Activate [Interactive Arcade]Activate - TustinEscape roomOther Super fun interactive arcade with about a dozen challenge rooms, each with 3-7 different games, each with many levels of difficulty. Every room has cooperative games; most also have competitive modes. Each level lasts about 60-90 second, so you’re never waiting too long for a game. Many of the challenges can be physically active, but there are also good options for those looking for less intense body movement. (The website lists the available rooms and describes the basic types of challenges if you want more info.) The tech all worked seamlessly, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We loved it so much that we’re planning to join the global league this fall!
Jungle 2: The Next DimensionPuzzle Theory - South WindsorEscape roomIRLThis was a fun room! Great theming to Jumanji the board game. I completely understand the critiques in the 2 previous scrambled reviews—especially about the time-wasting aspect of all the lighting/sound effects that you have to wait to finish every time you complete a puzzle. There are also some dexterity puzzles that we can see some people being frustrated by. But the lighting/sound effects did add to the immersion of the room, and overall, we still immensely enjoyed the room and the number and variety of puzzles. We also like more physical challenges, so this room was up our alley. We were 2 enthusiasts plus a smart recreational escape artist (though we were required to pay for 4 players), we didn’t rush, and we completed the room with about 6 mins to spare. The owner was kind enough to open 30 mins early to allow us to do this room plus fit in another in the 2 hours we had before we had to depart out of BDL. We appreciate the customer service!
P.T. Railways: Rebel RunPuzzle Theory - South WindsorEscape roomIRLSolid room with decent immersion and a good number and variety of puzzles—but we were 2 enthusiasts plus a recreational escape artist, and we didn’t rush, and we still got out with about 15 mins to spare, which is always a bit of a bummer bc it felt like there weren’t enough puzzles to keep us entertained for the full 60 mins we paid for. This company runs 2 different train-themed rooms in the same space—one every other day it seems based on the schedule. We appreciated that the puzzles specific to each room were clearly marked/color-coded so you didn’t waste time trying to solve something that isn’t meant for your room. We’ve had that problem before in rooms in shared spaces. We’d like to come back to try the other train-themed room!
UndercookedOmescape - SunnyvaleEscape roomIRLFun puzzle-grind room that is right up our alley—and the fact that it’s food themed is just icing on the cake (pun intended)! We previously did a version of this room in Anaheim that we loved, and while we still like that version slightly better, this one was great and filled with mostly new puzzles compared to that version. We had tons of fun as a group of 4, and we all appreciated being able to do puzzles solo and together and just have a great time. Definitely highly recommend this room!
Kingdom Of Cat-tastrophyOmescape - SunnyvaleEscape roomIRLThis room was not quite a total catastrophe, but a real meh for us. Especially given how great Omescape’s other rooms are. It just didn’t flow well, the story felt forced, and some of the puzzle solutions were unsatisfying. We felt like we spun our wheels needlessly at several points sometimes because we overthought it but sometimes because we didn’t think hard enough. We felt like we were wasting so much time on certain puzzles—but we still got out early! This made us realize that this room is likely 90 minutes not because there’s a lot to do but because it was designed to make you spin your wheels on a few tedious tasks, which isn’t our idea of a fun way to make a 90-min escape room. (Undercooked was fun—that room could be 90 instead of 75!) Also, parts of this room definitely felt like it was designed for exactly 4 people, but other times, 4 felt like a crowd. Overall, the room just felt uneven. We didn’t love the other cat one either at the San Jose location. It’s kinda sad that both of the cat-themed rooms are not the cat’s meow for us—maybe we had higher expectations?
Ark Of The Covenant - CLOSEDCinema Escape Rooms - Los AlamitosEscape roomIRLWay way way too easy for enthusiasts (we got out with 32 mins to spare and we didn’t rush). But recommended for a group of 2 beginners early on in their escape room journey with decent puzzles and a mix of physical locks and tech. Nothing was bad—it was just way too easy and short. The Office is still the only room at this location that is ❤️ worthy.
UtopiaLock and Key EscapeEscape roomIRLDefinitely a unique room in terms of the tech, space, and story! There were a few mechanisms we hadn’t experienced before, and this one kept 4 enthusiasts busy and entertained for most of our 60 minutes, which is great as we love more challenging rooms. We enjoyed the room overall but were just a bit frustrated (as we usually are) when there are puzzles that look like you can complete them but actually you only have partial information so you end up spinning some wheels trying to solve something that can’t be solved yet. But this was a minor issue compared to all the fun moments we had. Strongly recommend you check out this room if you’re in the Twin Cities!
The DungeonPuzzleWorksEscape roomIRLThis is definitely a solid room with some fun puzzles and a couple of cool & unusual mechanisms we hadn’t experienced before. But in the end, I can only give it a 👍 and not a ❤️ because they required 4 people for this room, but only one puzzle really needed 4 people, and the rest was insufficient to keep all 4 of us enthusiasts busy and entertained for the full 60 minutes. We got out with 22 minutes to spare, which is not great bang for the buck. I also expected more given the super high rating this room has. We experienced two other rooms in the Twin Cities that were much more interesting/unique than this one, which is more “classic.” I’d still recommend it, but just don’t expect to get anywhere near 60 mins of entertainment if you are 4 enthusiasts.
The Founder's SecretThe Lodge of Lazarus CroweEscape roomIRLThis room is a must-do in the Twin Cities area—and preferably the first room you do at The Lodge at Lazarus Crowe story-wise bc it’s a good intro to the founding. The entire experience was great from start to finish, but how you gain access into the room is a truly unique and fun part of the experience. We loved the variety of puzzles in this room and just overall how much of the space we got to interact with. We also enjoyed the need for teamwork! We did this room as 2 enthusiasts and got done in a little under 60 mins for this 75-min experience. Pro Tip: If there’s down time between escape rooms, you can hang out in their bar/cafe and grab drinks (they have good mocktail and non-alcoholic drink options!) and play board games you can check out for free.
The DreamscapeThe Lodge of Lazarus CroweEscape roomIRLAnother fun experience at The Lodge, but this one was easier and shorter so it only gets a 👍 and not a ❤️. But if you’re a wordplay fanatic, then this one is closer to a ❤️. Indeed, we chose this room over some others bc we saw reviews mention the theme is wordplay, which we always enjoy and appreciate—and this room did not disappoint on that front! A couple of puzzles really made us think, but we still didn’t need any clues to solve bc everything was logical and fair. Well-themed and fun, just a bit too short for us 2 enthusiasts as we got out in about 40 mins. But we would still recommend this room and would love to do more rooms at The Lodge if we are ever back in the Twin Cities!
Wizard's TowerTrapped Puzzle Rooms - Saint PaulEscape roomIRLSolid wizard’s office-themed room with some fun moments and a good mix of tech with number/letter locks. We were 2 enthusiasts and got out in 45 mins. There was one puzzle that we essentially bypassed by correctly guessing the answer without actually solving it using the intended mechanism, which isn’t great but also fine in that we didn’t ultimately have to spin our wheels too much in frustration. There was another puzzle that we felt had a bit of a red herring as to its mechanism, but ultimately that turned out fine, too. We did really enjoyed our time in both rooms we did here at Trapped and would recommend them to enthusiasts and beginners alike!
Video Game MayhemTrapped Puzzle Rooms - Saint PaulEscape roomIRLOne of the better video-game themed rooms we’ve done. We really appreciated the number of video games referenced in this room and the overall number and variety of puzzles involved. It isn’t super high-tech, but there was a good mix of tech with number/letter locks. We were 2 enthusiasts, and we finished the room in about 40 minutes. We wished it was longer, but we enjoyed every minute we spent in it!
Hijinx at Joffre ManorNerdy by Nature Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLGreat set design, decent puzzles, but on the easy side. We didn’t rush at all and tried to stick together the whole time as a team of 3 enthusiasts, and we still sadly made it onto the leaderboard with over 20 mins left on the clock. There just weren’t enough puzzles to keep us busy for 60 mins. But if you’re a beginner or have kids in your group, this would be a fun room. There are a lot of small tight spaces, so I wouldn’t recommend more than 3 people in this room max. Pro Tip: Ask for an extra flashlight at the start. (We strongly dislike forced darkness in escape rooms.)
The Family CabinQuicksand Escape GamesEscape roomIRLThis was a fun throwback to the 90s that we really enjoyed and would strongly recommend especially for SD. We also did The Diner at Quicksand but liked this room more because it didn’t have any illogical puzzles and it had a bit more tech. We especially appreciate how many puzzles Quicksand includes in each room—you really get your money’s worth in puzzle solving! That’s why we’re giving this room a ❤️. We were a team of 2 enthusiasts, and we got out with 1:26 left on the clock. That made us so happy bc it meant the room was a bit of a challenge and filled with enough puzzles to keep us quite busy the entire 60 mins! The only cons with this room are the same we found with The Diner: A lot of physical locks requiring 4-digit codes, but it often wasn’t clear which code went with which lock, so you had to try the same code on multiple locks, which wasted time. Also, you have access to a lot of partial puzzles, so it seems like the room is non-linear but actually it is super linear bc you can’t complete most puzzles at first as additional info/pieces are locked until you solve another puzzle. For that reason, we don’t recommend more than 2-3 for enthusiasts or people will just be spinning their wheels trying to solve things they really can’t, and it doesn’t make sense for more than 2-3 people to work on the one active puzzle. Again, the staff here is great and very accommodating. Parking is hard and/or expensive in this area, so plan accordingly!
The DinerQuicksand Escape GamesEscape roomIRLOverall we liked this room and would recommend it as worth doing in the SD area. It’s a bit older, but everything works and it isn’t worn out. Pros: LOTS of puzzles, especially for a team of 2 to conquer! We definitely got our money’s worth for nearly 60 mins of play. Typically we finish rooms in ~40 mins without rushing, but this one we rushed (bc we started a little late—our fault) and we still only got out with 10 mins to spare. We also enjoyed a couple of puzzle types/mechanics we hadn’t experienced before after 250+ rooms, which is rare and wonderful. And the theming in this room was pretty spot on. We also loved the multiple spaces to explore. Cons: There were 2-3 puzzles that just didn’t make sense to us and were on the tedious side. That’s a huge reason why this room gets only a 👍. There were also a lot of physical number locks, which by itself isn’t always a bad thing, but there was often no indication which code went with which lock, so we had to try the same code on multiple locks, which was annoying. Another major con for us was that the room was actually super linear even though at first it appears like there are a lot of puzzles you can work on at the same time. Actually, you just have access to a lot of partial puzzles that seem like they’re solvable but really they’re not bc you have to wait for more pieces/info that’s locked until you solve another puzzle. This can lead to a lot of wasted time trying to solve things that can’t be solved. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons, so go do this room if you like rooms with lots of puzzles to solve! But I wouldn’t recommend more than 2-3 for experienced escape artists. The staff here was very helpful and accommodating. Parking can be very difficult in this area, and paid parking is expensive, so plan accordingly.
Battleship - The Pirate EditionNo. 1 Escapes - Sky ParkEscape roomIRL100% agree with another reviewer that this latest version of one of our favorite puzzle-grind rooms is definitely worth doing even if you’ve done previous versions at Not Another Escape Room (still the best version) and Deceptive Games because No 1 Escapes has changed out/added more puzzles. But we also don’t like how much time is allocated to the two rounds of battleship in between the puzzle solving. It feels like we have much less time in this version to solve puzzles in the main room, which is the whole appeal of a puzzle-grind room. We appreciated that our GM gave us 5 extra minutes of puzzle time bc we rushed through the battleship portion to get it over with, but overall we still got less than 60 minutes of our paid play time which is frustrating for a puzzle-grind room. Nevertheless, I’m giving it a ❤️ because I appreciate that No 1 Escapes has preserved this gem of a room, and puzzle-grind rooms are relatively hard to find. And I do appreciate the new puzzles to refresh the room. This game is also replayable bc you won’t get through all the puzzles in one run, and inevitably your teammates will solve puzzles you never get to see. And we appreciate that they’re offering a good discount to re-do the room. But it sucks that only about 30 mins are allocated to the main puzzle solving, which makes it less appealing to return.
Moriarty's ManorMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLGreat room! We enjoyed the number and variety of puzzles, especially ones that involved dexterity and team work. There was one mechanic we hadn’t quite seen like this one before, so that’s always fun. The progression flowed well through multiple spaces. We were entertained for about 50 minutes as a group of 4 (2 enthusiasts and 2 smart recreational escape artists) who did not rush and tried to stick together so none of us missed any puzzles.
Black and White CafeMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLGood room for 2. Small space, but a good number of puzzles to work on together. A couple of puzzles bordered on tedious tasks; and sometimes you had to overthink, while other times you didn’t. A little uneven, but overall we enjoyed it. The atmosphere was spot on for what they set out to create. We were a team of 2 enthusiasts and got out with about 8 minutes to spare without rushing.
The Asylum: PlaytimeLost GamesEscape roomIRLMuch much better than Chapter One (Doctor’s Secret) on all counts: lots more puzzles, puzzles were substantially more challenging, and there were a couple of interesting mechanics we hadn’t quite seen before. We are so glad they were upfront with us that there is a character in the game that would usually guide us through the game—because we were able to instruct them not to do that. We never want nudges but prefer to figure things out on our own. And we’re so glad they obliged. We appreciated being able to ask questions when we felt like we needed to verify what to do next without breaking something in the room or engaging in unnecessary tedium, but we never want to just be told what to do next. That self-discovery is a huge part of the fun of escape rooms—and there was a LOT to discover in this room! Don’t let the “spooky” rating deter you. Other than at the beginning as part of setup, there are no live actors in the room, and nothing will jump out or touch you. We did this back-to-back with Chapter One and really enjoyed the flow from one room to the next. Highly recommend this room—it is definitely a top choice for Vegas and beyond!
The Asylum: The Doctor's SecretLost GamesEscape roomIRLGood room for 2 with some fun puzzles. But we got out way too fast (about 30-35 mins), and we weren’t rushing at all. The only saving grace was that we did this as a back-to-back with Chapter 2, so the brevity of this room wasn’t quite as noticeable. Definitely recommend the back-to-back experience if you have the time so spare! The live actors at the beginning did a great job setting the scene and really created a positive interactive experience, but I’m glad they were not there throughout the whole experience. We liked being able to just do our own thing, and it was great that they honored our wishes to have zero hints.
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