Servants of SleightThe Exit Games FLEscape roomIRLIncredible all around. Super original, impeccably atmospheric, wonderfully paced, and thoughtful engaging puzzles that are just difficult enough without being frustrating. This was only the second escape room I’ve ever done, and I guarantee it will almost spoil you and your expectations of other escape rooms you play after it. If there’s one you should absolutely play with people you love, pick this one. You’ll be sad you won’t be able to play it for the first time again after beating it. Servants of Sleight has it all, and many elements I have still haven’t seen in other escape rooms since playing. Don’t spoil yourself! Go in knowing nothing and you are guaranteed to have such a blast!
Pins & Needles Tattoo ParlorThe Exit Games FLEscape roomIRLWe finally got around to playing Pins and Needles and while I would personally say it’s a “tad”overhyped, it is not without merit that this is probably one of the most well realized, detailed, atmospheric and creative rooms we have ever played. “Servants of Sleight” was the second room we ever played. For us, it really set a high bar for escape room experiences that became truly, very hard to surpass and has only been equaled a handful of times. It’s clear beyond any doubt “Pins and Needles” has the same level of care, love and enthusiasm poured into its creation as the former. We just wish we had played it sooner, as it’s clear many other companies have copied The Exit Game’s creativity and winning formula poorly (especially for this room’s twists), which if you’ve played many experiences, you’ll immediately notice the twist’s similarities. As for gameplay, while we had a very good time, it didn’t feel as smooth an experience solving puzzles as “Servants of Sleight”. Maybe we had slightly an off-day, but we each agreed wasn’t as “tight” an adventure as their other offering. Make no mistake however, Pins and Needles is definitely one of the best you will EVER play. Aside from a couple puzzles being a tad frustrating, most puzzles are EXTREMELY creative, original and in theme. We can’t say we’ve seen anything like most of what was on display. If you call yourself an enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to play Pins and Needles and Servants of Sleight, perhaps both in the same day (like we did). We enjoyed “Servants” so much we’ve played it 3 times at this point. These experiences complement each other really well and we can’t wait to see their newest offering coming sometime in 2025.
Cornstalkers: Lost in the MaizeThe Escape Ventures - OrlandoEscape roomIRLA landmark achievement. This is industry level redefining. Cornstalkers is exactly what one hopes for with an escape room in the modern era. Beautifully designed, thoughtfully planned and engineered, clever and very unique in-theme puzzles, next level immersion, fantastic acting and writing, and a perfect balance of fun and scary. Not since Neighborhood Watch have I played something so genuinely creative and frightening. THIS IS HOW YOU DO AN ESCAPE ROOM!!! From the moment you check in, the Game Masters brilliantly immerse you into the story (which I won’t spoil), that leads to a series of events that unfold with ominous and entertaining implications, descending into one of the most awesomely intense and fear inducing escape rooms you’ll ever have the joy of experiencing. I personally didn’t find it “too” scary as many others have, but it cannot be understated how effective and genuinely frightening the scenarios are in the game. But if you’re a super fraidy cat, you might have a heart attack. Cornstalkers creates a level of growing urgency as the game progresses, yet you never see a timer. This is handled brilliantly by clever nudges if you take too long in certain areas. It must be experienced to be truly understood and appreciated. Among everything else, the gameplay is truly a work of genius. It’s a brilliant culmination of everything learned by artists that genuinely understand the industry, and who want to do nothing more than entertain and create the best interactive experience possible. I don’t really know how to compare this to any other rooms other than ones The Escape Venture have made. The level of detail in the production design is awe inspiring and sets a new standard. The puzzles flow so seamlessly and progress so logically you forget you’re playing a game. The interactivity and storytelling is unlike anything I’ve ever played before. This is the real deal. I don’t want to spoil a thing in this review. The hype is 100% legit. Experience it for yourself. Go with good friends, have a great time. You’ll only get to experience this for the first time once. Make sure it’s a good one. Me? I CAN’T WAIT TO PLAY IT AGAIN!
Neighborhood WatcherThe Escape Ventures - OrlandoEscape roomIRLThis is how it’s done. THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE AN ESCAPE ROOM! Tightly focused, perfectly and briskly paced, awesomely constructed and full of surprises. This should be a gold standard for companies to follow. Everything from buildout, to story flow, pacing, puzzle and set design, the world building. You name it, this nailed it. Originally, we were concerned going in if this was going to be an exploitative schlockfest with tasteless story choices and visual cues (ie: murdered children, gore and such). I’m relieved it’s actually somehow much more thoughtfully, carefully and creatively realized than I could ever have imagined. It’s just the right amount of tension and scares (and even a bit of humor) to keep the perfect tone all the way through, without being gruesome or resorting to grisly imagery. It’s incredible how they managed to create the perfect balance between fun and scary, without going into the realm of tasteless or “too real” to be upsetting. This is especially an important point to illustrate and underscore because of the theme, and for any apprehension some might have about playing it from its description. However, it’s still intense and not one for younger kids or people who can’t handle high tension situations. Our GM/actor Will, gave an AMAZING performance and I cannot imagine this being done by anyone else. Everything flowed so well, that when you’re not thinking about a puzzle’s logic and you’re getting immersed in a game, you know you’ve entered a good one. From beginning to end, it all made sense and provided a decent challenge without any one puzzle overstaying its welcome. Everything was themed well and consistent with the world building. The clue system was ingeniously woven into the story. It all just worked and did so brilliantly. If you’re in the mood for a good fright with a few laughs, you owe it to yourself to play this one.
漆黒の悟り [Shadow Zen]Studio Escape Daikoku-choEscape roomIRLStudio Escape has established an amazing little business with incredibly high end experiences. We went in knowing little to nothing about this experience other than it was a period piece set it 1800s Japan. With that said, I recommend you do the same. Shadow Zen is one of the most beautifully realized, constructed, atmospheric, advanced (both physically and technologically) escape rooms I have ever seen, anywhere in the world. You are immediately sucked in to the experience upon entering and beginning. You can’t help but waste time looking in awe at the entire space and what follows. Calling it “creative”doesn’t do it justice. It’s mind blowing and full of great thematic twists you will never see coming. Best of all, it’s fun. Perfectly paced, not terribly difficult and doesn’t overstay its welcome. And it’s playable in both Japanese or English, and it’s 100% perfect English with no translation issues whatsoever. In fact I’d say it seems apparent the room wasn’t even translated from Japanese and that its written originally in English. I can’t think of a recent room I’ve played that was just so incredibly perfect. If you’re ever in Osaka, Japan, you absolutely must experience Shadow Zen!
Operation Arctic Storm: The Final MeltdownThe Escape Ventures - OrlandoEscape roomIRLA very unique, super original and mostly enjoyable experience. It’s has a large footprint, many rooms, is extremely expansive and very creative. While I thought there were a few hiccups because of several less engaging or interesting puzzles (compared to some of their other rooms), the entire production and experience can’t be denied as anything but fun, and an amazing achievement overall. Story was definitely one you’ve never seen before, with a few familiar little nods to science fiction movies and media sprinkled in. Our GM and actor Chris was great, and did an amazing job keeping us engaged and progressing the story. Our overall immersion went well and was fun the whole way through. I might just be an outlier here, but I didn’t think the puzzles were really a highlight in this one. I was more impressed with the actual build of the entire experience and things that happened in it/throughout it, rather than (maybe) most of the puzzles. Thats not to say they’re bad, but you might be spoiled by their other rooms if this isn’t your first one with them. Still, it’s a minor peeve and everything flowed pretty seamlessly and was kept on theme. Overall, it can’t be overstated just how cool a production this one is, and is absolutely worth checking out!
Crazy Train: The Ballad of Skeemin' PlotzDoldrick's Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis is a really tough one to rate. I’m erring on the side of a “slight thumbs up”, solely on the creative aspects of the room alone. It’s extremely impressive and commendable to see how much creativity, originality and work went into Crazy Train, pulling tremendous inspiration from 1920s cartoon serials. Original animation, music, voice work and more are just some of the great high points on display. The problem we had was, save for a few very entertaining moments, it wasn’t really fun to play. In fact, for most of the 75 minutes, it felt like a sluggish chore, and most of the puzzles were more annoying than fun to complete. When it works, it works really well. When it doesn’t, you really feel it. Certain puzzles and sections are artificially confusing, boring or just uninteresting, dragging on way too long instead of keeping a light pace, which is especially strange given Crazy Train’s madcap cartoon thematics. It’s upsetting to have to say this, because these pacing issues drag down what could have been an otherwise brisk, breezy, light hearted experience. Instead, it feels like it takes way too long to get things going, keep things going, and end things, hampering a lot of the fun and creativity on display. Everything else is really great, and I know that’s strange to say because this room struggles in the area that probably matters most, the gameplay. You can’t have the look and feel of a good room and not have the gameplay match its energy. If a lot of puzzles were tweaked and the logic not so obtuse, the entire thing would be perfect. It has all the makings of a perfect room, but I just can’t really recommend it from a “fun” standpoint. Unless you are there to appreciate all the work and artistry that went into this, you may not really have a good time.
Nightfall: Creature At Camp DeadwoodThe Escape Ventures - Port CharlotteEscape roomIRLThis was a wonderful experience and one of the best surprises we’ve had in quite some time. The set design! The sights! Even the smells! Unbelievably creative, immersive and a delight from beginning to end. We were grinning ear to ear the whole way through. Upon entry, you’re immediately smacked with the authentic scent of a campfire and the forest. I won’t say much more, but it underscores an amazing level of detail throughout the entire experience that truly elevates it beyond most rooms you’ll ever play. The buildout is so incredibly inspired, unique and clever. There’s also an immense utilization of lighting, effects and music that is extremely pro-level stuff. This is the real deal. It’s a great story that becomes funnier, and a bit scarier, as things progress, but is 100% entirely entertaining the whole way through. The pacing is absolutely perfect, and there’s a sense of urgency that sustains and maintains throughout your adventure without feeling overbearing. The puzzles range anywhere from the medium to harder side of things, but they were not impossible or frustrating at all. Our GM Jacob went above and beyond with our experience, being an incredible host, super dedicated actor and was just an all around really great human being. He was an absolute delight to have as our GM and probably one of our favorites we’ve ever had in the dozens upon dozens we’ve played. I can’t stress this enough, these guys have put together such a different and unique escape room. Just go, you should absolutely check it out. We cannot wait to come back and play their other experiences.
女王と国のために [For Queen & Country]Studio Escape NipponbashiEscape roomIRLGoing in as cold as possible to what “For Queen & Country” is about is probably the best way to experience it. Mind blowing immersion, incredible set design, super polished gameplay, flawless flow, fun and very engaging story (very funny too), puzzles that all connected and made sense (AND NO ENDLESS LOCKBOXES EITHER!). And it can be played in Japanese or English (and the game is offered in 100% perfect English). All the elements worked together so seamlessly that we were kind of in complete disbelief by the end. What makes the entire experience work is how you truly did not know what was going to happen next when you progressed. Each space was always a new set of skills, puzzles and experiences you hadn’t done or seen yet. And this game has many that we haven’t seen in any escape room ANYWHERE in the world too. And best of all, it’s not too hard either, which is great because it keeps things breezy, entertaining, and most importantly fun. Newbies and experienced vets alike won’t even care that it’s not the hardest escape room they’ve ever done. The writing, dialogue, immersion, sets, everything is so freaking top notch. I can’t stress enough just how cool and creative this experience is. I wish I could play it for the first time again. If you’re ever in Osaka, Japan, you owe it to yourself to check out For Queen & Country.
Disappearance: Last LocationWill To Escape - OrlandoEscape roomIRLLovingly crafted, very atmospheric and moody, with relatively smooth, moderately challenging gameplay. This is the right amount of ominous and spooky without being heart-stoppingly scary, or overly grotesque and violent. Gameplay is a mixture of tried and true puzzles, many harkening from Gen 1 style escape rooms (lock solving and more and pattern recognition). A few inspired and reimagined puzzles that were on theme and definitely clever, and a nice few surprises and reveals as the game progresses. With that in mind, it’s still not a theme I’d recommend for anyone under the age of say 15 or so. It’s surprisingly pretty dark thematically speaking. Given the subject matter, it also, surprisingly, manages to capture a real threat of menace and danger lingering throughout, while also showing a good deal of restraint by not being a gorefest of any kind, unlike a lot of escape rooms with similar themes would usually indulge. Probably one of the best rooms in a “safe scary” kind of way for people looking to have some fun, creepy thrills. Not the scariest I’ve played by miles, but a very effectively spooky and atmospheric room.
![漆黒の悟り [Shadow Zen]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/febd94e2-562b-4655-9ef6-efcfc36c582c.jpeg)
![女王と国のために [For Queen & Country]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/2face699-6501-406a-b2e1-65e4b9987381.jpeg)
