Ultimate Bank HeistMission Escape GamesEscape roomIRLOverall a solid room with some well put together puzzles that were well hinted. For a group of two, we were able to get through with about 15 minutes to spare. Theming is well done, although the story concept itself is the most vanilla of all their rooms.
Curse of the Hidden TempleExpedition EscapeEscape roomIRLLoved the theming and clever puzzle design of this room. We had Anna as our game master and she was fantastic. The production value was very high, and all the puzzles felt very fair even where we got stuck. We finished with about 18 minutes to spare as a team of 2.
Chamber of HorrorCenter City Escape Room [prev. Gotham Escape Room]Escape roomIRLThis is a very solid spooky room, we completed this as 2 people with about 15 minutes to spare. The puzzles were mostly fair, although we had a couple of search fails because there were some clues in darker spots in the room.
Western Bank HeistEscape the Room - RittenhouseEscape roomIRLThere are a few rough edges to this room that could be easily fixed with a bit of polish. There is a physical puzzle that is challenging in a way that doesn’t feel particularly skill based, which they could adjust to make it more forgiving. There are also a few puzzles that you can solve out of order, and 1-2 where the clues were incorrect or misleading. Overall the theming and production value is good, and there are some rewarding puzzles that felt fair.
The Bloody CircusBrainXcape Escape Room NYCEscape roomIRLExcellent room that plays into the spooky theme. There are a lot of jump scares,(none involved live actors or anything like that). For the most part the rooms are lit and you aren’t stumbling around in the dark. Theming is top notch, and there are some cool puzzles requiring all your senses. I think there are a few issues around puzzle pacing that I hope they can adjust.
The BirdMyssTic RoomsEscape roomIRLIt’s clear that a lot of heart goes into each MyssTic room. The Bird is no exception. While the space is smaller than their other two rooms, they’ve managed to pack a lot of unique puzzles, excellent set design, touching story, and some subtle but nonetheless impressive technology. Difficulty wise, it was fairly achievable for two people to complete within the time limit. Our GM Mika was also excellent. Highly recommended, give it a go!
Tesla's MysteryFox In A Box FirenzeEscape roomIRLThis is a great room with some fun twists. All the puzzles can be solved in Italian or English. The challenges were fair, and there was good production quality. I appreciated some of the unique puzzles in the room as well. The staff was really kind and gave us some good recommendations for local restaurants.
Zodiac KillerFox In A Box FirenzeEscape roomIRLAnother fun room from Fox in a Box. The puzzles were interesting/challenging and it was fun pulling the different narrative threads. Two minor negatives, firstly one person begins this game in restraints, and there is no emergency release mechanism, which I feel is unnecessary. There was also one element with a hand held camera that was confusing because it wasn’t charged when we entered the room, and had to be given to us through the door. Other than that a great room, and the owner is super friendly.
Saw L'enigmistaGame Over Escape Rooms - FirenzeEscape roomIRLThis room was fun. They executed well on the saw theme, and the puzzles were fair. There were a couple of small issues. Firstly the room begins with one person handcuffed, without an emergency release mechanism, which is unnecessarily dangerous and doesn’t add much to the scare factor. Second there is one puzzle which involves dye, and while the dye is water soluble and they provide a glove, I still ended up with dye over my hands from just taking the glove off. Other than that, great production quality, and the staff were excellent!
Wizarding School - CLOSEDAll In Adventures - Middletown [prev. Mystery Room]Escape roomIRLThis room seems to be a kit room, from here: https://erworkshop.com/escape-cubes/magic-school-cube.html . The theming was pretty good, and it uses a lot of digital effects. There were some neat puzzles in here, however the flow of the puzzles didn’t always make sense, and it wasn’t always clear when a puzzle had been completed. It feels like it needed a bit more play testing.
Escape From AlcatrazAll In Adventures - Middletown [prev. Mystery Room]Escape roomIRLUnfortunately this room was pretty low quality. The puzzles were was mostly a series of combination locks. The theming was limited to some posters, and a few prison beds. Our game master was lovely, but was the only person operating all the rooms/front desk, which slowed down check-in/receiving clues.
Cosmic CrisisThe Escape Game - BrooklynEscape roomIRLAnother excellent room from The Escape Game. The level of production value and theming that goes into these rooms continues to be top tier. There is a ton of high tech gadgets and gizmos in here, but at the end of the day all of the puzzles were fair and balanced. Only slight stretch is the final challenge takes along time for two people to complete. The room feels best for a group of three to four.
Mafia: The Golden RingAdventure Rooms - Melbourne (Bourke St)Escape roomIRLGreat room. Makes excellent use of the Mafia theme. There is some very innovative puzzle design going on here. A proper third generation room. Highly recommended!
Deep Space 2: DarkUkiyoEscape roomIRLSlightly lighter on the puzzling than the first episode, and much heavier on the role playing and narrative development. Such a great immersive experience, feel like I lived through the film Alien, or 2001 a space odyssey.
StreamingRoom Escapers BostonEscape roomIRLThis room has an interesting theme, that allows it to use a mish-mash of different settings. I’m not sure I 100% followed the narrative. There are a lot of puzzles that can be worked on simultaneously, which makes it good for medium sized groups. Often when unraveling a thread of puzzles, you will get to the answer before you reach the thing it unlocks, which makes it difficult to know when to stop. There are also a few doorways you have to travel through frequently which are tripping hazards. Overall a fun room with some rough edges.
Speakeasy: Secrets Of The Green FairyAdventure Rooms - Melbourne (Bourke St)Escape roomIRLThe lovely crew at Adventure Rooms were kind enough to let us play test this room. Even in its early state, this room is a banger. Once again they knocked it out of the park with theming and puzzle design. There were a few puzzles, particularly a physical challenge, that had us stuck for a long time, but we’ve been assured they are planning to adjust those elements. Overall a top room!
The Abandoned CabinAdventure Rooms - Melbourne (Bourke St)Escape roomIRLGreat room for horror lovers with a ton of references. There was a lot of effort to build a creepy atmosphere, and a few well crafted jump scares. No live actors or dark rooms, so if you are a scaredy cat like me it’s still manageable. A lot of care has gone into the puzzle design. If you are going to the Adventure Rooms, I would highly recommend all of their Bourke St rooms.
The Brain Experiment [prev. The Institute]Trapology BostonEscape roomIRLExcellent room. Lots of fun unique puzzles, and a well crafted narrative with sprinkles of comedy. Theming was also top class.
The Red WirePanIQ Room - BostonEscape roomIRLVery beginner friendly room. Puzzles were all fair and well balanced, and the MI6 style theming was quite fun. Only issue was it was difficult to make out what was being said during the end of room victory audio.
Insane AsylumPanIQ Room - BostonEscape roomIRLFun room, with some spooky theming. There are some uneven difficulty spikes, but overall felt fair with some interesting puzzles.
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