Chapter 1: The Bunker

If you're in search of an escape room that provides a well-crafted post-apocalyptic adventure, "The Bunker Experience" may fall short of your expectations. My group of 8 did all three rooms back to back and so this review is for the first chapter, Chapter 1: The Bunker. 1. The puzzles started off straightforward. However, where one chapter ends and another one starts is unclear. This chapter felt like it could have a couple more puzzles in there and it would be more satisying that way. 2. Maybe other folks have a different experience with their actors, but our actor for this first chapter created a sense of urgency. He made it interesting. 3. The final puzzle was lazy, nonsensical, and I don't understand why we could not all split uup so that we could communicate the information faster to each other. The actor had us all cramped up in one room and if we wanted to get a clue, we had to run outside to get it. I wish the rationale behind this is more clear.

We did all three rooms back to back as per their suggestion but I have mixed feelings overall and probably wouldn't have paid the amount we did for the full run through. I'll start with Chapter 1 here. The Live Actor(s) in chapter 1 made the experience. There was urgency, there was commotion and we needed to escape to the next checkpoint. One of the puzzles was frustrating due to us not knowing where the reset point was so we took quite some time on this. The overall set design and props were themed correctly, but somehow still felt lacking. It didn't feel as satisfying to solve the room and move onto the next. I think if you just ran Chapter 1 it would feel short. We did this room with 8 people, but I would suggest just 3 to 4.

We played all 3 rooms back to back. Here is some of the feedback: 1) Its awkward having someone stand around watching your group play. It’s even worse when the guy is blocking something we need to complete a puzzle and we only see it after asking for a clue and he moves. 2) The story doesn’t end on a cliff hanger that transitions you into the next room. I should know that the next chapter is starting by the storyline, but it was a big blur. 3) Some of these puzzles are illogical. You’re forced to ask for help and when the actor struggles to explain, there’s a problem. 4) Lots of wasted space. We were so stoked to find out this place was huge only to be confined into the smallest parts. Bummer. Positive notes: Actors were cool. It’s a new experience and we appreciate ingenuity.

So this was actually a pretty fun game! I think what was most interesting was the amount of red herrings we faced that threw us off so many times. A lot of the puzzles are actually very straightforward, we were just overthinking it. The live actor with us was amazing, we loved him. When giving hints he did so in an extremely creative way. For example he said that maybe the next code could use more “reflection”. I realized immediately what he was talking about. My boyfriend didn’t get it lol, but that’s the point. The hints weren’t “just look closer”, they were far more clever. I enjoyed it. Overall I had a great time at this location. I can tell it’s high production quality and the people there are super nice. We’re definitely going back to chapter two!

Hands down the worst experience at any escape room ever. There is a strange man who follows you around and actively prevents you from solving puzzles or having fun. He won’t give you hints either, but is happy to stand right in the way of anything you need to solve. Do. not. come. here.

It was a pretty intense escape room, but more so because of the theater of it. Love actor was really into it. Puzzles were simple, but the overall vibe of the room seemed apt for the theme. Can’t wait to try the other ones!

This may be the worst room we ever played. The first time we booked at this location, on arrival we were informed they had double booked our room and turned us away with a refund. There is no reception or waiting area so when we arrived we called (they never answer so send a text instead) then waited outside for 20 minutes. Both instances as we waited large groups of children came and went, and I imagine that is the demographic most likely to enjoy the Bunker. The immersion starts from the moment they allow you through the door in the most pretentious way. The inclusion of an actor was distracting and not at all additive to the experience. The clues were repetitive and not very helpful, eg clue 1: “there must be something else on that page to give you the code”, clue 2: “can you find anything else on the page to give you the code?”, clue 3: “we know the code is on the page, so there must be SOMETHING else there”. The worst aspect though was the puzzles. Loose, lazy, nonsensical, illogical, exasperating associations. This room was difficult, but for all the wrong reasons. A fine way for parents to offload their kids on a post-apocalyptic babysitter for an hour. Not recommended for enthusiasts.