Worst Birthday Ever!Puzzled Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLReally fun and interactive room! I loved the birthday theming and it made for a perfect celebration for a friend's birthday. This place has awesome staff, everyone was super welcoming. Rooms are definitely on the simpler side in terms of tech/set/difficulty.
Am-BOO-LancePuzzled Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLOkay this was such a cool novelty experience- you're literally solving an escape room on an actual ambulance. I think it's a super creative idea but I landed on a thumbs down rating for a few reasons. It's very physically small so you are crowded/crouching the entire time which was a little painful. It's also very short so it just doesn't feel like there's a lot of substance to it. And I was hoping for more of a spooky ghost vibe from the theme but there wasn't much to the ghost aspect beyond the initial premise. I don't regret it because it was a unique experience so if you're thinking about it, it might still be worthwhile! It just had some shortcomings for me.
Escape from CamelotNo Escape IowaEscape roomIRLI feel bad giving this room a thumbs down. I wish Morty had a "meh" rating. I really don't think this room was BAD but it just wasn't good. I think the set was cute and nice but nothing wow-worthy. We got stuck a few times and it was always because we didn't find a physical object that was hidden. It halted the flow of the room a lot for us. Otherwise, the puzzles themselves were very basic and simple. For a small business in small town Iowa, I think it was mostly nice! It was a charming and pleasant room. If you're an enthusiast, you're not going to be impressed. But I think for what it is, it's an okay room.
Mission: MarsThe Escape Game - MinneapolisEscape roomIRLI was so disappointed by this room! It felt like a lot of the puzzles we solved quietly activated or opened things in other areas of the room and half the time we didn't even realize what was going on. Or the opposite would happen where we could tell the we had activated something but we weren't entirely sure why it had happened. It became very frustrating and convoluted. There was also so much repetition across the puzzles. Almost everything in the room led to inputting access codes into tablets and keypads. There were SO MANY ACCESS CODES. It just didn't feel exciting or interesting. And the puzzles that led to those access codes repeated basic solution styles multiple times with slight variations--it just felt lacking in creativity. That paired with a non-existent story left me feeling very underwhelmed. There are much better rooms at The Escape Game.
Lost CityEscapology - BurnsvilleEscape roomIRLThis room is very solid! Not too much about it stood out or wildly impressed me but start to finish it was fun and well put together. There were a couple moments of physical interaction to solve puzzles that I loved. The story and theme are admittedly pretty unoriginal but the set created a really nice atmosphere. I think this would be a great escape room for beginners!
Prison BreakThe Escape Game - MinneapolisEscape roomIRLI loved this room a lot more than I expected to! The teamwork especially at the beginning was so strong. Atmosphere was extremely immersive. And the room had so many fun surprises in it. I wish the puzzle design had been a bit more creative--too many number/letter locks which is always a pet peeve of mine. And while I truly did love this room and had tons of fun in it, prison themed escape rooms just give me the ick to a certain degree.
The Istanbul Gambit - CLOSEDEnigma Adventures - Maple GroveEscape roomIRLThis particular theme for an escape room is pretty overdone in my opinion and it's not my favorite. That being said, I still think this is a really high quality room. The prop design is extremely impressive and while there were some elements I've seen multiple times in similar rooms, there were still some others that were unique and interesting. Bottom line is that if you aren't interested in this room based on the theme, I think it's still worth playing. Enigma Adventures has really special rooms. And if you ARE interested in this room based on the theme then you simply cannot miss it.
The KidnappingBreakout Games - MinneapolisEscape roomIRLI really was not a fan of this room. It has strong "original escape room" energy in a way that just wasn't fun or exciting to play. Part of me wants to respect it for preserving the early days of escape rooms but... we have evolved!!! This room is in dire need of updates, especially if Breakout wants to charge full price for tickets. I truly felt like I could have made this room myself with a budget of about 200 dollars. It's all in one single bare bones room and the entire game is essentially a bunch of number locks. That's just not interesting to me anymore when it comes to escape room design! It was fun and immersive to start the room handcuffed and blindfolded but that's really the only thing this room has going for it. Without spoiling the specifics, there was one aspect of the room that made it challenging and fun for my group. However we realized about halfway through that we had missed a clue early on and we were essentially just unnecessarily playing the game in challenge mode. Knowing that about this room just makes me realize how much worse the gameplay is than we even initially realized. I really cannot recommend this one.
Pirates Of The Spanish Main - CLOSEDEnigma Adventures - Maple GroveEscape roomIRLOne of my favorite escape rooms I've done! The set and prop design in this room had elements that I have truly never seen anywhere else. It was absolutely delightful to discover all the details. The puzzles were a bit riddle heavy for my taste and a few things seemed in need of updates to function better. But overall I have very few complaints about this room. It's so fun and special and I highly recommend it.
7 Deadly SinsEscapology - BurnsvilleEscape roomIRLI really loved the story of this game. We got super into the plot and by the climax of the room we were running around screaming. The atmosphere and set were solid. However I was a lot more mixed on the puzzles themselves. We had to ask for several hints because certain details felt extremely obtuse and we just couldn't quite make the connections. I do think this room was a hard difficulty level and that's okay but to me some of the details we missed just felt like bad puzzle design. I want to get a hint and say "ohhhh wow, now I get it!" not "huh?!?! Why would I ever think of that??' Overall I still enjoyed the room and I would recommend it for a fun thrilling time but it just led to a couple frustrating moments.
The ApothecaryThe Lodge of Lazarus CroweEscape roomIRLWe loved this room! Location is incredible. The room's atmosphere was impeccable--the theming and aesthetic was just delightful. My only real complaint is that the room is entirely linear which isn't my preference. It's also very easy but that's not necessarily a problem, just good to know going in. We played with 4 people and it was borderline too many. I think this room would be perfect for 2 people.
The Cursed Carnival [Abandoned Carnival]Lock and Key EscapeEscape roomIRLThis is one of my personal faves in the Twin Cities. I love this room so much I've actually played it twice. I'm such a sucker for carnival themes so admittedly I'm very much the target demographic for this room, but I do think it's great regardless! It's extremely fun to play because it integrates so many elements of carnivals and midway style games. I absolutely loved the characters you meet along the way and how they get brought to life. This room just has so much personality and silliness to it. And the puzzles, though not super challenging, felt fresh and innovative and satisfying to solve.
Cabal - CLOSEDWalking Shadow Theatre CompanyEscape roomIRLAs an escape room fanatic and a theater nerd, this was honestly made for me. The performances from the actors were great. The set was absolutely INCREDIBLE. I'm still thinking about it years later. One of my favorite experiences ever.
The DungeonPuzzleWorksEscape roomIRLMy favorite thing about this room is how it incorporates many mechanical elements that feel well designed and accurate to the medieval atmosphere--a chalkboard for taking notes, key locks rather than number/letter locks, wooden props and puzzles, and lots of ropes and pulleys! My second favorite thing about this room is how much it centers teamwork and collaboration. You NEED to work together to make it through this room. The puzzles are very difficult but not unsolvable. There's a lot going on and many puzzles can be solved simultaneously so bring a big group and prepare to have a LOT of fun.
The VaultPuzzleWorksEscape roomIRLThis room is extremely solid on every level. The set is particularly great--it's very open and clean looking and it has some great details. The puzzles are straightforward but not too easy. One puzzle involves perfect teamwork between two players and it's one of my favorite escape room puzzles I've come across. I don't find the story or theme to be particularly exciting but it feels like a classic escape room done right. I think this would be a fantastic room for beginners but it won't disappoint experienced players either.
Loose SleuthPuzzleWorksEscape roomIRLThis is my personal favorite at PuzzleWorks. It is admittedly a little less shiny and new compared to their other rooms (the set isn't particularly awe-inspiring and it has too many keys and combination locks) but so many of the puzzles are truly unique and fun to solve. You really need to do some abstract thinking in this room. I also love the retro sleuth theme as someone who is a big fan of mystery novels and detective style video games. The story is so fun to unravel and it has many subtle moments of iconic PuzzleWorks humor.
The Legend Of Lyndale House - CLOSEDTrapped Puzzle Rooms - North LoopEscape roomIRLHonestly one of the best escape room experiences I've ever had. I'm so sad that this closed down. For those who missed it, it was a massive escape room that took place in an entire house. There was so much going on it would be impossible to see it all in one play. I got to participate in so many unique forms of teamwork that spread out across multiple floors of the house. The story brought us all together in the end and everyone there had a blast. Such a wonderful experience and I'm so glad I got to do it while it was open.
![The Cursed Carnival [Abandoned Carnival]](https://images.morty.app/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/89672fa6-0476-4725-9664-5c26a323cbeb.jpeg)
