The Man From BeyondStrange Bird ImmersiveEscape roomIRLThis was truly a breathtaking experience. Strange Bird Immersive lives up to its name with an immersive story experience from the moment you walk in until the moment you leave. Live actors helped to bring you into their world. Even the explanation of the rules was given in character. Every challenge fit into the narrative with each solution offering another piece of the story. From beginning to end, this felt more like a narrative experience than it did a game. Normally a single-room escape room feels a little simple for my tastes, but the ways that new unique and interactive tools were exposed keep the excitement and wow-factor alive. Every challenge stood out, and none felt arbitrary. Our actors (Lexie Jackson and Brock Hatton) played their roles excellently. It feels indulgent to make any additional asks, but I personally would have enjoyed more of a back-and-forth conversational experience with the actors, but I also understand that some would prefer to let them guide the show. Truly remarkable.
ClueBreakout Games - GreensboroEscape roomIRLDesigned by Hasbro, Clue is based on the board game by the same name. It's very cleverly designed, and there were certain parts of the experience that made it feel like there were things actively happening just beyond the walls of the room, which was very exciting. It was overall very immersive, challenging, and left me wondering how it was put together.
Be'WitchedLara's Labyrinth - WethersfieldEscape roomIRLThis was a very weird experience in a good way. It’s one of very few rooms I’ve done involving live actors. We specifically chose the raunchier version, which turned out to be, well, quite raunchy. We had a lot of fun, and it was extremely memorable. Excellent decorations, but it was the live acting that truly made it remarkable.
The MidnightersOlde City Escape GamesEscape roomIRLIt's described as Stranger Things meets The Goonies and they were not wrong. The room starts by entering a "gym" with a backpack. The lights are off and we have flighlights. We have to search around for a key to open the light switch and turn the lights on, which was an incredibly immersive start. The challenges were all unique and theme-specific. There were coded messages, answers right under your nose--or feet, and a surprise that brought the supernatural elements to the next level. Fascinating story with a blend of the mundane and the supernatural.
The Da Vinci ChallengeLara's Labyrinth - HadleyEscape roomIRLI adored this room. The room is fully immersive and the puzzles emulate the kind of wooden, yet elaborate technology you’d hope to find in a Da Vinci themed room. We had a group of 7, and we began the room separated, which is always fun. The puzzles are tough, and I’d be pretty shocked if someone managed to get through it with no hints. There’s one puzzle involving arranging objects that was particularly difficult. But all in all it was a really special experience!
Find the Professor of the OccultPuzzled Escape GamesEscape 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
Escape The HydeoutMission Escape GamesEscape roomIRLIncredible room. This dark, spooky room was beautifully put together and had an interesting and engaging storyline. It was not only a simple A to B story, but told the narrative of Jeckyl and Hyde through the puzzles. You had to retrieve objects from unusual places, arrange objects in unique ways and use a codebreaker to find answers.
Mystery MansionBreakout Games - GreensboroEscape roomIRLAnother awesome multi-stage game from Breakout. Spying lights through a peephole. A secret in a closet. A piano. The room was immersive, intriguing and puzzles were not simplistic.
Lunar LockdownBull City Escape - DurhamEscape roomIRLOnce the game started, there was little I'd calling surprising. But there were a few cool facets of the room. First, there was a large door that automatically slid open once certain qualifications were met. It wasn't a surprise door since we could see it from the get go, but it was interesting knowing that we were working directly toward another room. The challenges were all very different and followed the space theme. There was a working simple computer in which we had to write codes or look up information. The main thing bringing it down is that some of the materials felt cheap and hurt the immersion.
Amazon SurvivalEscape TacticEscape roomIRLThis was a good time! It’s Amazon themed and thoroughly decorated (using fake plants and animals which should be expected), but it does still take a little theater-of-the-imagination for full immersion. There were a few surprising and unique mechanical features, and a couple of crawl spaces that would be fun for kids. Overall, a moderately-high quality room with unique puzzles. I’d recommend it!
