Witchly Ever AfterOmescape - San JoseEscape roomIRLThis room was elaborate and beautiful with multiple sections. I found myself distracted a few times by what I thought were part of the puzzles. The hints light up to show us what's next to solve, which was really helpful. There were many nooks and crannies with pieces of the puzzles that I would've missed if not for my 10 year old. Our game master was very helpful and kept us on track, especially towards the end when we were almost running out of time.
The CabinNumber One Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis is the creepiest and most immersive room I've done. Low-lighting and serial killer vibes kept us on the edge and kept us going. This room didn't have a countdown, but that just makes it extra realistic. Being in that dark cabin (after we break into it) and looking out to an eerie foyer and woods felt very unsettling. We did the back-to-back with The Shed. The transition to The Shed was smooth and effortless that some in our group didn't realize we were on to the next game. Be sure to leave your walkie talkie and flashlights in The Cabin because you get another set in The Shed.
Candy FactoryClockwise Escape Room - OaklandEscape roomIRLCandy factory was much harder than I thought. Expect to go back and forth between rooms to complete the later half of the puzzles.
The ShedNumber One Escape RoomEscape roomIRLWe did the back-to-back with The Cabin and the transition was so smooth with a live actor "guiding" us between the rooms. Some in our group didn't realize we were on to the next game. We brought in our walkie talkie from The Cabin accidentally and had to return it to a staff who was cleaning up the room after us. The continuation between the rooms was seamless and the only challenge was trying to complete the challenge in the crawlespace. Later we had to return to the first shed room via the crawlspace because of an important clue for the last room.
Cash Me If You CanRed Door Escape Room - ConcordEscape roomIRLWe spent quite a bit of time figuring out the password in the computer room. Thankfully my 8 year old figured out the lock that contains the clue for the password. Lockers galore in the vault room, but most of the locks were easy to crack. One of them in particular relies on pattern recognition, which baffled us for awhile until we noticed the pattern! The code to the vault wasn’t obvious at all and would really require a hint.
Past Forward404 Escape RoomEscape roomIRLSuper fun room with an easy start and a slight increase in difficulty in the middle and finale, but still manageable with a couple of hints for a group of 2 adults and 3 kids under 11. We enjoyed the different scenes throughout and spent the most time on a challenge to organize the mess with all the right pieces. Not more than 5 number or word padlocks and a whole lot of great mechanical and electronic puzzles.
Fair GameRed Door Escape Room - ConcordEscape roomIRLThere were multiple rooms and all of them had a good amount of number and word scrambling puzzles. The first and second room also had fun physical games. When we got to the last room, we were treated to another collection of fun puzzles. A few of the puzzles in the last room required us to look back in the first room. Our game master (Julian) was very welcoming and helpful throughout. Our group had a great time here!
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient ExpressEscapology - San RamonEscape roomIRLFun and engaging room from start to end with immersive decor and props. The first 2 rooms have a good amount of logic puzzles. Once you figure out the number to dial, you enter a different room that feels like a sleeper carriage. We didn't have much time left for the final room and had to rush through the sheets of murder suspects. One of the 10-year olds in our group brute forced the time puzzle and somehow we magically escaped on the dot. It was intense!
Stabbin Cabin404 Escape RoomEscape roomIRLA pretty dim and creepy room with a scare in the adjoining room. The initial part required us to figure out how the physical clues fit together, which our GM kindly assisted us with. When we retrieved a bunch of new clues, our group spread out with 2 of us working on a time-consuming cipher, and the others figuring out the lock to the adjoining room. While the other group was cracking more code and locks in the adjoining room, I pieced the puzzle that would be the crucial last step to escape, which turned out to be a great strategy as it would've taken at least 5-10 minutes.
Agent TokyoLimitless Escape Games - PleasantonEscape roomIRLAgent Tokyo had a ton of distractions in the form of posters and stickers but that’s part of the fun. Once you see the ones that matter, you can’t unsee it. The first clue we got actually required us to use a poster and it wasn’t obvious at all. We had great fun figuring out what went into the 5 ramen bowls. The middle room was an immersive elevator with one main puzzle that should be obvious but we got distracted by a clue that’s for later. The final room with the bio vials had a series of physical puzzles and locks that kept us on the edge too.