The Campground13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLI had mixed feelings about this room, and can’t quite agree with the high praise. On the one hand, great sets, a huge diversity of detail, a fun story and a number of surprises. But as some have pointed out on these reviews, the flow is often poor, the puzzles can feel counterintuitive in such a cluttered space, plus we have several (unaddressed by the game master) tech issues and some inaudible mechanism triggering. My experience here overall having done several rooms is that the game masters are pretty checked out also.
The Dungeon13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLThis was a great room—great flow, on-theme puzzles, lots of surprises. What wasn’t great were the game masters or the vibe of this business. When we walked in, the guy kept forgetting what game we were doing, said he was going to give us a pitch on the room in a minute and then he disappeared. After a bit another girl came out, and without any greeting, explanation, or setup (including any rules, info about clue system etc) simply walked us into the room and started to leave silently. I called back to her and asked her if someone was supposed to give even the barest introduction to the room—of any sort—and she seemed confused and said we don’t do that here. When we finished the room, a different, equally silent girl ushered us out. On a minor note, the kids working there seemed confused and a little put out when we asked them if they had lockers for our stuff. They didn’t. I asked if there was a receptacle in the room. There wasn’t. And then after a moment of silence they sort of reluctantly said they could watch our bag. Very, very odd.
RYCO's IslandRyco's Escape Room and LoungeEscape roomIRLPretty excellent prison break room, with a good combination of practical, on-theme problem solving and more traditional puzzles. Game masters were great too.
Meow! I'm a Cat.Exit Game OC - AnaheimEscape roomIRLThis was a very sweet and joyful room. And I am not a cat. Nor a kid. I am a middle-aged man with a slight belly and a Subaru.
The MenagerieTrapped! Escape Room - UplandEscape roomIRLI’m not sure why this room seems to be so divisive on Morty. I thought it was a blast, with a number of unique puzzles and ideas, and some fun theatrical moments tossed in as well. Nor do I really get the complaints about the computer angle. I’m someone who tends to loathe computers when they figure in escape rooms, but in this case that element flowed quite smoothly and was effectively integrated into the game.
Genie's LampPortland Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLCute room, easy, fun stuff with a couple of particularly whimsical puzzles. We did it with two (other guy’s first room!), had 15 minutes left, and felt like it really needed another room to it. I imagine larger groups would burn right through it. So it’s an overly short experience—something that unfortunately doesn’t translate to the relatively high price of the room. Great gamemaster!
SideshowPuzzle Effect - BendEscape roomIRLFun and reasonably easy room, with some nice design touches. A good room for beginners/introducing beginners, but still rewarding for more experienced players.
The Temple of Lost GoldMaze Rooms - Robertson BlvdEscape roomIRLI’m pretty sure that somewhere in here is a cool escape room, but unfortunately the tech was so consistently disastrous that we never had much of a chance to find out, even though we completed the room. Mechanisms opening prematurely, other mechanisms not opening at all, different pieces of puzzles not working, minutes-delayed audio and video—it was as if the entire room had contracted some bug. The gamemasters, who were nice but clearly outmatched by the mass of issues, told us that the room can glitch when it’s hot out. Which ain’t great, since we’re in Los Angeles, where heat isn’t exactly an anomaly. If I didn’t love escape rooms so much and have sympathy for escape room employees and owners I probably would have thrown a tantrum for a refund. It was that rough. Weird too, because I’ve had good experiences here previously, especially Avalanche, which I love. This review would likely have looked pretty different if we hadn’t been so bedeviled by glitches.
The Key of DestinyBoggled Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLWe just loved this room. I have to confess that I’ve never been the biggest fan of Egyptian-themed rooms, but this was a major exception. Loads of clever puzzles with ample problem-solving variations between them, great flow, a satisfying indie aesthetic that demonstrates a room doesn’t need to be high-tech to be thrilling. This is a room that feels really MADE—lots of craftsmanship involved, from sets to puzzle components.
Election DayAppleseed AvenueEscape roomIRLI had deeply mixed feelings about this game, and have found myself more divided on it than almost any other room I can think of. On the one hand, the concept, the world-building, the use of multimedia and tactile puppets to create a narrative, the humor, the production quality—all amazing. But the experience as an escape room? Far less successful. First, as you’ve no doubt heard, your group is split—and it just so happens that one of the routes is almost undeniably more fun than the other. So that’s a letdown for the other half of your group. But second, and more importantly, there’s a weird irony in Election Day at its core: despite the immense tactile joy of the space, almost all of the puzzles are screen-based. Just endless point and click. Screen screen screen. The physical involvement in the room is so much more fun—things, objects, etc—but there’s so comparatively little of it. Why am I in this wonderful world just sitting on a damn computer? Why aren’t there puzzles in this world that take advantage of the space itself? A screen can be in ANY space, it’s not unique to that space. I’ve done the other rooms here (upstairs), and they have wonderful puzzles (def less flashy though). Why not build more bodily interaction and less digital interaction into the space? I hope they do this for the next installment in the room, because it will make for a much stronger experience and fulfill the potential this space really has.
Kapow KomicsCloud EscapeEscape roomIRLReally fun new room, and I’d imagine this one is definitely catnip for comic book lovers. Couple tiny tech kinks, but that’s normal for a new room and I’m sure they’ll be ironed out. I always admire these guys’ rooms because of the DIY energy that goes into them and the focus on puzzles over frills (which isn’t to say that they’re not immersive and visually appealing). Chatted with the owner Dave a couple of times at Cloud and the Irvine rooms, and he’s really a delight, as are the game masters. Looking forward to what comes next here.
The Haunted TerminalIntrepid Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLI agree with some of the earlier reviewers that this room should get a bit more Morty love than it appears to be receiving right now. Lots of fun touches and some original puzzle elements, good use of a contained space (like Jewel and Relic, both of which are on the small side square footage-wise). On the easier end, but more to do than the slightly-puzzle-light Stolen Relic at this location. I’d recommend for two experienced players, and a good beginner level game for slightly larger groups. Wouldn’t pack ‘em in here, but I honestly don’t know how large groups do any of these rooms.
Arcade Challenge [prev. Retro Replay]The Great Escape Room - AkronEscape roomIRLWe did all of the rooms here, and honestly they’re all quite solid. You could do far, far worse for a chain escape room outfit. Very nice gamemasters as well.
Sev3nNo. 1 Escapes - Main StEscape roomIRLAbsolutely loved this room. A wide and diverse variety of puzzles, all thematically appropriate, with lots of detail and texture to them. Nice game flow. Great looking too, with a clever incorporation of odds and ends from the movie. Challenging room, but never frustrating or arbitrary. For the timid out there, I wouldn’t say that this was scare-heavy, though definitely some horror imagery (as you might expect from a Sev3n room).
EdelineCloud EscapeEscape roomIRLSome pieces are showing signs of wear and tear, but this is still a big, imaginative room with lots of fun tech, some spooks, and a surprisingly touching story.
Big Brain Labs60Out - HollywoodEscape roomIRLThis is a gorgeously designed and rendered room. A variety of puzzles, many of which are actually a bit more game-like, and almost all of which are a blast. Though science is a theme, don’t fret if that sounds like the room is going to give you panicky flashbacks to chemistry class—the puzzles are pretty resolutely science-specifics-free. Couple of small glitches in the room, but so it goes.
Winnie The PoohMindTrap Escape Room - MurrietaEscape roomIRLLike all of the rooms at this location, Winnie The Pooh is really solid, with a lot of care put into it. At the same time, it’s just an inch or two shy of a love rating for me because the puzzles themselves don’t quite equal the room aesthetics. But I understand and appreciate why others would go for the heart.
The GiftRed Door Escape Room - OxnardEscape roomIRLThis is an enjoyable room. I’m typically not expecting too much from corporate rooms, so it was a pleasant surprise. I will say that Red Door’s storytelling is next to nil, with the barest of premises for each room, and no real surprises or developments. I’m told the rooms form an interconnected story, but you sure could fool me.
Fair GameRed Door Escape Room - OxnardEscape roomIRLThis game had some fun design elements and a few fun puzzles. However, it has a couple physical games of skill/luck that are frustrating (and largely joyless) time sucks, and old/well-used enough to be rickety (which applies to the room more generally). Those spoiled what otherwise would have been a moderately good time in a room.
The Roosevelt Escape RoomPalace GamesEscape roomIRLA big, challenging room focused more on good cooperative puzzles and less on set/design frills. A sort of meat and potatoes room, if you will.
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