deniecee

Reviews

@deniecee
Morty score174
  • Escape rooms172
  • Haunts2

deniecee

Denise Panaligan (she/hers) | Arcadia, CA

@scottwhead@bennyboo@FcloudF7

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Grandma's Surprise

Grandma's Surprise

Trapped! Escape Room - Los Angeles

  • Escape room
  • IRL
This room reminds me of “Whatever Happened to the Garrett’s” - same aha moment of what has grandma been up to? Nonlinear in flow for some moments so folks can start to work on different puzzles but there were also puzzles that needed to be complete to activate the next thing. So there is that flow going from nonlinear to linear. We finished a little bit earlier than expected and something I’ve come to love about Trapped! is that they will have additional puzzles for you to do if you finish the main story line with time to spare. There was a dexterity puzzle that made me laugh and another puzzle that feels all too familiar if you’ve ever been a caregiver. Overall, the storyline got wonky on me but the puzzles were generally solid. This was a good time and it gets better the more rooms open up!
Squirrelor's Tavern Experience

Squirrelor's Tavern Experience

Squirrelor’s Tavern

  • Escape room
  • Other
I wanted to drop by and give this review to show Squirrelor’s Tavern some love. This is not your typical escape room. Think of Dungeon and Dragons with dinner and immersion and puzzles. My group and I were able to snag some final week seats and right away, I was impressed with the atmosphere and the set. They had food for us a la carte but the ticket came with two drinks. During the dinner, guests were welcome to roam around and follow the main quest or to do some of the side quest puzzles. The main quests were heavy on the word scramble, riddles, and cyphers and I would have liked to see other types of puzzles! The side quests were more of the wooden blocks and tactile. I was only able to experience Season 1 but I heard there was a Season 2. I hope that the tavern gets reincarnated in some way so that everyone can enjoy. This is the type of experience that the more you put in, the more you get out of it!
Far-Fetched

Far-Fetched

Open Door Escape Games - Redlands

  • Escape room
  • IRL
40 Thieves

40 Thieves

MindTrap Escape Room - Temecula

  • Escape room
  • IRL
40 Thieves is a masterclass in escape room design. From the minute I walked in, I felt like I was about to experience something incredible. And I did. From the intro “cut scene” to the interactions with the shopkeepers to the collaborative puzzles that get your party to look around the premises and communicate, they did such a good job with everything. I could see why this room earned its spot in the TERPECA awards. This is worth the drive if you’re coming from LA like we were. I would also recommend getting a bigger group because there are so many puzzles to do!
Gold Rush

Gold Rush

MindTrap Escape Room - Temecula

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Gold Rush was the second room that we did in this location in one day. I think this was my least favorite. The puzzles were of medium difficulty and the storytelling makes sense with the theme overall. I would just rank it lower overall because there were so many nonlinear puzzles presented and the puzzle that tripped us up was linear. Because of its linear nature, even though we already solved another puzzle, that puzzle depended on this puzzle and the trigger was delayed for a couple of seconds. This is still a good room and if you are a fan of Westerns, I would recommend doing this. A group of four would be ideal for this experience.
Conspiracy Of Tia Canyons Corp

Conspiracy Of Tia Canyons Corp

MindTrap Escape Room - Temecula

  • Escape room
  • IRL
My group enjoyed this room overall and I would think that this is because of certain puzzles in the room. I was pleasantly surprised to have walked in and to see so much space for our group of six to split up and do different puzzles at the same time. However, in hindsight, this won’t feel as memorable for me as the other MindTrap rooms. Conspiracy rooms tend to lose me with their storytelling. I would have wanted this experience to be longer but we made out in good time. This room is higher in production value - there were barely any locks and keys and there were more of the technical trigger puzzles. I also really liked a few of the tasks and the whiteboard helped with just making sense of the puzzles overall. The difficulty rating on their website feels true to my experience.
Winnie The Pooh

Winnie The Pooh

MindTrap Escape Room - Murrieta

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Let me start this review by sharing that I am the biggest Winnie the Pooh fan. This version is based on the A.A. Milne book so don’t expect to see the Disney version here. I loved the experience and I wish I could bring back some of the honey with me. As for the room itself, the puzzles were on the more difficult side but the flow felt balanced - with groups being able to tackle medium and harder puzzles at the same time. The snuggly characters might distract you from the puzzles themselves but you have to stay focused. You are helping prepare a surprise party for Winnie the Pooh after all. There was a physical activity in the beginning that had us laughing but it’s very doable and does not require too much exertion.The storm simulation and the ambiance does make you feel like you’re in the Hundred Acre Wood. Great production value. I would recommend doing this with a group. It’s family friendly fun with a surprise challenge of the puzzles. On a side note, I find it funny how this room is right next to one of MindTrap’s scarier rooms - Taken! They’re completely different in terms of the vibes. This room will leave you with the warm fuzzies.
Cold Case

Cold Case

Clever Fox Escape Rooms - Menifee Cherry Hills

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Cold Case is the peak scariest room I’ve ever experienced. In the description, it looks as if you are stumbling upon a cold case but expect more of a hostage breakout situation. Lucas, our game master, gave us the fright of our lives. He spent a long time explaining the rules - but I think he accomplished his goal of setting the stage and hyping us up for the adrenaline rush. I was pretty convinced that I will not make it out alive after the orientation. We were chained up and they put bags over our heads. If you love puzzles, this room has more of the live actor interaction than the puzzles themselves. They have a well oiled machine so that groups get the most out of their hour. They will come in more frequently if your group is solving the puzzles too quickly. So just know that coming in - 70% live actor immersion, 30% puzzles. Clever Fox Escape Rooms would easily be one of my favorite “horror” rooms - and I’ve done the classic scary ones (Zoe Reborn, Project Minotaur, Resurrection, etc.) You can tell that the game masters and the owners really do care about their rooms and they are proud of what they’ve designed. It’s not a high budget room by any means but you will get your monies worth in scares. I’m excited to come back and try their other rooms. Again, shout out to Lucas for helping us celebrate our friend’s birthday with a memorable experience!
Excalibur

Excalibur

MindTrap Escape Room - Murrieta

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Excalibur is a family friendly good time. If you’re a fan of King Arthur and the lore of the Holy Grail, this room will meet your medieval fantasies! I could also imagine a couple going through this room and having plenty of puzzles to do between the two of them. The production value is quite high and the puzzles fit with the themes. There was one puzzle that was a little finicky for us (the sundial) but continue to play with it and it will do the trick. Would highly recommend this one and the Winnie the Pooh room for younger kids!
The Curse

The Curse

Curiosity Escape Rooms [prev. Clever Fox Escape Rooms - Menifee]

  • Escape room
  • IRL
This was my first room with Curiosity Escapes (previously owned by Clever Fox Escapes) and it was a good time! There were a good number of puzzles and the voodoo theme reminds me of escape rooms I would do in New Orleans. I would recommend doing this room if you could only do one in this location. I don’t usually rush to do the “spooky” or even “scary” rooms but the jump scares gave me the right amount of adrenaline pumping to keep going. Our game master was also snarky and we were enjoying ourselves as she gave us clues and nudged us in the right direction, but with a little bit of attitude. She was playing the character for the escape room and she played it well. With the number of puzzles, I would recommend 4-6 people for this room! The puzzles, the storyline, and the production value would put this on par with MindTrap rooms for me. Don’t overlook The Curse if you’re in the area!
Taken

Taken

MindTrap Escape Room - Murrieta

  • Escape room
  • IRL
I’ve never watched the Saw series but I have some friends who shared with me that this room reminds them of what they would see in these movies. I liked the split start - the puzzles were cleverly designed as to force the two groups to work together. Just go in expecting your group to be split but you’ll be working together throughout. There was one puzzle that I’ve always wanted to see in the escape rooms and I’m glad that they made it happen. Some crawling is involved but very minimal and the second room is done in near darkness. The second room actually made this experience memorable for me. I would recommend this with folks who can take a little bit of the “spooky.” I wouldn’t label this room as scary but some courage may get you far in this experience! A group of 4 would be the ideal number of participants for this room.