The Video Store

Had a great first game at Dare 2 Escape! We played The Video store and was happily surprised as to how unique and different the puzzles and experience was to other escape rooms we’d been to. The set design is definitely on the more realistic side (at least for the room we did). Almost every prop was a real item you could see in the world, and there were a few features that needed real action to operate, helping you immerse in the experience. Definitely one of the harder rooms I’ve done in my time, but not to a frustrating degree. Instead, it was difficult in a way that was novel to me. If you’re looking for something that’s different from the standard cookie cutter puzzle, I would recommend! We had Jade as our GM, who did a great job in both letting us try our best, and provide enough help to keep us on the right track, so that we could get the full experience. Can’t wait to come back and try out their other rooms!

Video Store was the second room we played at Dare 2 Escape, and it was probably the room we heard the most about while doing our research. Even before we played, we met other escape room enthusiasts in the lobby who were still raving about it years later. Our game master also shared that the room was homemade, which made us even more curious. Thankfully, it completely lived up to the hype. The room has a mostly linear puzzle flow, but there were still plenty of opportunities for our group to work on different puzzles at the same time. We ran into a couple of bottlenecks, but those were honestly our own fault—we got ahead of ourselves and hadn't found the key that unlocked the next step yet. The nostalgic video store theme was one of my favorite parts of the experience. Growing up during the VHS era definitely worked to my advantage because I instinctively knew how to rewind a tape. It did make me wonder whether younger players who never used VHS tapes might need a little more guidance for that interaction. Most of the puzzles felt fair and well thought out. There was one visual that came across as a bit of a red herring since it seemed more important than it actually was, but aside from that, everything was logical. I also appreciated that the DVDs you weren't supposed to interact with were glued shut. It's a small design choice, but it kept us from wasting time opening every case and helped keep the puzzle flow moving. This was a fun, nostalgic room with clever puzzles, and I can definitely see why it's become one of Dare 2 Escape's most talked-about games.

I liked this game but did feel like there was opportunity to make it better. The theming was good but did leave me feeling like something was missing. Maybe I just overhyped it in my head beforehand but it didn’t give me the full Blockbuster vibes I was hoping for. It could be the small space that made it feel slightly disappointing to me. I’m not completely sure if it was just the size or the lack of a compelling storyline but this room left me a little underwhelmed. However, I did really like that there were some authentic elements to the movie rental experience. Those were nice touches that did help create the scene. Overall, I think this escape room concept (at least all of the rooms I’ve played here) suffer from a reliance on tedium. Puzzles often feel unnecessarily complex just for the sake of putting you through your paces. It works in some instances and is super frustrating in others. I expected to like this room the most but actually preferred Hop at the Ice Cream Shoppe and Camp Harvest Moon. This one is worth playing if you’re here for other games but I would temper expectations.

Great room, greater host, thanks Myka!

Something about the dvd store nostalgia just hits different. This was a surprisingly fun room with many unique puzzles solves. There’s so much to enjoy in the room that you might end up forgetting your actual mission - to escape! Highly recommended

The room was amazing, the theme was great! However, the room was not linear and there were certain thins that you would not logically think to do unless told. There were a few times we were just standing there cause we truly could not figure out the next step!! However our game master, Ruth, was amazing and helped us out a lot!! Loved the theme and the movies, but the room puzzles were all over the places and soooooooo many locks!! We rate it a 6 outta 10.

We gave the Video Store Escape Room at Dare 2 Escape a thumbs up! Overall, we really enjoyed our time and would definitely recommend it, especially for players who are familiar with Dare 2 Escape’s style of gameplay. The atmosphere was one of the biggest highlights. The retro video store theme was immersive, detailed, and fun without feeling cheesy. The set design pulled us in right away and made the experience feel more like stepping into a story rather than just solving puzzles in a room. The puzzles were creative and engaging, with a nice mix of logic, observation, and teamwork. Nothing felt repetitive, and each solved piece was satisfying. That said, a few puzzles weren’t very straightforward. If you’re new to Dare 2 Escape, it might be tough to complete the room within the time limit without using clues. Some of the mechanics feel like they’re designed with returning players in mind who already understand the company’s puzzle style. The staff was super friendly and welcoming, which always makes the experience better. They explained everything clearly, kept the energy positive, and made us feel excited before we even entered the room. Overall, this was a fun, well-designed escape room with great vibes, clever puzzles, and excellent customer service. Just be prepared to use a few clues if it’s your first Dare 2 Escape experience. We had a great time and would absolutely come back for another room!

Tier: B+ (see bio) (Mild structural spoilers below) I like everything about this game’s 2nd half. There are an insane amount of puzzles, but all of them fit the video store theme so well. It is a perfectly themed (and pretty difficult, due to the puzzle density), very classic escape room. My only major issue with this entire 2nd half is that they use film cases in too many different ways and it’s confusing which ones go with what puzzles. However, the 1st half brought this game down a lot for me. It had nothing to do with the video store theme, had a bunch of searching puzzles in areas that didn’t feel like they should be searched, had puzzles that involved way too many loose props, and was dark for the sake of being dark. While this isn’t that long of a section on paper, because of these issues it took up half (maybe over half) our time, causing us to rush through the actually good part of the game. I still recommend this game for people looking for difficult, classic escape rooms in the area and of course for anyone looking for a Video Store theme, which there aren’t many of. However, because of this 1st half I don’t think this is an essential in the area, and it’s sad because if the 2nd half of the game was the whole game it would be.

Fantastic room and GM (Danielle) Are you a child of the 80's or 90's video stores? Then you must do this room. Loving care to really celebrate movie stores and movies from the era. The puzzles were fun, diverse, a bit challenging but fair. Everything was on theme. We completed it with 4 adult sized humans and that felt like the perfect number. Huge fan of Dare 2 Escape and they did not disappoint with this room.