The StorykeeperLocurioEscape roomIRLThis was one of my favorite experiences. Highly recommend Locurio’s The Storykeeper. As its name suggests, it takes you through a (classic) story in a magical way. The set design is beautiful, and the actors were convincing. The puzzles aren’t the most difficult, but they’re challenging and engaging enough for some good fun.
The Campground13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLThis was easily our favorite at 13th Hour so far. (Also looking forward to Wizard of Oz.) There’s an ample amount of puzzles to do in the 90 minutes in a massive space. It’s air-conditioned, unliked building A. Enjoy!
The Grand Parlor13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLEverything about the Grand Parlor was unique and exhilarating. You’ll love it. The only complaint is how hot it was in there. There’s no AC!!! I felt faint and almost passed out.
Frozen In Time: The Race To Save Christmas!PuzzleConnect Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis escape room was a breath of fresh air (it was also the first room we escaped without any hints!!! Yay!!!)… a perfect Christmas-themed room with a little surprise. 😉 It was, according to Frank, the first room that they built. Christina said that they designed this room and the Candy Shoppe at the same time. PuzzleConnect is probably my favorite escape room company in NJ. There’s so much heart, soul, care, and consideration put into the rooms (including the bathrooms!!! There’s even feminine hygiene bags!) and for its visitors. All the rooms are beautiful, well-designed, modern, and clean. Christina and Frank are both super down-to-Earth and definitely add to the experience there. Escape games are clearly near and dear to their hearts, as they’ve played hundreds of escape games so far. I also love how they befriend other escape room companies, such as those in 13th Hour and Expedition Escape. They help lift each other up rather than having too competitive of a spirit (that brings others down).
The Candy ShoppePuzzleConnect Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLAll the escape rooms at Puzzle Connect (created by Christina and Frank on Nov. 2023) are beautiful and well-rounded experiences. Their heart and consideration for both the rooms and players are so evident. I would recommend Puzzle Connect to everyone. My personal favorite was The Candy Shoppe because of its visual appeal. It starts off easy and picks up towards the middle and end.
PlaygroundThe Escape Game - New JerseyEscape roomIRLThis game is my favorite in The Escape Game company so far. It was the last game we did in their series, thinking that it’ll be lame and childish, but it ended up being so fun! 🤩 My only complaint would be that the game master kept giving us hints and even a cheat sheet for one section even though we explicitly told her not to (unless we ask) before we began. We were doing perfectly fine and definitely could have finished without the hints she gave without us asking!
The Dungeon13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLBesides being blindfolded and chained (what drew us to the game in the first place) in the beginning being a new experience, the whole experience was fairly new. Definitely need at least 4 people for this one, especially for the beginning. **Warning** Still just as hot as most of the Hayden rooms (besides the room, “John Hayden” — that one has air conditioning!). Another downer was that there were several mechanical errors that forced the game master to repeatedly revisit the room, which interfered with my experience of The Dungeon. It might have been one of my least favorite of the Hayden rooms because of it… There were too many messy elements.
The Trophy Room13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLPart of the top three Hayden rooms for me! Grand Parlor and Cookhouse are the other two I’ve enjoyed; each has its own charm.
The Cookhouse13th Hour Escape Room - WhartonEscape roomIRLSuch a fun room. It definitely helps having more people because there’s so much to do, and each person picks up on different puzzles… This room could use a little refurbishing, but nonetheless still enjoyable. All the Hayden rooms need air conditioning… Be prepared for the heat in the summer. Heard it gets extremely cold in the winter.
The Lost ArtifactEscape MuchEscape roomIRLEscape Much is designed and created by a couple of escape game enthusiasts who have desires to enliven escape games in NJ. Just opened earlier this year (or maybe even late last year), they have a couple of well-rounded escape games that are worthwhile. The Lost Artifact was especially challenging enough to be fun and offered new high-tech puzzles we’ve never seen before. We’ll definitely await any future escape games by them!
