The Third GateThe Third Gate Hotel Escape RoomEscape roomIRLI really wanted to love this headed in but the experience was not what I wanted it to be. The atmosphere was great but puzzles are very linear early on which felt boring with four people. We got stuck on one due to the design of the puzzle. We knew what was needed but it wasn’t functioning properly and they let us struggle with it for a good 20 minutes which was frustrating. Once we finally got past that, it looked like it could be more fun but we didn’t have enough time to figure out if that’s true. It’s unfortunate because I was really looking forward to the trying this one!
AmnesiaPuzzle Effect - PhoenixEscape roomIRLOk so the theme is a little weird because if I had amnesia and wanted to leave myself clues I probably wouldn’t make it challenging to figure out right? But setting that aside, this was an enjoyable room. My boyfriend and I did it ourselves and we were able to complete it with time to spare. Some of it felt a little challenging, which we prefer. One of the puzzles was not working that day but we didn’t know until the game was over and I asked about some signs I had seen. Overall, we enjoyed working our way through this one and would def recommend but it wouldn’t be on our “must do” list!
The CourtyardTHE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience - SylmarEscape roomIRLI love this whole series of The Basement from end to end and the finish was just great. The set design was fantastic and the puzzles were super fun to work through. We did get a little stuck a couple times but Partly that’s just because the room is relatively big and there were only three of us and at least one is doesn’t usually do escape rooms. Even with all that, we managed to squeak out with very little time to spare. I would def recommend doing this whole series from the beginning. It was so fun!
Chapter 2: The Elevator ShaftTHE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience - SylmarEscape roomIRLThis was a fun room but do not attempt if you are claustrophobic! The atmosphere of the room was great and the puzzles were fun. There were three of us which honestly was probably too many. Two can def play at this game easily and have a great time. I’d recommend as part of the whole series but not necessarily just by itself!
Lab RatHatch EscapesEscape roomIRLI loved this room! The set design was fantastic. The puzzle design was novel. I saw puzzles here I’ve never seen before or since. It was really fun trying to puzzle our way through! I will say I went with two people that aren’t really into escape rooms and they had a great time but between us we could not make it out. There was just so much to do and I couldn’t always rely on them to be as helpful as I needed! If you like challenging puzzles, this is def a great one but make sure you bring a few extra friends!
BigfootNumber One Escape RoomEscape roomIRLMeh. The puzzles in this kind of felt cohesive to the story which is appreciated, but the room design both puzzle and set just wasn’t great overall. There are definitely better rooms at this location which is part of what makes this one seem meh
Red GiantQuest Room - HollywoodEscape roomIRLThe set design on this room was great! Most of the puzzles were pretty fun with some surprising moments thrown in as you spend time exploring and discovering. There was one particular puzzle that’s honestly just annoying to do and takes too much time but otherwise this room was pretty great and had a unique design. I would def recommend!
Irvine School Of Wizardry And The Dragon WandHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLMy boyfriend and I absolutely loved this one. The theming was spot on. The design of the room was great. The puzzles were really fun. We got stuck several times and had to try to think about things differently but we did need hints a couple times. The design of the last room was one of my favorite parts! I would def recommend to any HP fan.
Dr. Hader’s Cartoon WorldScenario Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis room was really great! It started with a puzzle to get into the room itself which I thought was really fun. I haven’t seen that anywhere else yet! There were so many things to do in this room and I found we kept getting a little lost and off track but we were having so much fun doing it! My only show jot would be there’s a time where you really need to know the colors of something and it’s a in a room that makes it really hard to tell the colors. That tripped us up a little bit overall we had so much fun and saw many puzzles here that I’ve never seen before. I loved the unique design!
ShanghaiedEscapology - Maryland ParkwayEscape roomIRLMy first experience at Escapology was not good but we thought we’d give them another shot. When we arrived for our chosen game, we were told they were having issues with the room and we had to pick another. We chose again, and they started the game but then that one wasn’t working either so they moved us to Shanghaied. I wanted to like it. I really did. It just didn’t feel like it really had puzzles that went along with any real storyline. It was mostly just doing busy work of cracking codes to get confident crack as you keep working through locks. It wasn’t great and I won’t be giving escapology a third shot!
