The Jurassic ProjectMemphis Escape Rooms - South MainEscape roomIRLThe best escape room I’ve done up to now. The perfect combination of story, puzzle design, and aesthetics. There were jump scares, and fun Jurassic Park references. We drove 4 hours roundtrip for this and it was well worth it!
Dragon RealmMile High Escape OpsEscape roomIRLWhimsical is the best way to describe this room. From doing “real” magic to frolicking as a mythical beast this room packs a punch larger than the space it inhabits. You can tell care and passion have been poured into this experience. Worth every penny.
Invasion60 to Escape - MilwaukeeEscape roomIRLA really fun take on “the Sandlot” as a back drop for an escape room. The story telling and set were phenomenal, you can tell some love went into this room. With sooo many rooms it was impressive. The hint system here was unique and short of an unlimited hint system this is as good of an implementation Ive seen. Using pre-voiced hints with in game characters almost ensures a limited hint system though. From a puzzle perspective though it was pretty 50/50. Some puzzles were extremely unique in their execution. The opening puzzle in the second room was by far my favorite. Other puzzles felt tedious or didn’t work as well as intended. We spent entirely too long on a very obtuse puzzle with including “dog tags” which in the end would have been impossible for us to solve with how worn down the paint was for those specific puzzles. We ended up solving it with some brute forcing which I hate. This puzzle kind of built some frustration in my play group that soured the room slightly. I hope to find my way back to CHI/MKE to try another 60 to escape experience because I did really like the room save for aforementioned puzzle.
AmnesiaMystery MansionEscape roomIRLAn atmosphere driven room where puzzles feel like they have a purpose within the story being told. Some difficult puzzles too!
Paradox | The Incredible Time MachineRabbit Hole Recreation ServicesEscape roomIRLThis room has extremely high production value, with tons of technical hands on puzzles and a set that rivals some Disney attractions. The puzzles were a bit too “straight forward” for an experienced player but that doesn’t take away from the great experience offered by this room. I hope to return one day to try Rabbit Holes other experiences
PlaygroundThe Escape Game - Grapevine MillsEscape roomIRLThe theming and execution of this room is on point. My partner and I had a blast running all over this one. While it is a bit large for two players we were able to get the job done with time to spare! This is a dexterity heavy room which led to lots of fun moments. I really enjoyed the variety of puzzle types in this experience. Worth the price of admission!
Time MachineCountdown GamesEscape roomIRLA wicked nostalgia trip with really fun sets. The final puzzle will surely have your whole team amped up. The best thong I can say is that the satisfaction this room gave my team was so sweet we immediately booked a second experience right after it. Pro-tip, our GM allowed us to use the Notes function on our phone for one particularly tricky puzzle near the end since they don’t provide a note taking device. Also if your team has 2 people and you want to do one of their larger experiences they will allow you to book it as a walk in for the price of two people instead of charging for the extra slot. (Assuming the game you want to play is open) One of the best meldings of good story and good puzzles I have ever played.
ContaminationMile High Escape OpsEscape roomIRLLots of “oh wow” spectacle moments from beginning to end that were backed up by equally thoughtful and unique puzzles. I wholeheartedly recommend this room to anyone looking into it. You wont find more passionate owners in this industry.
Magician's CodeMemphis Escape Rooms - East MemphisEscape roomIRLSqueeeaaaakkkkyyy flooooorssss. A well decorated room that's biggest downfall is the fact that some of the solutions were very esoteric which didn’t lead to the buzz that a good puzzle provides. I will also say, the dim lighting was atmospheric, but caused problems because it was well, dark. That said, you do get to perform one piece of "real magic" that is a ton of fun. Side note there is one moving set piece that was very comedic in how slow it was. You’ll know what I’m talking about when it happens. Our GM was also really quick to give hints that weren’t asked for, and that did somewhat kill the flow for my group. This review may sound negative, but it really isn't meant to be. This is a really solid room I would recommend to any of my friends. I just know the "Jurassic Project" one exists and is the quality Memphis Escape Rooms can achieve.
Prison BreakThe Escape Game - Grapevine MillsEscape roomIRLThis room is very possible with two players, that said I think that this experience would really benefit from a 4-man team. The gimmick is starting separated which can lead to a very “solo” first act of this room with only two players. I enjoyed the theming, the sound design, and most of the puzzles but I wasn’t left as amped as I was with other experiences by TEG. They claim this is the companies hardest room, and that tracks with the three rooms I have played from TEG. You never know how an experience at a “The Escape Game” location is going to go because of the corporate rigor that is always around, but I can vouch for the team at Grapevine making this a lovely experience that would make me want to return to this location.
