jaelyn7

Reviews

Reviews

Magnifico

Magnifico

Escaparium - Laval

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Magnifico is more of an experience than an escape room, so I don’t think it accurately holds the #1 escape room title. However, I will give credit where credit is due. While it wasn’t my favorite set build, it still takes a lot of talent to design these huge, immersive sets. The three actors in this room were the best in the franchise, and they even took the time to chat with us after the room about the experience. I also loved the story and the way it played out as you moved through the experience. For me, there is not enough puzzling in this room that accommodates a larger group of people. Because of the way the story is told, the experience moves linearly, and you are pretty much told how to complete most of the tasks. That being said, if you’re with a group of less experienced people who are cooperative in splitting the tasks, you’ll have fun!
L'Île perdue de la Reine Vaudou [The Lost Island of the Voodoo Queen]

L'Île perdue de la Reine Vaudou [The Lost Island of the Voodoo Queen]

Escaparium - Laval

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Out of the 5 rooms we did at Escaparium, I had the most fun in this room. The beginning got off to a rocky start because despite being constantly told that it is “absolutely not scary,” there were eerie vibes. Fortunately, we had run into another group that warned me about motion sickness in this room, and they accommodated that. The first part of the room is extremely linear and bottlenecks early. Experienced players will find themselves standing around waiting for the next puzzle to unlock. While none of the puzzles were especially novel, they were on theme and fun to complete! The set was also immersive, and it added to my enjoyment of the room. Overall, I liked this room because it was puzzle-focused and didn’t involve interacting with a human for a majority of the room. At the end, the game master did not respect my request to not do a jump scare, and she is lucky to not have come near me, or she would have gotten punched.
Ctrl Alt Reboot

Ctrl Alt Reboot

Escaparium - Laval

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Ctrl Alt Reboot has it all: innovative puzzles, an immersive set, and a terrific storyline. The only downside is if you are doing the room with people who are very experienced, you only need three people to do it. I found myself feeling completely useless in my group of 4, since the setup simply didn’t require an additional person. However, I can step out of my experience and still acknowledge this room is OUTSTANDING. The intro was extremely overwhelming because people were talking so fast my anxiety went through the roof. However, once the humans left, we were left with impressive puzzles and room design. I felt my brain working in this room, but they didn’t compromise on the immersiveness.
Armoire à Vendre [Wardrobe for Sale]

Armoire à Vendre [Wardrobe for Sale]

Escaparium - Laval

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Wardrobe for Sale at Escaparium was a visually stunning and highly immersive escape room with stunning set design. Our game master was incredibly talented; I mistook him as an animatronic at first! Players who enjoy the immersion more than the puzzles will adore this room. However, you are “rushed” through the room because another group will come in when you are halfway done with your experience. This leads to the game master providing a lot of clues, which makes it feel like you are following directions rather than solving a puzzle. The story also became a bit confusing, though that may have been because I wasn't paying close attention. Another issue was that several puzzles—particularly in the second room—lacked clear connections or clues indicating what to do next. The room was also quite linear, with many tasks locked behind previous progress. While several puzzles required cooperation, making multiple players feel useful, the linear design seems to exist to slow teams down, which could leave experienced larger groups with little to do.
Projet R.E.S.E.T. [Project R.E.S.E.T.]

Projet R.E.S.E.T. [Project R.E.S.E.T.]

Immersia Escape Games

  • Escape room
  • IRL
The build and idea behind Project R.E.S.E.T is inventive, but you may either love or hate the gameplay. The cost of a novel experience was having less puzzles in the room with a linear design, which is necessary to escape within the time limit. While I’m glad I got to experience it, this style doesn’t work for me because I enjoy solving lots of puzzles, and the linear setup is not conducive to a group larger than 2. Project R.E.S.E.T was also the most high-tech of the rooms we played at Immersia, and their use of technology was cool. After a slightly aggressive beginning, the actor in the room was fun and also chatted with us after about the novel gameplay.
Le Grand Immersia Hotel [The Grand Immersia Hotel]

Le Grand Immersia Hotel [The Grand Immersia Hotel]

Immersia Escape Games

  • Escape room
  • IRL
After doing rooms as Escaparium, Hotel Immersia felt a lot more traditional, but I really enjoyed the setup and gameplay. The beginning was a bit unsettling because I don’t like aggressive environments, but the staff at Immersia was VERY accommodating, and I should have opted for the accommodation provided. I also experienced a bit of motion sickness in the beginning, so you can probably ask them to modify it if that's also an issue for you. Once we finally got into the room and started solving, it was so fun! My favorite part was that there were many tasks to do at once, so all members of our group could contribute. There’s a hidden story for groups who advance quickly through the room, though that story should be the actual story! Hotel Immersia was my favorite room on my Montreal escape room trip!
L'affaire St-Onge [The St-Onge Case: Weekend at the Shack 2]

L'affaire St-Onge [The St-Onge Case: Weekend at the Shack 2]

Immersia Escape Games

  • Escape room
  • IRL
The St. Onge Case was my least favorite room at Immersia. Before we entered, we were told that this room is a sequel to a room at their other location, though the summary they give you is sufficient background information. The overall case was the highlight of the room, and I liked where the story went and how it integrated with the puzzles. Regarding scare factor, this room has more creepy / true crime vibes than jump scares. While the room contained some inventive puzzles, it became too linear after the first location change. Space became under-utilized in the second half, and there were a ton of red herrings. I felt myself not being able to contribute, since there was only one thing to do at a time. One small complaint was that one of their puzzles was broken, but they missed the first time we solved it (they just trigger it once they hear you understood the puzzle). Since the room is linear, this held us up a bit because we thought we didn’t have the right information. The second half of this room is driven by the story, and while that immersive experience works for some people, it decreased the amount of puzzles available, and made the room less fun for me.
Le Dernier Arrêt - V2 [The Final Stop - V2]

Le Dernier Arrêt - V2 [The Final Stop - V2]

Escaparium - Laval

  • Escape room
  • IRL
To enjoy The Final Stop, you have to be comfortable interacting with a verbally aggressive live actor. I felt so uncomfortable, I could not enjoy this experience. While this room is not scary, the actor slams things, which can cause jump scares. The actor did not respect my request for no jump scares, so I ended up having to beg for the slamming to stop. My fear was exacerbated because I was already on edge due to the aggression. Also, if you are motion-sick prone, ask them to turn off the train rocking before entering the room. The issues with the actor aside, this was the weakest storyline I did at Escaparium. There was only one puzzle in the room that I found inventive; the rest were unoriginal or poorly designed. At some point, the game master didn’t trigger the next step when we unlocked it, leading to an unnecessary delay. Even if the actor was eliminated, the room itself leaves much to be desired.
Prison Break

Prison Break

The Escape Game - NYC Midtown

  • Escape room
  • IRL
Even though this is their "hardest" escape room, I personally think both The Heist and Special Ops are harder in terms of puzzle design. What makes Prison Break hard is how you need to strategize, but we sniffed out the trick early on. We got held up a bit because the moderator didn't hear a question we asked about something and there was one clue that was a bit of a stretch. Overall, a majority of the room made sense and who wouldn't have fun escaping a prison cell?
Loading...