Alice's White Rabbit RescueTwisted Room EscapesEscape roomIRLThis was a pretty fun room! I loved the effect as you were moving between rooms (quite unique!). We used quite a few hints on our way through this room, but I would say a good portion of them we likely could have gotten if we really thought about it but there were a few that were a bit harder. Overall, really good room. Twisted is always also one of the leaders of having good customer service. We’ve always found their GMs welcoming and easy to work with.
Murder on Baker StreetTwisted Room EscapesEscape roomIRLThe story is that Sherlock Holmes has been framed for murder! Your job? Get in, figure out who did it, and get out. Many of the puzzles were interesting, a couple were different cyphers which were pretty fun, in my opinion. I think this is far from their best room at Twisted, but think it’s worth a playthrough if you’ve got a free afternoon.
Sammy Terry's Dungeon - CLOSEDThe Key Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis was our second room at Key Escapes and it was just as much of an experience as our first one! Only one member of our group had heard or watched Sammy Terry before, but that didn’t hinder us from being able to play the room. There were lots of cool facts on each key, which I’m sure that plus having Sammy Terry’s actual coffin there would make this perfect for fans of his.
Escape The City - Indianapolis [Outdoor]Escapely - IndianapolisEscape roomOther We played this on Labor Day and followed the recommended start place. This is in downtown Indy, so street parking is limited. We found a spot a couple blocks down that was free due to the holiday. There are also, of course, always parking garages nearby. This required more walking that I think the box tells you. It said it’d be 1.5-2 miles but my health tracker showed closer to 2.5 miles and my partner and I bowed out of the walking portion with one stop remaining. This box has clues that need to be solved, but I found we spent more time walking to places than we spent actually playing the puzzle. I also, personally, don’t think the puzzles highlighted much of Indianapolis in particular, as a resident of the city. It used clues from around the city but it didn’t teach me anything about the city or its history. The story itself was pretty interesting though. I think I would have enjoyed it more if we sat in a dining room or bar establishment with pictures needed to answer the clues and did this over a glass of wine. Some of the puzzles were really interesting; I liked the first puzzle a lot and I liked how there were different “paths” for two of the puzzles which both took you through the same story ending. Overall, this was a fun holiday weekend adventure but I don’t think the “explore the city” aspect is necessary or done well.
The Forest of FablesCU Adventures in Time and SpaceEscape roomIRLThis room was really a highlight for us! The live actor really made the story and I love how she was integrated in, it truly felt like you were entering the storybook. I loved how each story changed and gave you an artifact. My favorite part was Humpty Dumpty falling. Got quite the laugh out of me. The “twist” was also really interesting and the room had a very satisfying ending. If you’re headed to CU Adventures (and man, are you in for a treat), I’d definitely recommend Forest of Fables!
Labescape: Quantum SalvationLabEscapeEscape roomIRLThis was a unique game! It started off with us reading about different science concepts, which was interesting. You could tell the GM really loves what she was teaching. The room itself was one room that had all the info you needed. There were definitely some items that needed at least 2 people in different areas to get it to work. You start off with a lot of items all at once - tons of locks, a key or two that you aren’t sure where they go, etc. One item we found was actually a list of which boxes to open in which order and which puzzle goes with which box. Which was helpful when you have half a dozen puzzles and not enough info for any of them. But also broke the escape room excitement a bit of figuring out how puzzles are solved. Overall, this was definitely a unique room due to all the different things you needed to do to get your clues. Quantum Mechanics, Lasers, oh my! It was also fairly cheap as far as escape rooms go at $12 so I think you definitely get your money’s worth.
Critical Putt [Season 2025] - CLOSEDCU Adventures at Gen ConEscape roomPop upA cute game for GenCon! We’ve played their flagship games in Illinois and this company always shows up and shows out. This was a lot more putt putt with a fantasy theme than “escape room” really and a timer to keep everyone on track. But it was a fun break and we loved the storyline and movement through the courses. There were also a few “pit stops” with live actors, which was a ton of fun! I loved that you could buy different putts to use and we all had a blast.
The Big DigCo-OperativesEscape roomIRLThis was a quick room we played at GenCon - it’s slated for 2-4 players with a 25 minute time limit and we finished in 20 minutes with 2 players. It has 4 padlocks and a handful of puzzles that require people on both sides of the wall to finalize the puzzle. It took communication and some trial and error to figure everything out, although they do leave you 4 clues (1 for each lock) if you need it. We ended up using no hints, but it’s great if you get stuck. At $20, this is a bit pricey for a 25 minute experience, but as a GenCon event, it was great way to end the night! I also love cooperative games and rooms, so we walked away happy!
The CabinEscape 812Escape roomIRLWe drove from Indianapolis to play this and Convicted. For the summer cost of $20 each and the drive, we thought this was worth the trip. I personally preferred Convicted if you’re reading reviews to find out which of the three to complete. This one had a couple funny moments (the big red button when you first walk in), a couple frustrating points where the room didn’t make it clear what was the next step, and a few standout puzzles that I thought were really interesting (the 5x5 puzzle was one I really enjoyed). Overall, I had fun with both rooms and would recommend checking it out if you’re in the area.
Corrupt And Convicted - CLOSEDEscape 812Escape roomIRLWe had a good time playing this game! We drove from Indianapolis to play this and the Cabin and for the summer discount price of $20 and the drive down, we thought it was worth the trip. Grace was our GM and was really great. Any hints/clues (of which you get 3) were cryptically worded to give you what you need. Some of the puzzles in this room, I haven’t seen in my 30+ games and they were pretty interesting. One of the issues we had with both rooms is that sometimes there’s not a super clear direction what number goes where or what to do/work on next or you happen to get clues too early and it trips you up. However, Grace was great at hinting us towards where we needed to be or if we were using the wrong item.
Wild WestBreakout Games - IndianapolisEscape roomIRLThis is one of my favorite games at Breakout, after Clue. I really loved the theme and the set, although simple, fit with it. Many of the puzzles fit with the theme and made sense to the story. This was a fairly fast room for our group of 5 enthusiasts, but I think this would be a really fun room for kids. I didn’t feel like any of the puzzles were too difficult, although there were a couple that our team had to get help on. If you’re headed to Breakout for a game, my recommendations would be Clue, Wild West, and Monopoly.
Time MachineCountdown GamesEscape roomIRLYou’re in a Time Machine and you need to go back in time to retrieve several artifacts… you travel through the 50s, 60s, and 90s to retrieve them in order to make your way back home. The set had some really awesome items from the decades you traveled through, but there were only a couple rooms/decades you traveled through (which this is just a 60 minute room, so it does make sense, but I would have liked to see some more decades or props, personally.) There were some really cool moments in this room, including the movement from the 60s to the 90s, and the final puzzle. The wall maze was really frustrating for our group - it wasn’t that you had to find your way out. You had to find the right way out based on what pieces you had left that matched each exit. So you wouldn’t know it was the wrong way until you got to the very end. And you had to do the puzzle twice, so it ended up just being a time waster. There was some outside knowledge needed for the final puzzle but, truthfully, we were able to guess most of them just by listening. And, thankfully, if you got some wrong, it showed you which ones needed to be changed, which was really helpful. Probably the best way to do a puzzle like that. Overall, this was probably my least favorite of the four we did at Countdown (in order from least to fave: Time Machine, The Scary One, Murder Mansion, then Ghost Town). But I think that speaks more to how ambitious and incredible the other games are than this room lacking.
The Scary OneCountdown GamesEscape roomIRLThe Scary One starts with you in the campgrounds at 11 at night where you happen upon a cabin in the woods. The storyline was interesting (although afterwards, our group wasn’t sure if the guy who owns the cabin became a bear or just wore a bear suit). Many of the puzzles fit with the theme, surrounding murders happening. Some of the puzzles required multiple calculations without provided paper or writing utensils. One of our group had been before and brought his own notepad, but it definitely would have been nice to have that in the experience. The ending was really cool and the “next suspects” made us all laugh. Although there were some items that didn’t make sense in the storyline (like the jump scare - who was that? What was the point of him being there?) Overall, really ambitious set. We did three other games during our trip to Lexington here and this was probably my third favorite. (In order from least to best: Time Machine, The Scary One, Murder Mansion, and Ghost Town.)
Murder MansionCountdown GamesEscape roomIRLMurder Mansion was a great room - if you’re in the Lexington area, I would recommend this room and Ghost Town as must-dos. I rank this as a low love / high like, rounded up due to the great experience and lovely staff. The concept is that you’re a detective re-visiting a cold case in a mansion to figure out who the murderer was. The puzzles were all fairly fun and interesting (I think my favorite was the room with the twist and getting to listen to the stories, really well done and fun). One of the puzzles was a bottleneck (maze). I assume this is a bit of a timewaster for most groups, as they label where you need to start/go through/end to get where you need to go. We overthought the hints a bit. I didn’t dislike this puzzle, but did think that it could be shorter. We had one person doing it by themselves and the other four of us were just waiting for it to finish. The door puzzle was really unique, I’ve never seen a puzzle like that before. I thought it was fairly fun too and the reveal to the final room was really awesome! The final puzzle does require some math skills. My partner and I are apparently math beasts and got it fairly quickly. I would recommend a good number of people for this room. Besides the bottleneck, the first puzzle in the last room really needs someone reading, someone completing the puzzle, and ideally one person in two other rooms figuring out what the clues represent. We did with 5 enthusiasts and I thought this number was appropriate and we finished with about 6 minutes left.
Ghost TownCountdown GamesEscape roomIRLGhost Town was a standout room, not just in the Lexington area, but amongst all of the rooms I’ve completed. An easy love! The theming was really fun, everything felt very Wild West. We had a bit of a challenge figuring out where to start, but once we did, it was pretty go-go-go. Puzzles I thought stood out for the good: wagon (loved how we had to show the answers), gun (so fun!), drinks/blackjack, dancing. Puzzle I thought could use some work: the only one that I thought was kind of useless was the coffin locks. A lot of the codes were just written on items. Probably nice for kids who play, but did find as enthusiasts it wasn’t thought provoking. The ending was fantastic and a standout part of an already incredible room. Our group of five enthusiasts finished with about 20 minutes left and we saw the group before us finish with 12 minutes left, so it could have been longer/more puzzles, but I understand with the ending reveal, they probably want to ensure most people do get that finishing scene.
OlympusMission: Breakout LafayetteEscape roomIRLWe played this room with 5 enthusiasts and it was a decent room! There was enough for the most part to keep us all involved and we finished the room with about 20-ish minutes left, which wasn’t bad. The set was really cool and I loved the touches about Greek mythology. The GMs are also a little quirky and make you sing (for the first time) for a hint, with unlimited hints. One puzzle was just a wee bit tricky in the last room (although understanding what you needed to do was intuitive). We had a good time. If you’re in town for just one room, though, I would recommend the Barrel of Lies. We played just after this one and it was the standout room in our opinion.
Barrel of LiesMission: Breakout LafayetteEscape roomIRLWe took a trip to Lafayette to play 3 rooms (at two companies) and this was our favorite. The story was really funny - you’re sneaking into a rival winery to sabotage them, armed with a couple items you need to use to break their machinery or trade out. There was also a live actor (with bad eyesight) that would come in the room periodically to make sure everything was good and you needed to hide / freeze so he wouldn’t see you. It was a fun storyline and cute touches that made it a memorable experience. The puzzles themselves were pretty intuitive, for the most part, and there was enough puzzles happening at once to keep most of our 5-person party busy. We were also 10 seconds from making the leaderboard, but we had fun!
Jurassic IslandRugged XscapeEscape roomIRLWe travelled to Lafayette for three games (at two locations - one room here) and this was my least favorite of the three we played. There was a good chunk of puzzles, and a good variety of them, but many of the puzzles were either no fun (in my opinion) because they were super easy and didn’t require much thinking or there were parts needed that weren’t really unlocked and just hidden randomly around the room (and we used one of our coveted four clues just because we couldn’t find the last hidden item around the room). There were two locked items, in the last room, that each had two locks you needed to use to unlock them. I hate having multiple locks on something - the whole point of finding the code is to unlock something else you can use. We were also told there was a one-and-done system but one of the items we used to unlock one lock just had the word code for the other lock on it. There wasn’t a lot of joy in figuring out the answer. Our group escaped with about 5 minutes left and used all of our clues. This was probably on the lower end of all the rooms I’ve done, but the storyline was pretty interesting and the GM was really friendly. I also liked the touch of teams who complete a room get to sign their wall.
Lost CityEscapology - Greenwood INEscape roomIRLThis was another room of Escapology’s that I felt we were doing worse than our time reflects. We spent a lot of time spinning our wheels and there was one point where we completed the same puzzle twice, because we thought we had it wrong and then redid it and realized we put it together the exact same way. Many of the “codes” to complete the puzzles were found in the journal mentioned in the description which made finding what we needed to easy, but did take away some of the fun of finding the clues. We used around 3 clues, but one I don’t want to count because the lock was confusing (no spoilers, but it was a bit frustrating to have an answer that doesn’t fit the lock). I think this set was the best set of the three rooms I have played at this location. It was also the storyline that I found the most intriguing.
TH3 C0D3Escapology - Greenwood INEscape roomIRLI felt like we were doing way worse at this room than our time reflects. I rated this a “like” and I feel like it’s a middle of the road like. There wasn’t anything bad about the room, I feel like after Scooby doo (which is def more geared towards children), this is the second easiest room of the three we played. We ended up using two hints but once we were give them, it made sense how they got to the code. The rooms are decently sized, but our group of two (albeit seasoned players) were able to complete with 12 minutes to spare. Think this would be good for beginners, the puzzles were pretty straight forward and I don’t think there’s a plethora of items to get through.
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