Dragon RealmMile High Escape OpsEscape roomIRLWe were among the very first groups to play this room, so my critiques should be viewed in that context. First, this is a BEAUTIFUL room. The set design includes tons of creative animation and surprises. It's easily good enough to be among the best in the area and far above what you'd expect to get for $30. I'd be happy to pay $40 or $45. The puzzles were all custom and unique. After you've done a number of rooms, even unique puzzles fall into categories. A few in this room are utterly unlike anything else I've encountered. Most were a lot of fun. That said, a few puzzles were a bit clunky. Some puzzles didn't seem to quite work right the first time or we didn't understand exactly what we were meant to do or the cluing could be improved. Either way, we needed more hints than I like to get through it. The finale had SO much potential, but the puzzle design left us feeling a little frustrated. It's so close. Overall, it didn't blow me away like their other room, Contamination. All the pieces are in place for an incredible room--maybe even Denver's first truly world class escape room--but it's just not there yet. Have faith, by the time you read this, that might have already changed. The owners are passionate and seem to enjoy tinkering until it's just right. Give this room a try and leave a review of it's changed!
ContaminationMile High Escape OpsEscape roomIRLYou know how some rooms have that little something extra? That little thing that you sometimes don't get when you play a fancy escape room? Well, this one has it. As a matter of fact, it practically blasts you in the face. I'll be honest, going in, I didn't know what to expect. I mean, it was all the way out in BRIGHTON. Isn't that like a mile or two from Nebraska? (Hint: No, I was surprised to learn, it's not too far) There were pleasant (and authentically scary) surprises around every corner. Clearly it was created by a team with a passion for this. And best of all, you can FEEL it. Final Verdict: It's much higher on my list than some so-called award winning rooms in the area. Top three even. Bravo. I will be lining up when they open their next room (so please, please hurry up!).
The Tears of FreyaMystic Escape Room - DenverEscape roomIRLThis is a beautiful, imaginative and fun experience that improves upon Mystic Escape Room's already lofty standards established at the Littleton location. The Celtic set was beautiful and often surprising. The puzzles were unique. Not only were there no locks, I can think of only one puzzle that incorporated numbers at all. And yet the puzzles are incredibly satisfying. Easily one of my top 5 room in Denver and a must for anyone visiting the area. My one complaint was that one of the "rules" given before the game spoiled a very cool reveal. Can we not have any nice things? Bonus tip! The cocktails in the lounge are excellent. I highly recommend having a drink when you're done with the game.
Snow Manor [Jubensha Experience 剧本杀]Rabbit Hole Recreation ServicesEscape roomOther I had no experience playing Jubensha prior to this and I had a lot of fun. If you enjoy roleplaying--and even if you're roleplaying curious--and if you like mystery games, either escape rooms or table top games like Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, you'll probably really enjoy this. I definitely want to play their other Jubensha experiences. It's just the nature of Jubensha, but one thing that keeps me from playing more games is how hard it is to find a specific number of adults and get them to actually show up at a set time. Maybe in the future, they'll be able to accommodate last minute switches, but I can understand how problematic that would be from an operator standpoint. My one gripe is the Dream Machine. For a Rabbit Hole experience, it was underwhelming. I had dreams of projection mapping or more custom built scenery. It was... not that. It did add to the experience, but it felt below their typically market-defining standards. The props, with the exception of one, seemed superfluous. And even that one was a little too plain, or small, or just a little off for really capturing the imagination. At $80pp, I would do it again as a special occasion with the right group of people, but I can't recommend it for everyone. If it cost less($65pp?)--or, strangely, if it cost more (for a more enhanced Dream Machine experience and maybe some adult beverages thrown in)--I could see myself coming back more often with a wider range of friends. But if roleplaying slightly edgy Agatha Christie style mysteries are your thing--you'll love this.
![Snow Manor [Jubensha Experience 剧本杀]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/74382a32-e546-422d-b65f-6f6db7929c59.png)