in retrospect, the paranoia in the moment combined with the excellent design made this a room I'll be playing again just to see how some of my friends react! Out of 19 escape rooms I've played as of the time of writing, this one ranks 2nd.
