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!

paniqescaperoom.com/san-jose

Paradox, Escape Room Review

Paradox Escape Room

San Jose, California

Wonderland: Having successfully fled Wonderland and entered back into the real world, we find ourselves undergoing psychiatric evaluation. The doctor thinks we have gone mad. Time to find our way back to Wonderland. 

Pros: The set design was basic but solidly constructed which was much appreciated since flimsily constructed rooms often delay progress. This room was less about searching for items and more about solving puzzles. The puzzles were all logical and tied into the Wonderland theme. Although, we often found ourselves scratching our heads trying to figure out the complex puzzles, successfully solving them made it worth it in the end. The game master was helpful and offered hints every ten minutes.

Cons: Because the game master would physically enter the room every ten minutes to ask if we needed a clue, we frequently found ourselves distracted. However, it turned out that we needed to take these clues because there were too many puzzles for our two-person team to solve. In the end, we felt that a few of the puzzles were overly complex. With two more solid players, capable of working on their own to solve individual puzzles, we may have been closer to breaking out. Overall, we recommend you take a team of four expert players to attempt this escape room if you want a remote chance of escape. More people than that will most likely be too many. Paradox escape games is one of the best escape games in San Jose/Santa Clara area. But compared to larger markets, such as Los Angeles, that is not a huge compliment. Still, we recommend that when in the South Bay, visit Paradox Escape Room first. 

http://www.paradoxescape.com/

Castle Escape Room, Escape Room Review

Castle Escape Room

San Jose, California

Castle Escape: Trapped in a mysterious castle, we had to locate four magical symbols in order to discover the secrets of the castle and find our way out.

Pros: This was a great theme for an escape room. The puzzles were relatively easy to solve. So easy in fact, that we never broke a sweat and escaped with 20 minutes to spare. This would be a great room for children or escape room newbies. Kids would especially enjoy the Harry Potter type theme. Game moderators were helpful and friendly. Best for groups of 2-4.

Cons: The set design was very cheap and poorly laid out. We felt like we had to be very careful so as to not to break any of the props or furniture. Cheap puzzles, locks, and containers added to the flimsy, low-budget feel of the whole experience. Storyline was basic to non-existent. Puzzles were simple and not very challenging.

http://castleescaperoom.com

Omescape, Escape Room Review

Omescape

San Jose, California

Kingdom of Cats: Trapped in a kingdom of felines, we were compelled to compete in a tournament to crown the wisest cat in the kingdom. The only way to escape perpetual imprisonment was to compete alongside our feline friends.

Dark Altar: We found ourselves trapped inside the Copenheimer Museum where an archaeology obsessed collector had initiated a dark ritual. Our goal was to work our way through the museum to discover and stop the ritual.

Joker's Asylum: A maniacal Joker was locked away in an asylum after a tragic incident at the circus. The Joker had escaped. We were tasked with discovering the Joker's secrets and escaping the asylum.

Pandemic Zero: A super virus has sickened the city. We must break into the lab and finish work on the cure. 

Pros: The physical layout of Omescape from the waiting area to the game-play areas is clean, orderly and visually appealing. The puzzles are mostly linear, less about searching and more about thinking critically. Set-design is appealing and clearly tied to the overarching storyline. The games are scaled at different difficulty levels and geared toward different group sizes. Game moderators can be helpful and willing to provide assistance if asked.

Cons: The reservation system only works on web browsers and is not reliable on mobile phones. This was a problem on multiple occasions, especially since the popularity of this place makes it difficult to make reservations. The puzzles in their rooms tend to be geometrical or symbol-based. We found the puzzles quite complex in all three games and extremely difficult to solve without assistance from the game masters. Scaling of the puzzles within each individual game could have helped us with the puzzle-solving process. Overall, we find their games overly complex. The friendliness of the game masters and their willingness to offer relevant clues helped prevent frustration and a complete mental melt-down of players.

https://omescape.us

San Jose Room Escape, Escape Room Review

San Jose Room Escape

San Jose, California

Escape from Alcatraz: Our team locked away in a cell had to discover the secrets of the Birdman of Alcatraz and find a way to escape before time ran out.

Pros: This room had some really interesting and fun mechanical puzzles. Overall the puzzles were very logical and solvable. There was plenty to do for larger groups of 6-8. We enjoyed each new challenge and progressing through the game. Some of the puzzles tied directly to the overarching story, others less so. The game master provided assistance when necessary. The plot line was interesting and kept us focused on the goal of escaping the prison. The set design was consistent with the theme. 

Cons: Some of the mechanical parts of the operation were malfunctioning. The game master was less than enthusiastic but helpful when needed. 

Overall this is a solid middle-of-the-road type of escape room. It was a good opportunity to sharpen our puzzle solving and collaboration skills. 

http://www.roomescapesanjose.com/home/index/index.html