Classified: Operation Nine LivesEscape Artist Greenville - DowntownEscape roomIRLThe best theming of any escape room, ever.
Mission: SoliloquyMission: Escape CantonEscape roomIRLMission: Escape consistently delivers with bespoke, memorable experiences. This one is a combination of spooky, fantastical, and touching, that is our favorite so far.
Cosmic CrisisThe Escape Game - West MidtownEscape roomIRLOne of the smaller TEG games, but up to their high standards. Fans of the company will enjoy it. A few puzzles are timing/dexterity-based, which isn’t my jam, but they were themed well, and didn’t outstay their welcome like most do. The overall conceit is playful and should work for most any group.
Frankenstein: The Awakening60 Minute Escape GameEscape roomIRLI'd say this is one of the worst games I’ve ever played, but I can't, because it wasn't actually a playable game. Several puzzles were in such a broken state that it was literally impossible to progress, or succeed. The GM tried to demonstrate how things were supposed to work, but they failed to do so, in front of us. That must have been uncomfortable for them. 🫤
Witch HunterParanoia Quest - BufordEscape roomIRLThis room is licensed. We also played it at 13th Gate as "Spellbound". That version is better (first act is more spacious and vegetative, lighting is nicer, and most importantly, the hint system is a cat) and you should play it instead, but if you're not going to, this is still a very good implementation.
Mission: CopánMission: Escape CartersvilleEscape roomIRLThe set is surprisingly good. The puzzle count is low, so it would be nice if they could scale that, or their difficulty. The team has a great attitude and we’re excited to see what else they do in the future.
The Purrfect CrimeMurfreesboro Escape Rooms [prev. Locked: Escape Game Murfreesboro]Escape roomIRLIf you like cats, do this room. No question. 😻 It has a lot of world-class delightful and whimsical voice acting. Its presentation could be improved by having another set of speakers—as it is, you have to step between sections for the clearest audio—but it's easy to understand. Slate, our GM, was very friendly and did an awesome job!
PastaWayMurfreesboro Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis room is delightful and you should do it if you're two people, in the area. It's unique. But manage your expectations—you're in for one of those sessions of "imagine how awesome this *could* be"… With some mechanical iteration, this room would deserve much higher marks. As we experienced it, there was something mechanically wonky with nearly all of the puzzles. There are two excellently voice acted characters. But the audio coming from the character on top, who has a thick accent, is lowpass filtered so much that you're probably going to find a lot of what he says to be unintelligible. And the audio from the other side of the room is just much too quiet. When you're presented with on-screen instructions, they don't stay up indefinitely. And they take time to be "written"—this is very frustrating when you're *almost* done with a task, and then need to wait for the entire list to be written again. All of this reduced immersion significantly—which is a shame, because the great environment, story, puzzles, and voice acting deserve for the rest of the experience to work better. It's possible that Murfreesboro Escape Rooms is reaching a bit beyond what they can execute, here, but it's still a good experience as-is, if you're a seasoned player who has been trained to cope with problems like this. We have hope that this room can become more amazing, and we're especially excited to see what they try next! Jaden, our GM, was very friendly and did an awesome job!
Terror on Timberline Haunted YardTerror On TimberlineHauntHaunted houseHaunted trailFree neighborhood affair with three well-themed rooms. Chill family vibe; accompanied by block party when we went. Highly recommended if you live nearby.
Scavenged SoulsScavenged SoulsHauntHaunted houseThe downside of this being a charity event is that there's no way to pay extra to skip the line–so bring something on your phone or watch so you can accomplish something while waiting. But everything else is an upside. It's amazing what they've done with the available space. It's obviously not *huge*, but is more expansive than we anticipated, and a better experience than many paid attractions. Each group actually has ample space in which to be scared, rather than the prevalent common conveyor-belt style experience where every potential scare is telegraphed by the group in front of yours.
