The Asylum: PlaytimeLost GamesEscape roomIRLThis and the other Asylum room at Lost Games need maintenance BADLY. Did this room (part 2 of a set) immediately after a bad experience in its predecessor (where a mechanical failure and late start meant we “failed” to escape). To my surprise, this room ALSO had mechanical failures that broke the game, but in a different direction. Early exposure of a critical key in the first half, and later on, a nonfunctional water feature, meant we escaped with ~15 minutes to spare (and missed out on two of the coolest elements of the room which featured heavily in the promotional materials). The host, Ari, did a swell job handling our disappointment and refunded us.
Wizard's Treasure60Out - HollywoodEscape roomIRLPhenomenally well crafted room with the most immaculate fantasy vibes I’ve seen in a room so far. This was a perfect choice for my buddy who’s never done an escape room before. Grant made this experience one of the best rooms I’ve ever done.
Borderlands: Tannis's LabRed Door Escape Room - Las VegasEscape roomIRLHugely impressive props and visual consistency with the Borderlands games. The audio cues, lighting, effects, and tablet themed with the game’s aesthetic made the experience feel much more premium than I expected for the sub $40/person price.
The Restless Spirit of Abigail RoseChoice EscapesEscape roomIRLEasily the most narrative-heavy room I’ve encountered so far (in a good way)! Fascinating first room from Choice Escapes with some unconventional puzzles and challenging puzzle logic that will push small groups of experienced players and punish players that rely on normal escape room tropes. Did this with 2 players and came down to the wire (I suspect the GM gave us a bit of extra grace by a few seconds) and definitely think this would have played more comfortably with a 4-6 group.
The Asylum: The Doctor's SecretLost GamesEscape roomIRLBooked this room and the “sequel” to it back to back. Mechanical failure ate ~15 minutes of our time (which was shortened by another ~5 minutes due to the facility’s late start). I commented on us running out of time because of the mechanical failure, expecting something conciliatory (like more time, or at least acknowledgement of the room’s issues) and the host rolled her eyes and just said “Yep.” Notwithstanding the mechanical failure and bad attitude from the host, the room was okay; nothing particularly stand out, felt like a comfortable average indie room.
The Legend of Sorro BaySweet EscapesEscape roomIRLI picked Sweet Escapes as a literal and figurative palate cleanser (after a solo experience yesterday left me wanting). Unfortunately, the most I can say about Sorro Bay is that it looked nice. A mechanical problem in my room required two interventions by the GM (one of which led her to grant me extra time), and while that’s normally frustrating by itself, some elements of the puzzle design ratcheted up my irritation considerably. For example: five numbers being given for a four digit lock, with one of the four numbers in the main room being a red herring and a fifth number hidden in what’s clearly a retired puzzle piece (a barrel with a ball-maneuvering maze game that had been discontinued). I really wanted to love this room since it’s a riff on the Nemesis Club concept, but the execution of the puzzle design itself and the food component afterwards left me wanting. Notwithstanding the GM, the other employees ignored me despite me being the only customer in the building. Glad I went, won’t go again.
Escape the Mystic Manor Blue [prev. The Eventide Departure]Puzzle BreakEscape roomIRLVisited with Nate C on Seattle
Red Riding HoodNumber One Escape RoomEscape roomIRL𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 �𓅝𓃄 �𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿 𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 𓂨𓅝𓃄 𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿This review contains spoilers.Unscramble𓀗
The GiftRed Door Escape Room - OxnardEscape roomIRLThis was my 3rd solo room and I didn’t enjoy it. I found the non-linear puzzles to be quite unintuitive, with lots of red herrings that disrupted the flow of the game almost constantly (such as a phone number being unused in a phone booth). I narrowly escaped in an unsatisfying way (got more than 3 clues from the GM and five extra minutes I got to balance out a mechanical failure for a puzzle that didn’t unlatch). I was glad to get the GM’s help and enjoyed the premise of this room far more than the experience itself.
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