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Monday, December 4, 2017
Monday, October 9, 2017
PanIQ - San Jose, Escape Room Review
PanIQ
San Jose, California
Wild West: Locked up in the local jail, we had to make our escape before the sheriff returned.
Asylum: The images are running the asylum and our goal was to get out fast.
Perfect Crime: Like the board game Clue only better. Who done it? When? With what weapon? Where? We had to figure it all out.
PanIQ San Jose is a welcome addition to the San Jose escape room scene. they had only been open a week when we played all three of their rooms. We are happy to report that the experience was top-notch from start to finish. The waiting room was neat and tidy. All of the gamemasters were efficient and friendly. We started our day in the Wild West room and were immediately impressed with the quality of the set design. This room and other two rooms were perfectly decorated to theme. The sturdy construction made for a great user experience. There was enough searching to make the game fun, but not so many props and furniture to prove overly distracting. The game play proceeded smoothly in a simple linear fashion. We did not easily escape, but the puzzles were logical and relatively straight-forward. We completed each game with ten minutes or les to spare and struggled a bit as a result of our own mistakes. The gamemaster helped guide us with hints to keep our game perfectly on pace. We really enjoyed the mix of mechanical, kinesthetic, logic, deductive reasoning and symbol puzzles.
We loved PanIQ room and will highly recommend it to all our friends. We have played so many poor or middle of the road escape rooms lately that we were pleasantly surprised by our overall awesome experience at PanIQ room Go play here!
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Room Escape Live, North Hollywood, California - Escape Room Review
Room Escape Live
North Hollywood, California
Zodiac Killer –
Based on the real-life story of the notorious zodiac killer, you have to try to
solve the mystery before you become its next victim.
Zombie Lab – A
zombie outbreak. A secret cure. A very limited time before you become just like
one of the many dead characters of The Walking Dead. You know what you have to
do.
We have reviewed Room Escape Live before and we definitely
recommend it. They presently have six games and in our experience they are all
great fun to play. This review is specifically for the rooms Zodiac Killer and
Zombie Lab.
Pros: Both rooms
are meticulously designed and created to reflect the theme and storyline. The
high quality props and solid construction of the rooms is what we have come to
expect from Room Escape Live and they definitely did not disappoint in both
these rooms. The puzzles are always logical and aligned wit the theme. The game
masters are professional, attentive and ready to help at a moment’s
notice. This is a thoroughly
professional establishment in every respect.
Cons: The puzzles
are complex. We need lots of hints every time we come to Room Escape Live. That
is not always a problem. We have no ego issues in asking for hints, but we do
like good game flow without interruptions. A few more guideposts to help
players through the process could eliminate the frequent need for hints. We
found ourselves at a complete loss on some of the puzzles, especially in zodiac
killer. Since that does not usually happen to us, and we assume that beginners
would really struggle, we suggest that they just offer a few more signals in
the room to help guide players to the solutions.
You really cannot go wrong playing at Room Escape Live. So
just do it. You know you want to.
The Room LA, Los Angeles, California - Escape Room Review
The Room LA
Los Angeles, California
The Cabin: Dwight
has mommy issues. And daddy issues. And just issue issues. He’s insane. He’s a
cannibal. He wants to kill you. What else do you need to know? You gotta get
the hell outta here quick.
We have to admit that we are not the biggest fans of the
all-to-common “serial killer on the loose” or “locked in the basement of a
madman’s house” theme. But the Cabin was an excellent experience and highly
recommended.
Pros: The solid set design of the cabin not only
fit the theme perfectly but helped set the murderous cannibal ambiance. The
quality of some of the props alone caused me to stop and admire the work of the
set designers. Props to you, Ms. Puzzle Designer (pardon the pun). The puzzles
were logical and simple, but fun to solve. There was quite a bit of searching
but it didn’t feel monotonous or impossible with our group of four. We worked our way through the game methodically
and managed to escape without a single hint and setting a record. So we felt very
good about the overall game flow.
Cons: The puzzles
could be scaled a bit more in complexity. A few multi-step puzzles could add to
the challenge (especially in the last room). This might make the game more fun
for experienced players.
This is definitely recommended for beginners. Experienced
players will also love playing the Cabin. After all, when was the last time you
got to beat an insane cannibalistic serial killer? What’s that? You do that at
almost every other escape room you visit? Well even if you did it just last
week at that other escape room, it’s still worth our time to visit The Room LA.
Escape Chronicles, North Hollywood, California, Escape Room Review
Escape Chronicles
North Hollywood, California
Smuggler’s Tunnel: Artifacts, artwork, precious jewels and
more! All just waiting for us to steal it. But how much could we gather before
time ran out?
Testing Facility: An Artificial Intelligence machine has
developed a mind of its own and is literally out of control. We had to find a
way to shut it down before we became its best friends forever.
Pros: We played both Testing Facility and Smuggler’s Tunnel
in back-to-back games at Escape Chronicles. The game masters were accommodating
and helpful in every way. The set design
was appropriate to the themes in both rooms and especially impressive in
Smuggler’s Tunnel. The puzzles were also aligned to the storyline of the rooms.
We especially enjoyed the creativity of the puzzles in Testing Facility. The
game flow procceeded smoothly overall thanks to helpful and timely hints from
our game masters.
Cons: There were a
few puzzles in both rooms that were overly convoluted, requiring a few too many
steps or logical leaps to solve. In other cases, we found puzzles that we were
able to work around in some way that led our game on a different trajectory
than the game designers intended. Most of these issues can be fixed with a few
minor adjustments. Our advice to the designers/owners is to carefully observe
future players and note which puzzles players need hints to solve. Those are
the problem areas that need to be fixed in future games. A good game should be
perfectly solvable without any hints. We all get stuck sometimes and need a
little help. But a puzzle that requires the same hint over and over again
reveals a problem in design logic or puzzle execution.
Despite the issues mentioned above that caused us to fail to
escape on time from Testing Facility, we definitely recommend Escape
Chronicles. The creativity of the puzzles, the set design, the helpfulness of
the game masters and the enjoyable storylines made for an overall good
experience. Bring your friends to Escape Chronicles!
The Basement, Sylmar, California, Escape Room Review
The Basement
Sylmar, California
The Basement: A dark, dank basement. A deranged serial
killer who likes to play games. An hour to escape. You’ve done this before. You
know the drill.
So this was it. We had finally made it. After years of
hearing about the allegedly BEST escape room in the world, we finally had the
chance to play it. Prior to this day we had several missed opportunities to
play owing mostly to the fact that they require a certain minimum number of
players for optimal game play. Everywhere we have visited people have asked us:
Have you played the basement? Now we could finally say: “YES!”
Much to our disappointment, however, we felt, in our humble
opinion, that the Basement has been much exaggerated and definitely overhyped. Our
theory on this is that many so-called escape room review bloggers have never
actually played the games they recommend but only pass on what they have
“heard” from others (most of whom are first-time escape room players). But to
give credit where credit is due, let’s start with the positive.
Pros: The set design was cool! Not the best of the best, but
still pretty darned cool. The dark lighting and added effects created the
spooky ambience befitting of its reputation. The fear factor was definitely
heightened in the minutes waiting before the start of the game and the whole
group was mentally prepared to be scared silly by the trailers and overview
videos. The game master was likewise instrumental to creating a sense of terror
and preparing us for the feeling that we were really about to be locked away
fighting for our lives.
Cons: It wasn’t scary. Wait, maybe that should go in the
pros? Yes, that is definitely a pro. Let me repeat: IT IS NOT SCARY. For those
of you who HATE HAUNTED HOUSES (you know who you are), you can breathe a sigh
of relief. I personally love haunted houses (though usually not in combination
with escape rooms) but this was definitely not a haunted house in any way.
There was a surprise sound or spooky element here and there but nothing
terrifying at all. So never fear, my fretful friends who may have steered away
from this place based on the promos. The reason why we have placed this fact in
the cons section, however, is based on the fact that their entire advertising
campaign and hype is focused on being a terrifying experience. It was, in fact,
not terrifying.
With that out of the way, now we can evaluate it as a normal
escape room. As you know we love puzzles (like all escape room fanatics) and focus
mostly on looking at quality of puzzles, logic of puzzles, and game flow. The Basement suffered on all these accounts.
First, the puzzles were not all aligned to the theme of the room. Some were
random and most were not puzzles at all but merely objects or codes to find.
Finding objects in a dark and dirty (faux dirt) room with only one flashlight
between twelve people is nearly impossible. The logic of a few of the puzzzles
was questionable. Game flow was severely complicated by the sheer number of
players packed into the room. Twelve people? Communication is nearly
impossible. Twelve people and a linear,
one puzzle at a time room? Definitely impossible. We did not escape. We were
close, we were told. But we did not escape. This was not for want of trying or
lack of experience but due to the fact that twelve people were crammed into a dark
room with 1-2 flashlights and very well-hidden codes and objects. Reduce the
number of people and provide us proper lighting and then we will be able to see
well enough and communicate well enough to easily solve the simple puzzles in
this room.
Our recommendation? Play it to say you’ve played it but we
found it mostly just overhped and overcrowded. The large number of people in
the room made for an unenjoyable escape room experience especially when
compared to the vast majority of other escape room companies out there.
Southern California has so many other AMAZING escape rooms – give some of those
a try.
Friday, August 4, 2017
Review of Enchanted Escape Room, Northridge, California
Enchanted Escape Room
Northridge, California
Spellbound: A deadly curse has afflicted the town and trapped inside the evil wizard's lair we had to find a way out and break the curse.
Task Force Agency: As potential future secret agents, we had to prove our worth in order to qualify for admission to the academy.
Pros: Although we were tired after our flight to the Los Angeles area, the game master at Enchanted Escape Room quickly improved our spirits with his enthusiasm and joy. First we tackled Spellbound. This other-worldly adventure through the spirit realm challenged us with a variety of magic-themed puzzles. We had little trouble progressing through the game with few hints thanks to good game flow and logical puzzle design. We had a similar experience as undercover agents playing Task Force Agency. The game had several unique physical puzzles that deviated from the monotony of typical escape room word or math puzzles. We needed a few more hints than usual to move us along, but were were ultimately able to uncover the location of the sleeper cells and succeed in our mission.
Cons: The set design in Spellbound was bit cheesy with cheap props detracting a bit from the magical, other-worldly experience. But this was a fun room to play. In Task Force Agency, shoddy equipment or puzzle pieces complicated or delayed our puzzle-solving. For those who play lots of escape rooms, you will recognize this as a pretty typical phenomenon for most establishments. But in Los Angeles the escape rooms tend to go above and beyond in set design, so this one is a bit atypical of the norm in the area. This should not deter people from playing. Enchanted Escape Room is definitely a good, solid game-play experience and is definitely recommended for both beginning and advanced players. Be sure to visit Enchanted Escape Room in Northridge!
Friday, June 30, 2017
Advice for First-Time Escape Room Players
Are you about to embark on your first room escape adventure?
If so, most likely a friend has manipulated you into doing this and you have no idea what to expect. Your friend promised you it would be "soooo much fun." But then they muttered something about being "locked in a room." This of course triggered an immediate panic attack and a quest for answers. Now you find yourself frantically googling "what is an escape room?" You are desperate to know: what have you gotten yourself into?
Never fear! Here is our advice to you, Escape Room newbie:
1. Stop panicking and breathe. This is also the first thing you will want to do when the clock begins ticking in your escape room. Avoid running around frantically and keep your voice at a normal speaking level. Stay calm my friend and we will get through this.
2. Stop googling. It won't help you. The knowledge from google is vast but the experience of the escape room is unique to the time and the place. So relax and use your own wits and intelligence. You got this! We believe in you!
3. Focus. As soon as you step into that escape room and the clock begins ticking, stay focused on the goal of finding hints and solving puzzles. Scour the room, search for anything that might be a clue. If you don't know what you are doing that's okay, just keep looking.
4. Communicate. As you locate hints and puzzles, place them in a central location and communicate your findings to the other players. Do not put anything in your pocket or ignore its existence. See something, say something.
5. Sort the clues. If you have scoured the room and believe you have found everything, begin grouping the information. If this is a multilinear room, there may be several puzzles to solve. A mostly linear room tends to have one puzzle that leads to the next in a logical, linear fashion. Multilinear rooms may have multiple starting points. Group similar items together. If you believe it belongs to the same puzzle it most likely does. Start sorting what you have found and communicate your thinking to your group.
6. Note the types of locks that you have found in the room. It helps to vocalize this as well to other players. So you might say "I found a four number lock over here" or "this box has a color-coded letter lock." This information helps after you have sorted the puzzles to begin thinking about what locks might be connected to what puzzles. If you think you know what locks are associated with what puzzles, share your thoughts with the group and if possible move the lock near the puzzle.
7. Solve the puzzles. If there are multiple puzzles and multiple players, we usually begin by asking people if they are familiar with this type of puzzle or feel like they can solve it. This allows people to volunteer to use their strengths to help the team out. So if I, for example, feel very confident with riddles, I might say "I'll work on this one." Then the other individuals can either choose to help out if they feel like they might be able to or better yet, they can move on and begin working on another puzzle. This is especially effective for larger group sizes. If you are playing with smaller groups, you still want to divide up and begin working on separate puzzles but you may find yourself working on a puzzle that is quite challenging for you. If that happens and you don't know how to solve it, acknowledge this. Your partner may be willing to switch puzzles with you. It is quite possible that a fresh perspective could help. Communicate what you have tried before passing the baton though in order to avoid wasting time trying the same idea.
8. If you are at a loss for what to do, do something. Never, ever give up. If you don't know how to solve a specific puzzle, switch puzzles. If you still feel lost, start looking around the room again for missing clues or anything that might help you out. Don't distract those that are actively working on solving a puzzle. Make yourself useful.
9. Don't watch the clock. It's a waste of time, literally. Also, please don't be the person who frantically shouts out how much time is left. Everyone knows they are running against the clock. Pointing that out just adds stress and detracts people from focusing on solving the puzzles.
10. Save the joke-cracking and the long-winded stories for later. You have a very limited time to escape and get out of this room. You can make all the jokes you want when it is over and have plenty of time to laugh and enjoy the reflection on your experience. Most of the individuals we have been teamed up with who insist on being the "class clowns" and entertainers have added little to the experience and in fact have slowed us down or derailed our effective attempts to escape in their quest for attention. Don't worry. There will be ample opportunities for pictures later. At the post-escape festivities you can tell us all about how amazing you were. In the meantime, there are puzzles to solve.
Finally, don't forget to enjoy the experience! You will feel stressed and you will be at a loss for what to do next at some points in the game, but please don't have a mental breakdown. Relax, this is fun. Really, truly it is! You are going to have a blast. You will escape the room in the end (either by solving puzzles or by running out of time). You will have something to talk about for a long time after. We escapologists love escape rooms. We know that if you follow our simple guidelines, you will become escape room addicts too!
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