A Pirate's CurseEscapology - Marina Del ReyEscape roomIRLGreat theming and well maintained room. Easy for a small group while still exciting enough to play. Some of the props could’ve been utilized in the puzzles (ie a certain set of keys tied up in rope that didn’t lead anywhere once unraveled). Also a BIG puzzle malfunctioned leading us to escape way faster. The game master didn’t really know what happened and we were a bit confused. All in all good room. Would recommend.
Cosmic CrisisThe Escape Game - NYC Times SquareEscape roomIRLSuper high tech room, almost feels like a video game at times which i don’t always love. the design and theatricality was top notch, maybe bc it’s a newer room without much wear and tear. definitely recommend 3 people for one specific puzzle, but i was able to get out with two. narratively a bit confusing just because of all the unspecific cosmic jargon relating to different puzzles. better than most rooms but not the best TEG has to offer
Prison BreakThe Escape Game - NYC MidtownEscape roomIRLthe set design is awesome and it’s super fun to be split up and have to work together. there were multiple props not reset correctly, but the strength of the room and the interactive puzzles made up for that
The Family CabinQuicksand Escape GamesEscape roomIRLoverall a cute theme with some fun mechanical puzzles. it was mostly linear especially in the front half, so there was some standing around for a few people here and there. the set could use some upkeeping but the story was inventive and the nostalgia elements were great. i loved most of the puzzles!
The Haunted HotelBrainXcape Escape Room NYCEscape roomIRLThe decor of this room was stellar - incredibly immersive design and anxiety inducing sound design. The puzzles were all very similar … a lot a LOT of combination locks and not the most intuitive puzzles. Didn’t follow the story too much either and had to ask for hella hints to make our way through. But overall i’d recommend as a stronger room option in NYC.
Pirates Of The Bermuda TrianglePanIQ Room - NYC [prev. Clue Chase]Escape roomIRLOverall okay room. Nice set but very mechanical and some puzzles clearly breaking down. I can’t put my finger on it but some rooms feel more stressful than fun… maybe it’s a layout of the puzzles or the fact that the puzzles are all super similar… but this one felt a little like that. Fun to do if you have free time and some nice set design.
Timeliner: Train Through TimeThe Escape Game - NYC MidtownEscape roomIRLwith a larger space and unlimited production budget, this could be the sickest room. i crave a little more WOW when it comes to time travel. regardless, it was a fun low stress time. great for smallllll groups
Project 5150Hypnotic Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLlove this location - atlantis still my fave in the spot, but this was a fun creative room with some high tech surprises throughout. helpful friendly host, would recommend as a chill option good for a smaller group
Gold RushThe Escape Game - NYC MidtownEscape roomIRLwell themed room, fun puzzles, cute production design. lots of locks and mechanical puzzles + a few near impossible clues, but overall a very nice room. would love to see what this room would be like in a space twice as big with a few more special effects. i tend to find the final “you escaped” climax to be … anticlimactic, and i wish this ended with more of a 💥bang💥 2nd fave room of this location behind playground
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLwhat a fun and unique room! i am a wizard of oz stan, so this room touched my heart. the gameplay was very easy, which makes it a good option for small groups and kids. the chronology of the room didn’t match the actual story/movie which threw me off but yolo. great room to try even just for the unique experience and nostalgia.
The Grand Parlor13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLthis room is HARD simply because there are so many puzzles to get through. i did it with an expert group of 4 and we barely made it out with 4 seconds left on the timer. if we had 1-2 more people OR 15 more mins, i think we would’ve been able to enjoy our room a little bit more. the fact that we were given a clue in the first 5 min to keep us on track just shows what a challenge this room is for a small group. regardless, the size of the room and atmosphere were exciting. we were running around and got our cardio in!
The Dungeon13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLGreat immersion from the jump, the team that facilitated our experience was top notch. I love the idea of being separated from your group - I wish this portion of the room was longer. The solitary/teamwork element was so fun!! Lots of cool surprises and great theming. Not exactly sure what the story was fully. A lot of similar puzzles with numbers, would have loved some diversity here. Overall loved the experience!!! Great for 4 people.
Special Ops: Mysterious MarketThe Escape Game - NYC MidtownEscape roomIRLthe design and some puzzles were very cool and theatrical. the gameplay itself was not intuitive at all. i have never had to ask for so many hints (10!!!). there were multiple puzzles that assume you will just know what to do. especially when the room gets high tech, the tech interface is so involved and confusing. if the room was longer/unlimited time, it would’ve been better to get a hang of the tech. but with only 30 so mins to finish the room, there’s little to no time to really grasp the tech. if they made that software/interface more user friendly, i could see how it could be fun. instead it was more stressful and i have no clue what we did to get out tbh. great staff tho and some cool special effects!
PlaygroundThe Escape Game - NYC MidtownEscape roomIRLsuper unique room with a very fun objective. very puzzle driven - lots to do so it helps to have 3-4 people. pretty active and physical. i love a room that finds a way to do a totally unique story/theme. joyous!!
Atlantis: The Forgotten CityHypnotic Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLSuch a well executed and designed room. The gameplay was pretty straightforward and good for a small group. Highly recommend if you want something high tech, low stress, and fun
Escobar: Part 1 (The Betrayal)The Escape RevolutionEscape roomIRLthis room was well themed and large! lots to discover and a fun INTERACTIVE experience. we expected it to be harder and found it to be not too difficult. not the hardest but definitely enjoyable. one of my gripes with escape rooms is being filled with props that are purely decorative. i feel like every piece of set dressing should be activated in some way / useful to the escape. this room suffers a bit from the prop overload conundrum.
AvalancheMaze Rooms - Robertson BlvdEscape roomIRLThe production design is stellar, and the game is high tech. Some exciting and confounding things happen that i did not expect. The story is almost nonsensically confusing, but if you go with the flow and don’t ask narrative questions, you’ll have fun. I took my parents who have done very few rooms and we found the gameplay extremely easy. We skated through without much struggle. The room is linear, so it’s best to keep the group very small. 4 max. 6.5/10
Something's Out There!Maze Rooms - West LAEscape roomIRLWOW! attention to detail in staging and theming goes a LONG way in escape rooms, and this one is no exception. this felt like a theatrical experience - the atmosphere was so on point and spooky, the effects were immersive and believable, the story was mostly clear and the stakes high. this is a linear room (which works bc this room leans into the storytelling) with some tight spaces, so a small group works better. not too crazy difficult. our team was impressed the entire time. our #2 maze room behind the garretts!!
Houdini's WorkshopPanIQ Room - NYC [prev. Clue Chase]Escape roomIRLcute game with a clear storyline. quite linear overall, and no puzzles were the classic escape room “huh???” leaps of logic. a LOT of manual locks, but the puzzles are fun. love the fun they have with illusions, a second iteration could lean into this more. got out with 3 players. AMAZING hosts, very sweet. wished we asked for no clues since we felt we could’ve gotten out without any. recommend if you’re in the my area and want something easy to moderate. will be back!
Stash HouseStash HouseEscape roomIRLTons of fun! A lot going on, many non linear puzzles happening at once, but the objective is super clear and creative. The puzzles seemed like they made sense and mostly flowed narratively. It isn’t the most high tech room, but the intention and detail made it super strong. The extra length was PERFECT - all rooms should be this long. Wish there was even more of a tie-in of LA hip-hop/music. Great for a medium sized group
