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Reviews

Reviews

Moonshine Madness

Moonshine Madness

PanIQ Room - NYC [prev. Clue Chase]

  • Escape room
  • IRL
The theme was really fun, and there were several puzzles that I thought were genuinely unique and creative. Unfortunately, the experience was pretty frustrating in a few places. Without giving anything away, there were multiple puzzles that required outside (pop cultureish) knowledge that could have been avoided with better labeling or clearer instructions. More frustratingly, one of the puzzles was completely broken, and even the game master wasn’t able to get it working. Unfortunately, that ended up being the reason we didn’t escape, which was really disappointing. I think this room has a lot of potential, because the theme is great and some of the puzzles are really clever. If the broken puzzle were fixed and some of the other puzzles were made a little more accessible/clear, I think I would have enjoyed the experience much more and wouldn’t have left feeling quite as frustrated.
Safe House

Safe House

Think Solve Escape

  • Escape room
  • IRL
We were told this was their first room, so it’s the oldest one, which makes sense. A lot of the pieces were faded, wrinkly, and just didn’t work as well as they should have. On top of that, something in our room wasn’t set up correctly, which caused extra confusion and required the GM to come in and fix it. Our GM also gave us an unprompted hint that had a typo, which didn’t help. I think if the pieces were updated and the game master was more on point, this could be a solid room. As it stands, it was by far my least favorite of the five rooms I’ve done at Think Solve.
F5 Tornado Escape

F5 Tornado Escape - COMING SOON

Trap Door & Madness Distillery - Tornado Alley

  • Escape room
  • IRL
This was a fun and unique escape room experience! The location is inside a working distillery, and if you add on the optional $15 tasting, it’s built right into the escape room and really adds to the overall experience—I’d definitely recommend including it. The space itself is huge, which was cool but made things a little tricky with just 2 of us. At times we were on opposite sides and couldn’t hear each other, so a slightly bigger group might work better. One thing that surprised me us well was how physically challenging some of the puzzles were—there were elements that required strength, coordination, or balance, which made it different from other rooms I’ve done. The other downside was that the final objective was a little unclear, even after we finished all the puzzles. Overall though, this was a super fun and memorable room—I’d recommend it, especially with the tasting add-on!
Paint Bomb Mission [Immersive Experience]

Paint Bomb Mission [Immersive Experience]

Beat the Bomb - Philadelphia

  • Escape room
  • Other
We had a fun time at Beat the Bomb, but it’s definitely not your typical escape room — more like a live-action video game with fast-paced, physical challenges. Expect to get messy (not just from the paint — we were literally sweating), and don’t go in expecting classic puzzle-solving. Much more coordination and reflexes were needed than I expected. A couple other things to be aware of: it was very loud, which made it hard to hear both the instructions and each other — definitely added some unnecessary frustration. Also, although the website says 3+ people, we were told on arrival that we had to pay for a 4th person to participate, which felt pretty unfair — especially since the challenges were totally manageable with 3. All that said, it was still a unique experience and a good time overall — just make sure you know what you’re getting into!
The Cellar

The Cellar

Think Solve Escape

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Another great experience with Think Solve Escape! The Cellar was definitely the scariest escape room I’ve ever done—if you’re sensitive to loud noises, darkness, or graphic horror elements like blood and gore, this one might not be for you. That said, if you enjoy spooky, immersive themes, it’s absolutely worth it. The room was incredibly atmospheric and immersive from start to finish. The puzzles had great variety and flowed really well. Our game master did an excellent job keeping an eye on our progress—we didn’t officially ask for hints, but he gave us just the right nudges at the right moments to keep us on track without breaking the experience. We completed the room as a team of two, which is totally doable, though one particular puzzle would be a bit easier with three or more people. Still, we made it out and had a blast! Overall, a fantastic room and another win for Think Solve Escape. Can’t wait to come back and try more!
Legend of the Pines

Legend of the Pines

Solve It Sherlock

  • Escape room
  • IRL
I’m a pretty seasoned escape room player, and unfortunately, my experience at Legend of the Pines was disappointing. We did not escape, and several aspects of the room made the experience frustrating. One major issue was the game master—it was clear they weren’t paying close attention to our game. We repeatedly received hints for things we had already solved rather than the information we actually needed, which wasted valuable time and added to our frustration. Beyond that, the room itself had several problems. The standard puzzles didn’t feel intuitive, and on top of that, there were multiple puzzles that required a physical component to solve. While I personally don’t enjoy these types of challenges, I can usually work through them. However, in this game, they were so finicky and frustrating that we spent over 20 minutes struggling—not because we didn’t understand the puzzle, but because of the execution. Also, they explicitly stated at the beginning that everything in the room was single-use—but that is not true in this room. There was an element that had to be reused, which threw us off. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this escape room, and I don’t plan on returning to Solve It Sherlock. There are much better options out there in New Jersey for escape room enthusiasts.
The Midnighters

The Midnighters - CLOSED

Olde City Escape Games

  • Escape room
  • IRL
This was our second escape room at Olde City Escape, and while we enjoyed 2084 more, this room was still a solid experience. The biggest downside for me was the number of red herrings—some of which felt like remnants from a previous version of the room. They threw us off multiple times and made certain moments more frustrating than fun. A couple of puzzles felt less intuitive than other escape rooms I have done, but that said, there were a lot very unique and creative elements that made the experience enjoyable overall. We had a positive experience, and it’s definitely still worth a play!
Quest For The Throne

Quest For The Throne

Expedition Escape

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Quest for the Throne was the first room we tackled at Expedition Escape, and we were so impressed that we’ve already been back—and plan to return again! Even though this is one of their older rooms and most of the puzzles are first-generation (primarily lock-and-key style), it’s still a highly entertaining and well-designed experience. We found this room to be the perfect level of challenging, especially for our team of two with good escape room experience. It was tough but fair, requiring us to use ~2 hints and leaving us with just seconds to spare at the end. That said, we’d probably recommend doing this with more than two people, as it’s quite challenging and having a larger team would make the experience more manageable. The only downside we encountered was one particular puzzle that was mechanically frustrating. We knew exactly what to do, but executing it was tricky due to a mechanical issue. Thankfully, that didn’t detract too much from the overall experience. If you’re up for a solid challenge with classic-style puzzles, Quest for the Throne is a fantastic choice. It’s engaging, satisfying to solve, and an excellent introduction to the quality you can expect from Expedition Escape. Highly recommend this room and location for escape room enthusiasts.
Curse of the Hidden Temple

Curse of the Hidden Temple

Expedition Escape

  • Escape room
  • IRL
This was the second room we’ve done with Expedition Escape, and once again, we were blown away! Hidden Temple stands out as the most immersive escape room we’ve experienced, especially in the Philadelphia/PA area. What sets this room apart is its atmosphere. There are long stretches where it is quite dark, which adds an exciting, slightly spooky vibe without turning it into a horror experience as you can still see everything that you need to to complete the puzzles. The lack of a visible timer or countdown enhances the immersion, making you feel like you’re truly part of an adventure. That said, it’s still a regular escape room, but the clever design and use of technology make it feel like so much more. For seasoned escape room enthusiasts, I would say that Hidden Temple is on the easier side. The puzzles are logical and linear, which keeps the experience smooth, but the challenge level is relatively low compared to other rooms we’ve tried, like Quest for the Throne (another great room by this company, and definitely more difficult). That said, the puzzle style in Hidden Temple is quite unique—there are no traditional lock-and-key puzzles, which we really appreciated. Overall, Hidden Temple wins for immersion and creativity. If you’re new to escape rooms, this is the perfect room to wow you with its atmosphere and design. Even if you’re more experienced, the uniqueness and seamless technology make it worth a visit. Highly recommend, especially if you’re ready for an adventure that feels straight out of a movie!
The Candy Shoppe

The Candy Shoppe

PuzzleConnect Escape Rooms

  • Escape room
  • IRL
We had a great time in this escape room! The puzzles were diverse and engaging, incorporating fun technology that added an extra layer of excitement—it’s not just a typical lock-and-key room. The design was well thought out—well-lit, with a charming storyline that enhanced the experience. The gameplay was fairly straightforward and linear, which might make it less challenging for seasoned escape artists. We finished in under 40 minutes without any hints, so it’s likely best suited for newer or intermediate players. That said, it was still a positive experience overall, and we’d definitely recommend it!
The Agency

The Agency

Escape the Room - Rittenhouse

  • Escape room
  • IRL
I regularly do escape rooms, but we had a lot of difficulty with this one and didn’t manage to escape. The biggest issue was getting hints—it was nearly impossible. They tell you to raise your hands to request a hint, but we were waving for over 5 minutes with no response. It seemed like one woman was running multiple rooms and handling check-ins, so she wasn’t watching our screen. At one point, there was an audio component that wasn’t working. I waved for help as instructed, but when no one came, I had to leave the room to get the attendant. She had to replace the batteries, which completely broke the immersion. Another issue was that a door, which should have been locked as part of a puzzle, was left open. We spent time trying to figure out what the pieces were leading to, only for the attendant to tell us that the door should have been locked and was part of a puzzle that wasn’t properly secured. This wasted even more time. Between the technical issues and needing constant hints to get through the puzzles, I don’t think I’d return to this location. Even without the technical problems, the puzzles weren’t well thought out, and the flow was hard to follow.
Escape IT - The Funhouse

Escape IT - The Funhouse

Escape IT

  • Escape room
  • IRL
I had read previous reviews, so I wasn’t expecting it to be heavy on the ‘escape’ aspect. However, I was surprised that there were more puzzles than I anticipated. Unfortunately, an actor/guide accompanies you throughout the experience and essentially walks you through every puzzle. Even though my group was doing well, the guide told us how to solve the puzzles before we even had a chance to figure them out ourselves, which took away a lot of the fun. While the set and immersion are impressive, it’s not very scary, so if you’re looking for a good haunted house, this may not be it. I’d only recommend it to someone who doesn’t regularly do escape rooms, as they might still enjoy it. Another thing to note is the group size – there are 10 people per group, and many of the rooms are VERY small for that number. If you’re even slightly claustrophobic, this is not for you. Even without claustrophobia, I often couldn’t see what was happening because there were too many people crowding the small space.
Alice [VR]

Alice [VR]

60Out - Melrose

  • Escape room
  • IRL
This was the first VR room I tried, and since I had never used a VR headset before, I found it a bit difficult and disorienting to navigate the space. The puzzles themselves weren’t particularly challenging; it felt more like a scavenger hunt than real puzzle-solving. However, it was an enjoyable experience, and the VR aspect made it different from traditional escape rooms. I was informed by the staff that this is the hardest VR room, but we found it relatively easy overall.
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