
TriniJanel
99 escape rooms
5/10 ⭐️: INCREDIBLE Production, Frustrating Execution! We drove 2.5 HOURS to experience Fall Harvest at 13th Hour Escape Rooms, their newest installment, after reading nothing but glowing reviews. So naturally, we HAD to see what all the hype was about! And let me start by saying this: THE SET DESIGN AND IMMERSION?! 100/10. ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!! Seriously, 13th Hour knows how to build an environment! The attention to detail was incredible. This room is MASSIVE, spanning seven different spaces, and visually, it is absolutely phenomenal. You genuinely feel transported into the world they’ve created. There are also a TON of puzzles. I would highly recommend a group of at least four experienced players, because there is more than enough to keep everyone occupied. We tackled it with three, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t get through everything in time. Now, here’s where things get complicated. The puzzle style just wasn’t for us. We generally prefer linear rooms, although we’ve played some fantastic non-linear experiences. Fall Harvest involves quite a bit of moving back and forth between spaces, with puzzles that often require several steps to complete. Most were challenging, some were easier, and there were definitely a few creative ones that we really enjoyed. But there were also puzzles that left us scratching our heads—and not in a good way. The license plates, for example? Yeah…we were NOT fans. However, our biggest issue wasn’t even the difficulty. IT WAS THE TECHNICAL DELAYS! Multiple times, we completed puzzles correctly, but nothing happened. Naturally, we assumed we’d done something wrong, so we kept trying or requested a clue, only to be told we’d already solved it and needed to push something harder, pull something further, or manipulate something again. We found ourselves repeatedly saying, “WE DID THAT ALREADY!” The biggest offender was the projector. We solved the puzzle that was supposed to activate it, but the projector never came on. We spent 10 minutes trying to figure out what we were missing while being told to look at a projection that literally WASN’T THERE! Eventually, the GM had to physically enter the room and reset the equipment. They added 15 minutes back to our clock, which we appreciated, but by then the interruption had already taken us completely out of the experience. Then there’s the live actor. We LOVE live actors in escape rooms, especially when they add tension, scares, or meaningful interaction. But the first encounter here felt completely unnecessary. The second interaction actually contributed something to the game, but the first seemed to serve no real purpose. And the storyline? We were hired to help set up a fall harvest, then somehow we’re missing, trying to figure out who murdered people who weren’t even part of the setup, all while an ’80s soundtrack is blasting throughout the rooms. HUH?! 😂 The narrative just felt scattered, and we struggled to connect the various elements into one cohesive experience. After spending a whopping 2 hours and 15 minutes in the room, we had completed approximately 75% of the game. Three experienced players. Plenty of effort. And we still didn’t make it out. Now, I want to be fair. This is NOT a horrible escape room. In fact, I can absolutely understand why some people love it. The production value is exceptional, the environment is enormous, and the puzzles are plentiful and largely on theme. But this particular puzzle style simply doesn’t align with how we enjoy solving rooms. Combine that with the technical problems and disjointed storyline, and our experience became more frustrating than fun. We were especially disappointed not to reach the ending because we’ve heard it’s the best part! Set design: 100/10. Immersion: 100/10. But for us, the puzzle flow, technical execution, and storyline brought the overall experience down considerably. Sometimes a room can be incredibly impressive and still not be the right fit for your group. Unfortunately, Fall Harvest was one of those rooms for us.
Gameplay
Nonlinear and massive
Atmosphere
Loved the atmosphere and set
Customer service
Staff were friendly but lagging and took too long to fix a problem with the room
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
The puzzles were cool and some were very confusing, while others were fun! Some were very challenging. This is a 2 hr nonlinear escape room and the puzzles are endless…. Our group of 3 didn’t do well with this.
Story
No, the fall harvest theme didn’t land with us especially trying to tie it into the missing person theme, we were confused and didn’t know what we were looking for at one point. Are we setting up or trying to find a killer??
Difficulty
Hard
Just by shear size and amount of puzzles and the range of difficulty
Game tech
Mix of both
Ideal number of players
4
4 +
Scary
Not scary
Minimum age
13
Youngest in group
2
46
Was anything broken?
Yes
The sacks with the feed in the first room did not trigger when we completed the puzzle and that cut into our time trying to communicate nothing was happening. The projector didn’t turn on, that eMate even more time for them to come in and fix it after we tried for 10min to tell them there was no projector on.
Live actors
Yes
But honestly the room could have gone without it. He eats up time
Physically active
Very
A lot of walking back and forth and then climbing into something and stairs as well
Accessibility
Not every
Easy to find location
Yes
Somewhat tricky but they tell you where to go in the email when you book
Parking
Easy
Safety
Yes









