• Explore
  • Profile
CounselorDeac

Reviews

@CounselorDeac
Morty score35
  • Escape rooms35
  • 0Wishlisted
  • 6Reviewed

CounselorDeac

    Matthew Shurts

    • Bio
    • Experiences (35)
    • Wishlist (0)
    • Reviews (6)>
    • All (6)
    • Escape rooms (6)
    • IRL (4)
    • Other (2)
    The Grand Parlor

    The Grand Parlor

    13th Hour Escape Room - Wharton

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    We came in with high expectations for The Grand Parlor given all the rave reviews, and in many ways, it really delivered. The space is massive β€” multiple rooms, multiple levels β€” and the production value is top-notch. It’s one of the more visually impressive and creative rooms we’ve ever done. That said, we also found ourselves echoing what a few other reviewers have noted: the sheer volume of puzzles, many with multiple components and little clear direction, made it hard to know where to focus. Some early puzzles were actually gating progress, but it wasn’t obvious that they needed to be solved first, which meant we lost a lot of time working on things we couldn’t yet complete. A gentle nudge from the game master at that point would’ve made a big difference. We’ve done a ton of rooms and consider ourselves relatively experienced, but the early linearity paired with the overall non-linear feel left us a little frustrated at times. Once we did get past those early challenges, we felt like we were constantly racing the clock β€” and ended up needing more hints than we typically would’ve liked. We did escape, but the final stretch felt more like being guided through than solving it ourselves at times. All that said, the set design and creativity in the puzzles were phenomenal β€” there were definitely moments and mechanics we’d never seen before. With a bit more clarity upfront or a longer run time (75–90 minutes would make a lot of sense here), this would be an absolute all-time favorite. We still gave it a β€œLove” for the sheer scale and originality, but if you go, don’t be shy about asking for an early hint or two if you find yourself spinning your wheels.
    The Mayan Temple

    The Mayan Temple

    Captured LV Escape Room - Bethlehem

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    Lots to do for our group of 4! We really enjoyed this room, and we were pleased we solved it as quickly as we did, given all that was going on. The room was well constructed, and there was a nice mix of simultaneous and linear elements that all of us felt involved, but still working together in general. We even got bracelets when we escaped! Highly recommended!
    Alien Conspiracy

    Alien Conspiracy

    The Puzzle Parlour

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    We ended up visiting this establishment at the last minute, and we were extremely pleased that the room they bill as their most difficult had an opening. For about the first third of our time in the room, we were concerned that we were not going to have any chance of escaping, as one of the initial challenges really took us quite a while. But, we were able to manage it, and everything flowed Well for us after that point. It’s definitely a linear room, and as to experienced solvers, we found ourselves making methodical progress. Nothing was completely new to us in terms of the puzzles, generally speaking, but there were a couple wrinkles, and we definitely found the room to be challenging. We were told after we escaped that most pairs of people either don’t escape, or have to ask for many more clues than we were given/used (1). Overall, we enjoyed our alien experience, and we’re glad that the scientist’s research will live on!
    Drago's Castle

    Drago's Castle

    5 Wits

    • Escape room
    • Other
    Not our favorite experience, but we preferred it to the Espionage game -- The lack of having a real "game master" wasn't something we really liked, especially when info seemed necessary due to hiccups. Clearly had a timer keeping you in a room or moving you on at intervals vs when you solved (or needed more time). Overall it was entertaining, but we prefer "regular" escape room experiences, it seems.
    Espionage

    Espionage

    5 Wits

    • Escape room
    • Other
    Not our favorite experience -- One of the challenges seemed to have a bit of a glitch, and the lack of having a real "game master" wasn't something we really liked, especially when info seemed necessary due to hiccups. Overall it was entertaining, but we prefer "regular" escape room experiences, it seems.
    Dragon Heart

    Dragon Heart

    Exit 4 - Ocean City, 8th St

    • Escape room
    • IRL

    π“†œπ“‹˜π“„ π“Š›π“‡™π“‹Έπ“Œ€π“Œ₯ π“Œ¦ 𓅐𓆒 𓆣 𓀉𓆀 π“†₯ π“…‘π“†˜ 𓆙 π“…’π“„™ π“„š π“„› 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 π“…” π“…• 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 π“Ž· π“„π“ŽΈπ“…– π“…½ π“…Ύ π“…Ώπ“…— π“…˜ 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 π“…š 𓁡 𓁢𓂡 𓂢𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 π“‚Ίπ“…œ �𓅝𓃄 οΏ½π“„π“…žπ“‚™ π“…Ÿπ“‚Ώ π“†œπ“‹˜π“„ π“Š›π“‡™π“‹Έπ“Œ€π“Œ₯ π“Œ¦ 𓅐𓆒 𓆣 𓀉𓆀 π“†₯ π“…‘π“†˜ 𓆙 π“…’π“„™ π“„š π“„› 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 π“…” π“…• 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 π“Ž· π“„π“ŽΈπ“…– π“…½ π“…Ύ π“…Ώπ“…— π“…˜ 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 π“…š 𓁡 𓁢𓂡 𓂢𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 π“‚Ίπ“…œ 𓂨𓅝𓃄 π“„π“…žπ“‚™ π“…Ÿπ“‚Ώ