Escape from Shawshank

We were really looking forward to the Escape from Shawshank escape room at the Ohio State Reformatory, but unfortunately, the experience was incredibly disappointing. The room itself seemed like it had a lot of potential, but we barely got to experience it. We were grouped with another family, and a few participants took over most of the puzzles, leaving us standing around watching instead of actually participating. There was also very little willingness to communicate or work together with us, which really defeats the purpose of an escape room. To make matters worse, the parents were impatient and snarky toward their own children, creating an incredibly unpleasant atmosphere. Between the lack of participation, nonexistent teamwork, and overall uncomfortable vibe, we ended up leaving just 30 minutes into the experience. I understand that this is a shared experience and that booking all the spots is an option. But when you’re paying for an escape room, it’s reasonable to expect an opportunity to participate without having to purchase every available ticket. One suggestion would be to consider private bookings during slower periods. We visited on a Monday afternoon in October, and the facility was practically empty. It seems like the off-season would be a reasonable time to offer private experiences without requiring guests to purchase every available spot. We’ve done escape rooms in several states, and this was by far our most disappointing experience. I’m sure the room itself is great, but I would strongly caution anyone booking individual tickets to consider how much being paired with another group can affect the experience. Unfortunately, we left feeling like we’d paid to watch someone else do an escape room.

Totally recommend this room. Fun and looks great. Good puzzles which are very understandable and numerous.

This was the best escape room we have ever done! It was truly immersive as the location itself is a real prison. The puzzles were challenging but rewarding, and the overall experience was a fun nod to the movie.

Great room that had a good mixture of puzzles and mechanics. Nothing too difficult to figure out, but challenging enough that you can’t breeze through. Definitely requires a decent group of 4 people or more. We had 5 and it seemed like just enough

Overall, this was a fun room. I definitely recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of the movie. Some things to consider: this isn’t a private experience, so unless you book all eight slots you’ll likely be paired with another group. That’s not my preference but it may not bother other groups. For sensory needs, there is a flashing light in the first section, a couple of sections are low light, and there is bell that chimes when you get a clue or unlock a door, but it’s not super loud. I’m autistic and have mild sensory needs and it was fine. Overall: It’s a well done room but be aware if you need/want a private experience or have moderate to severe sensory needs it may not be the room for you.