Hijinx at Joffre ManorNerdy by Nature Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLOne of the most creative usage of small space and what a great homage/ parody to a classic universe that you can immediately guess from the whimsical and hilarious vibe of the room. The puzzles flow quite well and every thing from the puzzle to the decor and the story gave a very nostalgic experience. The room is Incredibly well done. This shows that good escape room is still possible even in the absence of exorbitant budget. I can tell how involved the team was when they made this room. Their passion shined through and through.
Escape IT - The SewersEscape ITEscape roomIRLMy SAW moment annoyed the heck out of me as the staff (and possible situation where we solve things to fast and the mechanics have to be delayed due to the previous group requiring more time to finish the room ahead of us) keep taking me out of the immersion of the experience. But the worst offender is the staff breaking out of character almost the whole time she was there. Knowing this is the same creator of the SAW, I lowered my expectations big time. But, I am glad to say the IT walkthrough was 180 degree difference in experience. IT manages to cover EVERYTHING that SAW did wrong. IT does not pretend to be both an escape room and a walkthrough. IT is still a walkthrough with puzzles in each room to advance the next. The puzzles are still challenging but it’s logical enough for people who never watch the movie/ read the book to make a connection. The whole time the pacing is perfect. But best of all, the IT staff teams did their best to stay in characters. It’s so obvious that they actually enjoy working there. And that makes a whole difference. The hints thrown by the staffs are just that… nudges… it doesn’t feel like the staffs are patronizing you to move along because the next group is about to reach the room your team is in. Overall, IT was PHENOMENAL!!! The immersion is OFF the chart!!
The Hide: Krampus EditionEscape Room Era - AnaheimEscape roomIRLOverall, the room was fun and the puzzles are easy. The suspense and the atmosphere were the one that kept us slightly struggling. The room was incredibly dark. We did break Krampus though at the end 😝. Krampus was incredibly passionate in trying to scare us, he accidentally popped his knees. Good thing, we have a resident nurse in the group. So, we ended up helping Krampus escape from his room. Prop to the actor for his dedications in making our escape room experience immersive. I hope his knees is fine now. Will go back when they have a new room.
Down The Rabbit HoleTrapped! Escape Room - UplandEscape roomIRLVery cute room! A bit on the easy side. This escape room is more for your family activity. Not for avid escape gamers. The puzzles flow well. The story is alright. Overall, if u don’t expect hard puzzles, you will enjoy the experience.
The Official SAW EscapeSaw Escape RoomEscape roomIRLI am trying my darndest best to like the experience… but, I just simply can’t. However, I will try to review it as fairly as I can. The production value I think is quite good. The gimmicks are well placed and the set makes thing quite immersive. But, the fun kinda stops there. To say that this is an escape room would be misleading; because it isn’t. It’s more like a walkthrough like Universal Studio tour with a set time limit to appreciate the room AKA solving the puzzle. So, imagine the walkthrough in universal studio with the loud audio and visual effects while you and a group of your friends or strangers try to solve the puzzle within time limit. It can be a recipe for success OR a disaster. Unfortunately, ours are the latter. I understood the concept of the staffs nudging you along with hints to solve the puzzle. Ours are more like a drill sergeant yelling at hints and puzzles while at the same time acting as one of the victim of Jigsaw. I felt so out of the place when she commanded us on what to do about the puzzle. That breaks the immersion of the experience. The whole time I felt she just want us to rush the whole thing. At one point I felt like I just want to tell her, “hey lady, if you know how to escape the room why don’t you just do it for us?!” At the bottom line, my issue with this room is it’s half and half quality. It’s trying to be an escape room at the same time a walkthrough experience. I think they should choose to be one or the other.
Red Door ToysBreach Escape Games | The Scene Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLIt’s unfortunately was one of the worst experiences I had for a game room. We probably came at the wrong time? GM was bouncing up and down. Too many customers with only one person dealing with the game. We asked for clue for the last one only to be ignored due to the fact the GM was busy resetting other game? Thus, we were left hanging for a while. So, I just pushed the emergency exit and look for the game master to offer us a clue. But, that really killed the game experience.
