Al Capone’s SpeakeasyEscape Room - CoventryEscape roomIRLWe did not escape this room with a party of 2 and probably needed at least another 10-15 minutes, despite being experienced escape room players. I was impressed with the room’s unique puzzles but it was quite linear so I don’t think having more people would have helped us get through the room faster. There were also elements of the puzzles that I think were not implemented correctly so we needed clues to interpret them. Lastly, our GM was not responsive at all and waiting for clues to show up on the screen probably cost us 10 minutes alone.
Irvine School Of Wizardry And The Dragon WandHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLThis was one of my first escape rooms and I did it with a large group (8) for my best friend’s birthday party. It was definitely one of the best rooms I’ve ever done. The set is very large and immersive, definitely geared towards the Harry Potter fans. It can be a little dark but I think that added to the atmosphere and did not feel too much like a hindrance. There was a lot of high tech aspects to the room that really made you feel like you were performing magic. Lots of variety with the puzzles and lots of nonlinear components for everyone to do. Highly recommend!
The NeighborSteal and EscapeEscape roomIRLOne of my favorite escape rooms in SD. I completed this room with a party of 4 and thought that was the perfect number of players. I really love heist or break in type rooms where you’re sneaking into someplace you’re not supposed to be and this room executed that atmosphere perfectly. The room was very nonlinear and all of the space was utilized well with a variety of puzzles. There is a good balance between tech and mechanical puzzles and everything worked well. I mentioned this room is a little spooky just because it’s a little dark and you constantly feel like you’re going to get caught, but there’s nothing paranormal or scary about it. Easily my favorite room at Steal and Escape. I recommend this room to all my friends.
The AttractionPalace GamesEscape roomIRLWords can’t really describe the extent to how hard this room goes. This is the most high tech room I have ever played and probably will continue to be so for a few years. It was like if Disney poured their money into making an escape room. The story was interesting, not super unique, but it takes you to so many different intricate and immersive environments. There was a large variety of puzzles that were pretty nonlinear. I would say above all else this room required a lot of teamwork and communication. It is hard for people to split off and each do their own puzzle. Everyone really needs to work together to finish on time. Also there is no GM to ask for hints. Hints are organically provided by the room as you’re going along if you’re taking a long time, which I thought was a great mechanic. All I have to say if everyone in my group of 5 had their minds blown by this room and had a great time. It’s expensive like all the Palace rooms but the cost is justified. Highly recommend!
40 ThievesMindTrap Escape Room - TemeculaEscape roomIRLLoved this escape room. I heard about it via Facebook groups and from owners of other escape rooms I had done. Completed it with a group of 2 with a few minutes to spare and minimal hint use. The theming and decorations were very intricate and detailed and a feast for the eyes. There was a good variety of puzzles too and the room was very nonlinear so nobody was ever really waiting around. I think think the last part of the game required a big leap in terms of deductive reasoning to figure out how to solve the puzzle, but that was the only real difficulty. All the technical components worked well which I always find makes or breaks my experience. It was very doable with 2 people but I think 4-5 would have a good time in this room. Overall it was a very memorable escape room and I would highly recommend to anyone of all ages.
Moriarty's ManorMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLEasily holds a place in my top 3 escape rooms. I loved the Sherlock Holmes theme. And there is just so much to do! I completed this room with a party of 2 with less than a minute to spare so we were on our toes the whole time (the way I like it). There were a lot of sections and each part had a wide variety of puzzles. Very nonlinear, very innovative and unique. I did find one of the puzzles required some tricky dexterity that could slow you down but it was still fun. The minimum for the room is supposed to be 3 but they were able to modify one of the puzzles so that we could finish it with 2. All of the staff were also really friendly and passionate. Highly recommend!
The A.I. - CLOSEDThe Exit Game - San DiegoEscape roomIRLThis was one of the first rooms I played in San Diego and I really enjoyed it. I completed it with a group of 2 with a decent amount of time to spare but there was one puzzle for which we required a a few hints. I think this is a room that would be fun with a larger group. Some puzzles require people to be in two separate rooms so communications is definitely required and multiple people lessens the need to go back and forth. The room utilizes a lot of high tech puzzles which were very cool, and the set design was very immersive. I would recommend this room for a group of 4-6 people who enjoy video games and digital tech puzzles.
