Freakshow

So, so fun. At first I was quite scared, but it wasn't horrible. I've never been so motivated to get out of a room quickly. Great for larger groups.

ALL TIME RECORDED! WOW this room is a MUST DO in Reno! The intro, the set design, lighting, story, and immersion are all top tier! The puzzles were soooo much fun and really took us to a circus. We had a blast. Really well thought out. This is honestly perfect for 4 people with the amount of characters and game play. There’s an extra puzzle for 9+ people available.

The room was very well themed throughout, and large enough for our group of 7. We have done MANY escape rooms, and there were several puzzles we hadn’t seen before. We opted for the “extra challenge” and we were glad we did, the extra couple of puzzles were some of our favorites, and honestly it would have been a little too easy for our large group without them. We would definitely go back to Deadline Escape Rooms next time we are in the area.

The theme here is a rundown circus… evil showman, fading glamour, and the threat that if you don’t move fast enough, you’ll become part of the act. That said, this isn’t a scary room. Yes, the ringmaster has threatened to make you part of the show, and the circus is falling apart, and the set immerses you in this reality, but there aren’t any moments where you feel in danger. Overall, this is the best room at Deadline and it’s tied for my favorite in Reno, alongside Dragon Alley at Keystone. + The opening split start gets players cooperating at the beginning of the game. The game also layers some of this early information into later puzzles. + Probably the most immersive set in Reno. The lights are fading. Wallpaper is stained. Props look used, neglected, and left behind. Things feel abandoned and look like they have seen better days. + We completed the room with three players (two enthusiasts and one regular), but needed a few hints to stay on schedule. Three experienced players will be fine. Less experienced groups should consider bringing more. The room can comfortably support more than four players. + The puzzles are layered and varied, allowing different skills to shine. Observers, logic-focused players, communicators, and those who enjoy physical puzzles will all be able to make meaningful contributions. + The room asks you to reexplore earlier spaces and helps the room feel even larger than it is. + The optional challenge mode adds layers to an existing puzzle rather than replacing it. It’s clever, fair, fun, and well-integrated. Teams of four or more should strongly consider adding it. +/– The entry space is immersive and effective, but it feels slightly separate from the game. With a small adjustment, it could become the opening and give the narrative more cohesion. +/– All the puzzles are on theme, but many feel incidental to the story. With light tweaks, the room could more actively tell its story instead of relying on atmosphere alone. – The ringmaster, positioned as the central threat, largely disappears by the end. The finale feels anticlimactic compared to how strong the rest of the experience is. –Every solve relies on combo locks or keys. Alternative solve methods would better match the creativity of the space. My rankings for the games at Deadline (all are worth playing): 1. Freak Show 2. Witch Doctor 3. Camp Ruby Lake: Lady of the Lake 4. Camp Ruby Lake: Blood Moon 5. Dead Silence 6. Noir Episode 1 7. Noir Episode 2

We have done almost every escape room in the Reno Sparks area, and without exception DEADLINE is our favorite. We had a group of seven tackle this, and was hilarious, challenging, and fun - even to the tiniest detail. I highly recommend you take the challenge and escape Freakshow.

I’ve done 19 escape rooms and this room is in my top 3 rooms. The theming is awesome. The puzzles were extremely fun. We were a team of four and escaped with barely a minute to spare. Love Deadline and can’t wait to go back and complete the other rooms.

Really cool theme/story and unique puzzles enjoyed the escape room. We did it with 6 people and I found my self frustrated with how linear the puzzles/ progression was half way though the room. Recommend doing it with 4 experienced players.

Simply amazing experience! The theming and design was great, the puzzles all fit the theme really well too. Everything flowed together and they used the room very well. While nothing was used more than once, you had to revisit rooms multiple times for different clues and puzzles which was great. Had an awesome time and would recommend to anyone!

Gorgeous room that can accommodate a lot of players. I don't think I'd do it with more than six though - some people might not have enough to do. The puzzles were all interesting and very tied to the theme. Note that there is a Challenge Mode for this room that adds a few puzzles, but even including that I would say this is a middle difficulty room. Super well designed and flowed well, so I highly recommend.

The room was decorated nicely but the puzzles are a little easy. One of the puzzles broke causing us to have to skip two puzzles which was a bummer.