Davinci’s WorkshopGet Out Games Bloomington [prev. The Code and Key Escape Rooms]Escape roomIRLThe operators said this was their easiest room; I don’t know if I agree (having played them all). It had the fewest puzzles, for sure, but the puzzles are multi-step and require good use of different skills including physical coordination of multiple team members. The physical space is small, though, so I would not recommend going in with more than 2-3 people. There is some wear and tear, which is unfortunate, but everything was still solvable. We had a good time.
Hoosier HysteriaHoosier Escape HouseEscape roomIRLI enjoyed this room and I also enjoyed talking with the owner/operator (who also designed this specific room). Obviously a great theme for the location and I thought everything was well clued and cleanly designed. Nothing advanced from a tech perspective but for me personally I don’t consider that a negative as long as there are logical connections between the locks and the things that open the locks, which was certainly true. Recommended.
The Stolen ArtifactGet Out Games Bloomington [prev. The Code and Key Escape Rooms]Escape roomIRLFull review tk
Tiny House of HorrorsGet Out Games Bloomington [prev. The Code and Key Escape Rooms]Escape roomIRLMy least favorite of the three rooms we played at this venue but it wasn’t -bad- and we had a good time. A couple of clunky puzzles and one very prominent ghost puzzle (operators, please take all the related props and clues out of the room if you remove the puzzle that those things refer to). But overall it was fine. If Morty had a “meh” I would choose that, but I only give a room thumbs down if it is really un-fun and this room was fun despite the glitches.
The Basement: UnhingedTHE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience - Kansas CityEscape roomIRLDon’t be concerned if you previously played “The Basement” in Las Vegas or LA. This is 100% different apart from the framing story and the presence of a live actor. Different room layout, different puzzles. We had a great time!
Haunted HouseEscapology - BraintreeEscape roomIRLMy second-favorite Escapology room so far (Scooby-Doo is still number one). Good set and atmosphere, good effects, good puzzles. Recommended.
7 Deadly SinsEscapology - BraintreeEscape roomIRLI wanted to like this room from the opening video (I like a dark theme). Unfortunately the puzzle design lets it down.
Zodiac Serial KillerFox in a Box MiamiEscape roomIRLI really wanted to like this room. The GM was great, fully in character. The puzzles are generally good. There is a high scavenger hunt element which is where most of our hints went. (They are still doing the old school “one hint every ten minutes” thing, but generally when we wanted one, it had been ten minutes. So while I object to this on principle, it didn’t actually keep us from finishing.) My biggest complaint — for the second room in a row at this venue — is that the finale puzzle doesn’t work! They had us enter the code repeatedly and the thing that is supposed to happen did not happen. It’s just terribly anticlimactic to go through the entire room and then someone has to just let you out manually. I would have given the room a thumbs up on its overall gameplay but not being able to finish because of poor maintenance is just not acceptable.
The Other SideFox in a Box MiamiEscape roomIRLVery good set design. The room is clearly an homage to a TV show but they do not want to come out and say which one. You’ll figure it out. Our GM was very enthusiastic and friendly. This place has everything it needs to be successful… … but unfortunately “The Other Side” has the same problem as the other two rooms we played at Fox in a Box: flat-out broken technology. I am not sure I have ever had to ask for so many hints in one room where the answer was “do the thing you’re already trying to do, but keep futzing with it and maybe it will work.” This is a problem that I thought we were past in the industry but these folks are determined to prove me wrong. In addition to the straight-up broken puzzles there was at least one instance of a ghost puzzle but in a way I have never seen before: the prop fully works and reveals information … that just never gets used. We’re not talking “stray blacklight message that wasn’t fully painted over,” this is a big honking (cool-looking) prop that you have to activate to get it to show you the ghost puzzle. Why leave that in the room? It’s like instead of doing maintenance, they are cutting content out of the room as the mechanisms stop fully functioning. We even got a key that didn’t unlock anything, which they claimed was a red herring. What would even be the point of that? It’s a key! Just leave it out of the room if you don’t use the lock any more. I just cannot recommend Fox in a Box Miami in good conscience. Maybe these rooms all worked perfectly when they were built, but we played three rooms and each one had significant tech failures. That’s not bad luck, that’s neglect.
Mastermind: A Heist StoryFox in a Box MiamiEscape roomIRLInteresting mix of high-tech and low-tech puzzles. No crawling or difficult physical actions but someone needs to be able to crouch. The room is dim, but not pitch black. You’ll need the flashlights they give you. Unfortunately the finale puzzle was not working so we had to get the GM to bypass it to let us finish the room. The puzzles are fine but there are multiple places you are expected to look for information at various times, and nothing tells you that, so you are reduced to rechecking everything repeatedly to see if there is new information. As a result we had to take a few more hints than we normally would. The GM was very friendly and helpful but it’s tough to recommend the room with a broken endgame.
The AlchemistSherlockedEscape roomIRLThe two things an escape room needs to be memorable are a beginning that hooks you right away and an ending that leaves you in awe of what you just accomplished. This room has both. It turns out that everything between the beginning and the ending is also great. The level of craft and engineering that went into the set and the props is incredible. There are at least two elements of this room that I have never seen done in an escape room and I think I am unlikely ever to see them done anywhere else. This is simply a must-play.
The ObservatoryThe Gate EscapeEscape roomIRLFull review TK but this room has one of the most jaw-dropping moments I have ever experienced in an escape room. It is a pure puzzlefest from start to finish.
The Assistant 2.0The Gate EscapeEscape roomIRLThis was an enjoyable room with an amusing blend of high-tech props used in low-tech ways. You’ll learn more ways to repurpose an old circuit board than you probably ever imagined. Overall the gameplay flows smoothly. One very ambitious physical puzzle is a bit fiddly to get everything aligned just right but the GM (and owner/designer) was able to help us nudge the right pieces into the right places without spoiling anything. We had a lot of fun. Recommended.
Legend of Pepe - CLOSEDPuzzlEscape HudsonEscape roomIRLWe did not know the evidently extensive backstory of Pepe Le Scuzz, but that was no problem in terms of completing the room. There are a series of puzzles to solve, each of which concludes by giving you some information about how Pepe has (or has not) been able to pull off his nefarious schemes over the years. I am sure it would have been very entertaining to experience the series of rooms that have told the story over the years. For this room you reach a decision point where you can choose an easier finale or a harder finale. We had 30 minutes left so we chose the harder finale and barely finished (I think we were technically a few seconds over time) so this is more like opting into an entire second escape room, which we enjoyed very much. Good use of the environment for puzzle content and a nice variety of puzzles. This is clearly a family business and a labor of love, and we appreciated it for what it was rather than trying to compare it to other high-budget or high-tech rooms we have played in the past. On that basis, I give it a thumbs up!
D.J. DeathThe Gate EscapeEscape roomIRLThe owner said that this was originally intended to be just a seasonal Halloween room but it was popular enough to stick around, and I can see that. This is a pure puzzlefest: there is a story (you need to assemble the playlist for a house party being DJed by the Grim Reaper) but in terms of gameplay it is just a series of independent puzzles to solve, each of which gets you one “track” for the playlist. The room is deliberately designed so that each puzzle is both physically and visibly self-contained. You can do the puzzles in any order you want, so a larger group could finish very quickly by dividing the room up, but where’s the fun in that? I suggest playing with 2-3 tops so that everybody gets to work on everything. The puzzles are mostly easy, but there’s a good variety and the final metapuzzle was entertaining. Recommended.
Horror CircusGame Over Escape Rooms - AtlantaEscape roomIRLA perfectly adequate escape room of the sort that I would not go out of my way to play. Nice lobby, though.
Temple of the SkullGame Over Escape Rooms - AtlantaEscape roomIRLThis is a perfectly adequate escape room of the sort that I would not go out of my way to play. Nice lobby, though. It’s fine: the set is decent and there are a couple of interesting puzzles. But it isn’t anything special. If you like to be locked in a room and given sixty minutes to escape, this will provide some measure of entertainment (albeit probably not sixty minutes’ worth).
Runaway TrainBreakout Games - AtlantaEscape roomIRLPretty much par for the course for older Breakout rooms: not a lot of story, but a decent set, some nice effects, a mixed bag of puzzles (at least one of which must include annoying arithmetic), a good variety of puzzle types, not too difficult but not super easy, a friendly and helpful gamemaster, and at least one cool moment (really just one in this game, but it is cool). Recommended but go in with modest expectations.
13th BasementExit Game OC - AnaheimEscape roomIRLIt’s fun, it’s funny, it’s self-aware in the best way. Highly recommended.
The Weeping WitchCross Roads Escape GamesEscape roomIRLThis was billed as a “terrifying” room, and although it was not in fact terrifying, it was very well done. It is hard to do good puzzles and try to scare the players at the same time, because most people’s puzzle-solving skills deteriorate under pressure. This game balances that very well by separating “scary time” from “puzzle time” in extremely clear ways. The upside of this is that they are able to include some good, complicated puzzles. The downside of this is that there is very little actual fear value because you know when it’s coming. That said, the multiple different places and ways by which the “witch” appears are impressive, and the finale in particular is very cool. If you are afraid of the dark or prone to falling for jump scares then I could see how this room would live up to its billing, but for me it was much less impactful than e.g. Project Minotaur or The Last Supper. Still, a great set, a good story, cool effects, solid puzzles, and a live actor: what’s not to like? Highly recommended.
