Playground

This is probably the best game I've played at The Escape Game franchise. It's fairly easy, but there is so much happening that it involves a lot of connecting the dots. It doesn't rely heavily on locks and combinations, though it does have a few. There are lots of simultaneous puzzle tracks with a report card that tracks your progress. I love that mechanic, and it works well here. I also enjoyed the humor around the story of the rooms. I do think there are a few puzzles or items that get unlocked as you progress further into the room, and it sometimes feels a bit random to notice something not turned on only to come back to it on because someone did something elsewhere. I think if the room had been fully parallel, it would have been even better. Finally, I will continue to note that this company, despite multiple locations in NYC itself, refuses to do private games. While a room like this is good at developing teamwork among strangers, I think that's a big issue with this franchise that they need to adjust.

Very cool design but even with it being easy, it NEEDS a large group because of the number of puzzles.

This room was very immersive and seemed like it would be fun, but a family with 2 very young children was added to our game at the last minute. This made it very difficult to collaborate on clues and focus as a group. I wish this brand allowed private games without fully buying it out, but overall it was fun.

As a teacher, this room had an additional level of connection. Of all the rooms, this one was the most fun. There was also a LOT of stuff to do. It is also the only room where I think you absolutely need to have 4 people minimum. I also like that you need to work as a team to solve some of the puzzles, which makes the escape room experience better.

Super fun game - so many puzzles this is one of the few times 2 people may not have quite been enough, but we had a lot of fun!

Fantastic room. We did it with three experienced people and escaped, but a larger group would definitely have been helpful.

The theme of this game was not very appealing…I don’t consider being in a grade-school classroom to be a particularly thrilling or adventurous environment. The fluorescent lights were a little too authentic, lol. The layout of the room didn’t really make sense either, like “why do I go down a slide and end up in a locker room?” That being said, a number of the puzzles had an enjoyable, playful theme…games within a game. The room was harder than I thought it would be, so don’t let the child-oriented vibe fool you: this isn’t really an escape room for kids. Some of the tech could have used some love too. An element of the final puzzle wasn’t functioning and had to be triggered manually, and a “calculator” was a confusing piece of tech that didn’t need to be there. A series of desks with mag-locks didn’t spring open on their own, so there wasn’t a visual confirmation when they became unlocked. I was a little fried after a day of sightseeing, so I’m gonna give this room the benefit of the doubt with a “thumbs up.” But tbh I’d recommend checking out one of The Escape Game locations elsewhere, Midtown Manhattan was a little hectic and overrun.

So innovative and playful! It’s rare to have an escape room that’s just pure childish fun. Great range of puzzles that makes you feel like a kid again.

Excellent, particularly for large groups! We could have multiple smaller groups working in parallel on different components - very fun for everyone!

I absolutely love this game. One of my favorites. Very different than others and made me feel like a kid again