Studio420EDscapade GamesEscape roomIRLA lot of tiny puzzles and locks. There is no indication to map a solution to a lock. Sometimes there were stickers to map a solution to a lock, but then they DIDN’T ACTUALLY MAP to each other. In another instance, a puzzle that requires proper sorting had multiple potential solutions; it was a poorly designed puzzle (the one where you have to sort CDs). I specifically asked the GM in the beginning to help us move along, because we want to see all the content.
The AlchemistEscape OaklandEscape roomIRLJust an okay room, I’d say - nothing particularly novel or exciting. If there was a neutral thumb, I would give it. I’m leaning down just because it ultimately cost us about $150 for three people, and I don’t think that was worth it. Additionally, they rate this room for up to 6 people, but I would play this with 4 max. There just isn’t enough opportunity to parallelize the different tasks.
Gold RushThe Escape Game - San FranciscoEscape roomIRLI could see why this game won awards before, but two of the really unique puzzles were broken. Everything else was very… normal. Without those two puzzles working, the price is not justified. I would not recommend this room.
Scooby-Doo™ and the Spooky Castle AdventureEscapology - San RamonEscape roomIRLNot a particularly inspired experience. You could easily change the appearance and call it the Transformers room, or (insert-nostalgic-cartoon-here). It’s okay, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone but the folks who just like doing all the escape rooms that are out there for the heck of it. It’s passable.
AloneXcapade - NewarkEscape roomIRLA malfunctioning device and an inattentive GM made for an extremely lackluster experience. There was one point where we were asking for hints, but since he lost his walkie talkie, we had no one to help. The fact that he is role playing a specific perspective as your game master also implies that he is a biased source of advice (he specifically made this point before we began). There were times we were stuck on a puzzle and it was no longer fun, but he wouldn’t just give us a straight answer. I’m also not a fan of poorly lit rooms. I could see this being more enjoyable with working machinery and a GM who wasn’t overworked with having to attend multiple escape rooms simultaneously. Overall, terrible experience. I would not recommend this room to a friend.
