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Morty score459
  • Escape rooms449
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Panda

    @Busboom@Shadowkira@chriskinard26

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    • Bio
    • Experiences (459)
    • Wishlist (10)
    • Reviews (449)>
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    • Escape rooms (449)
    1776

    1776

    The Escape Room USA - Fishers

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    Unique period setting room with some good props, sets, and atmosphere. Never played a game like it at all before which is part of the appeal. I wish the game leaned more into the props rather than just clues on signs or paper. There aren’t many puzzles, but most of them are solid and somewhat fit into the time period. One puzzle irked us because we got a solution a certain way (which technically didn’t follow a specific prompt) but were told that it didn’t count and we had to start over because it was not following the rules of the puzzle. We felt pretty smart for solving it our way. I’m not upset at the fact that we were told to reset it, as much as I am disappointed that such a puzzle has all these specific rules and conditions in the first place. I feel if players can achieve a solution through clever means, then let them feel smart finding the answer in their own way instead of confining them to solving it the creator’s intended way. Rant aside, I did enjoy that puzzle and the rest of the room. That part just dampened the mood a little for us.
    7 Deadly Sins

    7 Deadly Sins

    Escapology - Downers Grove

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    7 Deadly Sins is a fun, spookyish room set in a church. The puzzles are pretty enjoyable, but a bit devilish, though very manageable except a few that could be interpreted in multiple ways. It’s also dark, but luckily we could use our phone flashlights. Without it, it would have been much more difficult. I really enjoyed the theme and setting, though one thing that would have elevated it is a more interesting set design than just wallpapers of scenery. Loved the fun moments throughout, especially at the end! If you’re a glutton for difficult puzzles that test your wrath and lusting for a good Halloween experience, try this room out and satisfy your escape room greed! I won’t envy you if you’re a sloth, and can’t solve these tough puzzles fast enough. Our team of 2 escaped with pride and time to spare!
    Behind The Curtain

    Behind The Curtain

    Twisted Limits Escape Rooms

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    Abduction

    Abduction

    Countdown Games

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    This room had one of the most elaborate machines I’ve seen! Much of the room centers on this huge Rube Goldberg mousetrap-like contraption. It sounds complicated, but the flow was very linear and made sense to us. It helps that a computer guided our interactions throughout the large multi-story room. Was just super fun to experience and play! Haven’t even seen Saw or whatever this is sorta based on. It’s not very creepy in case you are scared, but the room does start with an interesting surprise. We came, we SAW, we conquered!
    Abstract Larceny

    Abstract Larceny

    Brainstorm Escapes: The Conspiratory

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    Thankfully, the puzzles at Abstract Larceny aren’t actually all that abstract! Everything made sense, though there were definitely a few things that were tricky to figure out. Room starts out dark, but there are ways to light up the room immediately. That said, some people might struggle because of the dimness of the room. Otherwise, it’s a pretty big space with a fun, sensical nonlinear structure. It has a surprising use for light tech that I enjoyed. I also liked the reverse-heist angle this room went for. Down with “very legitimate businesses!”
    Activate [Interactive Arcade]

    Activate [Interactive Arcade]

    Activate - Chicago (Oak Brook)

    • Escape room
    • Other
    More of a physical challenge activities facility than an escape room, Activate is often a great time! The company has multiple facilities around the U.S. and Canada, and the location in Chicago has more games than the other one I went to in Lexington, Kentucky. It has active arcade games like a portal challenge, where you throw balls into holes and they pop out of another hole, and a game where you have a control panel similar to a video game adventure. Most of the other games are great too and range from being in an interactive platformer video game to throwing basketballs to solve trivia. We end up sweating from all the running around and crawling! There are about 15-20 rooms, so there are a lot of choices. The only thing that was tough is if it’s busy, you may have to use up more of your limited 75-minute time slot waiting for people. And if they’re too loud, you can’t hear some of the audio-based challenges. So it really depends on the day. I still recommend it for groups, and I would definitely say it’s a great spot for parties and big hangouts!
    Activate [Interactive Arcade]

    Activate [Interactive Arcade]

    Activate - Lexington

    • Escape room
    • Other
    Activate is not an escape room, but it is a super fun series of physical arcade-like challenges. It’s as if you were transported into a video game! You have to run, jump, shoot, crawl, climb, and throw in multiple challenges. Each of the 8 rooms has different modes and difficulty levels. And as long as nobody else is in that room, you can go straight in with your group for a private game. Once you start, you have 75 minutes to do as many challenges in the facility as you can or want. Games include pressing buttons to spell words while hiding from a gigantic eye, running on colorful disco floors platformer game style, and throwing balls onto specific targets. There are so much more, and you probably won’t get through them all in one session. There are 10 difficulty levels per game too and they ramp up fast. The challenges are so fun, and you will work up a sweat! As you win games, you get points that cumulatively add up across your visits in any of the locations across the country. Those points get you rewards like keychains and water bottles. Again, this isn’t an escape room, but there are similar challenges that test both your brain and agility. It’s intense, replayable, and a ton of fun with a good group! I’m already wanting to reactivate soon!
    Adventure at MISH MASH

    Adventure at MISH MASH

    MISH MASH Adventures

    • Escape room
    • Other
    Mish Mash Adventures is more of a challenging playground than a typical escape room experience. Instead of one room that you escape within 2 hours or so, there are about 16 rooms that you can challenge within 1 or 2 hours. You aren’t required to clear every room to “win.” In fact, there is no actual overall win condition for the experience. Rather, you are encouraged to clear as many as you can. What makes this very different from typical escape room challenges is that about half of them are physical challenges. Very active physical challenges! Some challenges are reminiscent to Ninja Warrior obstacle courses! Needless to say, my team instead opted to do the more intellectual, logic puzzles. None of the puzzles are really super challenging logically, but they may require concentration, which is hard to achieve when lots of kids are yelling in the big warehouse-like environment. It made some of these rooms more frustrating than they should have been. Overall, this experience is best suited for kids and teenagers or athletic individuals, but not necessarily those wanting an escape room per se. Still, some of these unique experiences combining both athletic prowess and logical thinking are challenges that I will never see in normal escape rooms, so I’m glad to have tried it here!
    Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express

    Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express

    Escapology - Orland Park

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    I’m a fan of Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, and Murder on the Orient Express (both the book and the movie), so I’m a little biased into liking this room. However, it did also have its issues. My favorite part is downright solving the mystery, and as a huge mystery buff, I loved the logic puzzles involved in solving this case (which by the way is not the same case as the book proper). But some of the puzzles leading before it are annoying to say the least. One of the puzzles took us about 20 minutes, just because we couldn’t completely understand what exactly the room wanted us to do. We tried multiple ways until we realized we did it right the first way and just mixed up 2 numbers because of the vagueness of the puzzle itself. It would have been nice to have nudges for this one, which we said were ok beforehand. Instead we had to press the hint button several times while the GM tried to figure out what part we needed help with. Had we not been train wrecked by these 1st few puzzles, I would have much more enjoyed the mystery to come and would have had more time to solve it. Set wise, the first room was fun with a video of the outside as the train chugs along. The further in you go, the less it resembles an actual train. Much of the decorations, even important clues, are cheap paper wall stickers, which are disappointing with regards to immersion. I still would say this train ride is fun for mystery buffs and fans of the source material, but other less-enthused players may not even want to get a ticket. I much prefer this location’s Scooby Doo escape room for mystery fun.
    Alcatraz

    Alcatraz

    Trapped Escape Game

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    Standard prison room, although it doesn’t even have some of the usual gimmicks of this genre. Little to no tech, ok puzzles that revolve around reading a notebook, and lots of locks. The rooms are public here (as they are in Gatlin’s Escape Games). The difference is that the rooms there are much better. We were with another random group so we got out with half the time to spare. Room was still fun, but not necessarily where I would wanna be trapped if I could only choose one place.
    Alice In Wonderland

    Alice In Wonderland

    Panic Escape Room - South Elgin

    • Escape room
    • IRL
    Very cute room based on a theme I love a lot! The movie itself isn’t actually focused on here, which I liked as a fan of the original source. The room itself is smaller with less puzzles overall and an easy difficulty, but it’s still fun. Between that and the Alice in Wonderland theming, this is an excellent choice for children and families!