Based on a true story. In 1934, two bank robbers and highly wanted criminals decided to expand their criminal resume in an attempt to score big. The plan – a kidnapping. Their first and only victim – Charles Ross, the retired CEO of a large company in Chicago.  Kidnapped at gunpoint on North Avenue, Ross spent weeks in a small hideaway in Emily, Minnesota while the masterminds were planning an elaborate ransom delivery. Ross had one opportunity to escape, but to do so, he had to somehow escape his locked room. Will he make it out alive, or will he fall victim to the kidnapper’s plan?

Troubled Puzzles Escapes

The Hideaway

Escape room

The Hideaway: Kidnapped and taken for ransom, we had to escape a secret room. 

Pros: At the end of a long streak of escape room fails in Illinois, we were ready to hang up our hats and relinquish our title as escapologists. Until, we played The Hideaway at Hidden Key Escapes. We walked in determined to prove we were not complete failures. We were also starving and set on escaping before the restaurants closed. We set to work, methodically moving through the numerous puzzles. Clear game flow and logical puzzles helped keep us on track. We needed only one hint at the end (requiring us to move a piece of furniture despite our general hesitancy to do so given so many exhortations against doing so in other rooms). Finally, we escaped with much time to spare. We were elated and starving. So we hurried on out of there with a renewed love of escape rooms.

Cons: None. We escaped. We were literally so thrilled after our succession of losses that this place felt like the best escape room experience in the world. Seriously it did. But in retrospect, a clearly articulated storyline would have been nice. More creative set-design perhaps? Aw heck, who needs those, this is the best Illinois has to offer, so let's just congratulate them for logical puzzles and good game flow. Here, Here!*

*The sarcasm in this review is a result of Poorly-Designed Puzzle Fatigue (PDPF), a condition brought on by fruitlessly attempting to solve so many poorly design puzzles at other escape rooms in the area. Not at Hidden Key, thank goodness.

The Hideaway

Troubled Puzzles Escapes - Naperville [prev. Hidden Key Escapes]

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The Hideaway

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Tlis

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mmagiera1976

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Escapeologists