Temetra's HexEscape Hour Point RustonEscape roomIRLEscape Hour really sets the bar in the Seattle/Tacoma area IMO. This was our 16th room (2 players) and unfortunately the first one we’ve been unable to finish. The gameplay is great, there’s just SO much to do that you really need to keep a fairly snappy pace, and we simply ran out of time. Despite our disappointment in not finishing, this was a fantastic room, easily one of the best we’ve done. Great atmosphere (but no jump scares), a variety of clever puzzles (in addition to traditional locks), some higher-tech stuff, and some really creative elements. A+. If the owners are reading this review, feel free to reach out with a second-chance discount! 😂 FYI, there is some crawling, climbing, and back-and-forth between the two, as well as some dim lighting. EDIT: We went back about a month later and did this room again and WE ESCAPED - but guys, we really thought we were crushing it (how could we not, on a second attempt?) and it STILL took us almost the whole 70 minutes! 😂 It was still so much fun, and even though it was a do-over, we still found stuff we’d missed on our first attempt through. There were lots of opportunities to switch roles on the tasks we remembered (so even those felt like a new experience), but I had forgotten so many of the clever little details (lights! sounds! smoke?!) that experiencing them again was just as fun as the first time. I think this is where EH really excels - every square inch of the space is on-theme, immersive, and just so well-done and clever. Truly top-notch.
Nightmare in WhitechapelAdventureScape Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLReally impressed with this room! I’ve done a fair amount of escape rooms, but I did this one with a relative who hadn’t done one before, and we both had a great time. Fantastic set, good story, fun puzzles. Everything was on-theme, flowed well, and was nicely integrated into the story. Pleasantly surprised to only have one keyed lock in the room - everything else was something to be mentally solved or physically manipulated, which I think is a lot more fun than just opening locks. This was a great room for new *and* experienced players IMO - not too hard, full of clever props/mechanics, and with a satisfying variety of puzzles. We escaped with about 10 minutes to spare using a few hints to maintain momentum.
Trixie's Tavern TrialsSure Lock Escapes - Stout Oak Adventuring Guild (Kent)Escape roomIRL𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 �𓅝𓃄 �𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿 𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 𓂨𓅝𓃄 𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿This review contains spoilers.Unscramble𓀗
Guardians' GroveSure Lock Escapes – Cypher Island (Renton)Escape roomIRLThis one was just okay for us - maybe a 6-6.5/10. It took the two of us the full 100 minutes, mostly because some of the puzzles were fairly time-consuming. We’ve done a few 70-minute escape rooms nearby that managed to pack in a lot more, so it felt like a bit of a letdown, especially given how expensive it is for just two players (almost $190). The room is fairly lock-heavy. The puzzles are logical (and one involved a neat effect we hadn’t seen before), but some honestly felt pretty tedious. Overall, nothing felt particularly surprising, clever, or exciting in this room, although it’d be good for a smaller group that likes to divide and conquer since different puzzles can be worked simultaneously. I think our expectations were probably just too high based on the length/cost of the room and the preferences we’ve developed after playing other local rooms. The puzzles are solid enough, but if you like the “extras” of hidden spaces, mechanically-active puzzles, or unique props, they’re not really here. If you prefer more “think”-type rooms, where you’re mostly solving a math or symbol puzzle (or even just a regular jigsaw puzzle) to get a number or word code for a lock, it’ll be right up your alley. Our GM Katie was excellent.
Pirate ShipwreckSure Lock Escapes – Cypher Island (Renton)Escape roomIRLThis was our first room at SureLock and we really liked it. The room itself is well-decorated and immersive, which really enhances the experience for us. This room relied more on mental puzzle-solving and keys/locks than complicated props or special effects, but everything was on-theme, flowed well, and we kept a good momentum. Really enjoyed the soundtrack at the end, and our GM was great. Solid A.
Spell StruckThe Escape Artist - West SeattleEscape roomIRLWe enjoyed this one - everything flowed well, puzzles were logical, and it had a good mix of mental puzzle-solving, mechanical puzzles, and some props with neat effects. Only a few locks. The two of us needed just a few nudges but were able to keep a good momentum throughout and finished with about three seconds to spare. They could take this room up a small notch by freshening up some worn props and adding some atmospheric sound effects/music, but I’d give it a solid A.
Puppeteer's WorkshopPuzzle BreakEscape roomIRLLess challenging than the “Eventide Departure” at this location, but still a well-designed room with decent puzzles that don’t overly rely on number locks. They describe it as an “old-school” type of room, and I’d agree. The two of us finished with time to spare and didn’t need any hints (a first for us), so I’d say it’s on the easier side (we’re experienced but don’t consider ourselves expert-level). Staff at this location are really friendly. B+.
The CureEnigma Escapes WAEscape roomIRLOne of the less impressive rooms I’ve been in from a set quality perspective so not super immersive, but enough lab-appropriate props that were integrated nicely into the puzzles. Lots of puzzles kept the two of us busy for the full hour, which we like. Lots of number locks. A single jump scare. I’d give it a solid B.
Sorcerer's RescueEnigma Escapes WAEscape roomIRLI waited to write this review and have played a few more rooms since, mostly to try and figure out if I was just being overly critical, but we really just didn’t like this one. It felt pretty mediocre in terms of design/decoration - I’m sure it’s hard to create a fantasy realm, but this just wasn’t up to par with other rooms with the same theme. The puzzles weren’t intuitive to us, nothing seemed to flow, and even with several hints, we never really could get a momentum going. We didn’t escape and left frustrated and disappointed, unsure if we struggled because of the difficulty or because it was poorly done. I’m leaning towards the latter, although obviously it’s all subjective. This was our 17th room, but the first time we’ve felt this way. I just can’t recommend this one, especially when there are, IMO, much better rooms within a half-hour drive. I will say that the staff was very friendly, and the GMs start the experience by dressing in character before you go in, which is a fun touch.
Escape the Mystic Manor Blue [prev. The Eventide Departure]Puzzle BreakEscape roomIRLMore challenging than the “Puppeteer” room at this location. Immersive, well-designed room that emphasizes puzzle-solving more than high-tech props (which was the case for the other room, too). Just a different feel than some of the rooms we’ve done that are number-lock heavy. I’d give it a solid A.
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