Cryptid Grove

Another great game by ERH - we are huge fans! We struggled at times with the flow and puzzles, but highly appreciated the set design, theme, and overall experience. The hype for this game was exciting and this room did deliver. We recommend it to others!

It’s safe to say that I’m a ravenchase fan. We earned our golden buttons today at their escape room Herndon and then did this room at Raven’s nest. There hasn’t been one room that I disliked and Cryptid Grove did not disappoint. This room seemed pretty family friendly. Not scary at all. We’ll be back when they open other rooms. This is probably my least favorite of the ravenchase rooms in Herndon but by no means does that mean it’s bad, just that the others are really good.

8/10 We’ll start off by saying we love Ravenchase rooms, so when we heard a brand new location was opening with a new room, we had to play it right away! There is so much to do here, and when you first walk in it can all be a bit overwhelming, but this only makes solving each of the puzzles that more satisfying. The flow from puzzle to puzzle was very smooth. We enjoyed each of the puzzles and thought they went well with the story! We do wish we were more immersed in this world they try to create. When we played Cryptid Grove, the game wasn’t even out to the public for a full week so this can easily be fixed to make it truly feel like you are in a cabin in the woods!

Disclaimer: played a test version as an employee Ive worked for Escape Room Herndon for several years now, and have seen three rooms built in that time. Almost from the beginning, the owner had a vision for a room based on a shack in the woods filled with mystery, adventure, and whimsical fantasy. And i could tell playing this room, it is one that he was passionate about. The puzzles were fun and immersive, there was a good flow, and wonderful aesthetics. The room dips into little nods and references to the media that helped inspire it. Some blatant, some a lot more subtle, but enough to please even a grumpy uncle. Like 8 Bit Escape, Cryptid Grove is a solid room on its own, but there is a target audience that the experience will deeply resonate with. There are a few wow puzzles and some that will made me shout "Shmebulock!" (or Eureka! If you prefer ) I believe the room lived up to the gravity of the hype within our team, and did not fall short of my expectations. I would recommend 4 players for this room if theyve had a few under their belt (which is probably a safe bet for Morty users!) But for beginner's I would recommend 6. While it could certainly be played with more, youd end up waddling about each other and missing the magic, and gnome-one wants that. I would suggest if youre bringing beginner bills, perhaps start with Maritime Mutiny first. Parts of Cryptid are pretty unique for escape rooms (at least compared to the ~50 under my belt!) and maybel hurt expectations for future rooms. Either way, wendy chance presents itself, i definitely suggest fording your way on down to play this magical shooting star.