Mark as done to rate
In 1925 our city of Statesville had a devastating fire that nearly leveled three city blocks. The fire was started when the hidden still at Key and Co exploded after being left unattended. The owner of the still had been nabbed by police and no one was able to find the hidden valve key to release the pressure from the still in time to save our city. Your escape room adventure entertainment begins as your team is selected to travel back in time to prevent the explosion. We have built a time portal machine and have the opportunity to send your team back in time for only one hour to try to save the still and our city from ruin. The pressure is on as you race the clock. Many surprises await. As with many of our escape games, there are special effects used. Some physical agility is required for this room. If you have mobility issues, please call our staff before booking. If you have a medical condition that would be impacted by strobes or fog effects, please call to discuss with our team - some accommodations can be made with advanced notice.
- 2-6
- 60 mins
- Hard
- Not scary
All (75)
Overwhelmingly positive
Gameplay
Very positive
Atmosphere
Very positive
Customer service
Very positive
Reviews
darthkumar37
292 escape rooms
First, let me start with my review of the company overall, location and owners first. The location is a historic first Catholic site, the first Catholic church in North Carolina, now renovated with maximal use of every available space for three escape rooms. In addition, the owner clearly has a love and passion for history, escape rooms, and the themes behind each room. From even the way you enter the building, it’s an escape room delight! Ok, now to Under Pressure itself. It’s a solid room and a bit difficult. Not all puzzles seemed intuitive and we needed a fair amount of nudging. A great story & goal. Like all of their rooms, the music is hand-selected with modern-day hits covered in a roaring 20’s style plus some funny song choices when certain puzzles are cracked. The hint system is novel in keeping with 1925.
Gameplay
This was a hard game. Puzzles were a little tricky and not always 100% intuitive. Still fun though. (Let me be clear, I was spoiled by everything else in the other two rooms, so this is all good, just a little “less” than the other two and head and shoulders compared to most escape rooms!)
Atmosphere
An impressive use of space in this church. Definitely with a 1925 vibe & you definitely feel like you are in a brewery.
Customer service
Roger is one of the nicest owners/creators I’ve ever met. He clearly loves escape rooms and has put love and into this place. This vibe extends to all his employees whose love for the company and escape rooms in general shows!
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Almost a steampunk feel (although it is not), it’s travel back in time and using gadgets to deactivate the steam valve for the moonshine still.
Story
There’s a lot going on. You travel back in time to stop a brewery from exploding.
Difficulty
Hard
Game tech
High tech
Ideal number of players
3
Scary
Not scary
Minimum age
18
Was anything broken?
Yes
(Not really broken. Key was wedged in a container, someone had to come help dig it out)
Live actors
No
Physically active
Somewhat
There’s a flight of stairs to get to the game and two flights during! And it’s a tight fit!
Accessibility
Someone in a wheelchair-it would be impossible. There is at least one color clue.
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Easy
mg705
68 escape rooms
this was my favorite of the three rooms here (although all of them are great and worth doing)! very immersive and includes elements I haven't seen in other rooms. highly recommend Key to Escape
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Story
Difficulty
Hard
Game tech
High tech
Ideal number of players
2
we always play just us two - but I think up to 4 would be great!
Scary
Not scary
Minimum age
10
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
No
Physically active
Somewhat
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Easy
hannahdove
49 escape rooms
Total immersion from even before you enter. Roger is clearly passionate about what he does and you can feel the passion while doing the rooms. They took a lot of care and thought with 100% payoff! Total immersion and great puzzles! Really really fun!
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Story
Difficulty
Hard
Game tech
High tech
Scary
Not scary
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
No
Physically active
Not at all
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Easy
mjaramillo1989
65 escape rooms
I have nothing negative to say about this experience! The place is really cool, the GM was lively and involved and enthusiastic, and the plot line was interesting and not overplayed as can easily happen with escape rooms.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
I loved how it was based around the real history of the location and the area!
Story
Difficulty
Hard
Admittedly this room was more involved than expected. I wouldn’t say hard, but it deserves so much more than medium.
Scary
Not scary
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
No
Physically active
Somewhat
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Easy
paulabatton
28 escape rooms
Wow, this room is impressive. It may not be the most difficult but every puzzle is a work of love and so unique. The owner loves gadgets and really is amazing at what he's brought "back to life" to pull this room off. It's beautiful, it feels immersive. Even as far as how you receive "helps" is cool. We drove about 45 minutes out of our vacation plans to try it out, and it was WELL worth it, and plan to make the multi hour drive from home to try the other two rooms soon!
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Story
Difficulty
Hard
Game tech
Mechanical
Ideal number of players
4
Scary
Not scary
There were noises but not scary
Minimum age
14
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
No
No, but the intro wasn't a video but a live telling so "almost"
Physically active
Somewhat
Accessibility
Not sure if there was an elevator to the room, but in room there is small stairs to manage, you should call the location if concerned.
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Easy
mike0223
36 escape rooms
10 out of 10. The best escape room we have done. Clues given in line with the theme of the room. Great staff and awesome owner. Going to do their other room shortly.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Awesome staff
Was anything broken?
No
CurtJ
465 escape rooms
The owners and our GM were all fantastic! We really loved the unique building. We enjoyed Under Pressure more than Redemption. The set is very neat and the tech is really cool. Some of the puzzles didn’t make sense for the theme, but they were fun, nonetheless. We needed a fair amount of nudges to find things or open props, things that could have been signposted in theme, but that’s a small gripe. Our team of two needed a couple of extra minutes to finish. There were definitely times that we didn’t know what to do next. The music was so good during the game, and the sounds and music of the last part really turned up the intensity. We definitely recommend playing the games at Key to Escape. Note there are stairs to get to the game.
gshyloh
130 escape rooms
There's not enough words to express how incredible our time was here. The room itself was 10/10 from the minute we walked in until we escaped. But the owners and staff definitely set this one apart from the over a hundred other locations I've been to. They are passionate about the industry and it shows in the attention to detail, even in the lobby. We will definitely be back.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Story
Scary
Not scary
Vickycat
55 escape rooms
Oh my gosh! We have done over 50 rooms and we were completely blown away by this room. First of all the setting which is in an old church is just amazing. Then all the attention to detail and beautiful sets really created for a wonderful, immersive experience. The puzzles were challenging but fun and the owners are just so passionate about this. We drove from Charlotte to do this escape room and it was certainly worth the drive. We will definitely be back to try out another room. If you love escape rooms and love immersive environments and mysteries, you must try this. Can't recommend enough! Even if it's a bit of a drive for you, you will not regret it!
TurtleDuck
741 escape rooms
Do yourself a favor and pay this place a visit. The unique setting of Key to Escape adds a lot to their experiences, and the owners are very friendly and committed to a great experience for their customers. This room had fun puzzles. It's not as difficult as Redemption, but we had a lot of fun!