Election DayAppleseed AvenueEscape roomOther This was such an impressive immersive experience. The puppets, the plot, the puzzling - everything comes together into such a cohesive storytelling experience that highlights deduction, critical thinking, and collaboration. There is such a great mechanic that makes sense in-universe and all the elements of play are so thoughtfully designed. It is a 100 minute experience but my team was groveling for more - we were not ready for it to end. I cannot recommend this game enough. What a delightful, satisfying adventure from start to finish. Bravo, Matt and Pat!
Moriarty's ManorMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLVictoria was such an amiable and considerate game master! We felt very welcomed and that we were in good hands. The game was so creative, immersive, and had a wide range of puzzles that would appeal to all types of thinkers. Absolutely loved every part of this game!
Witchly Ever AfterOmescape - San JoseEscape roomIRLThis was such a beautiful, whimsical game. The set is so cute and perfectly captures the fairytale spirit. Puzzles were a great blend of accessible and, yet, challenging enough. There was a creative mechanism I hadn't seen done (well) in other games before. Definitely family friendly but meaty enough to be appreciated by adults or enthusiasts, as well.
Code GreenDorm Scapes - OnlineEscape roomVirtual This was such a well-designed room! From the narrative to the set design (all done in a dorm room, mind you!), this was such a creative and entertaining adventure to experience. A great balance of prop usage, immersion, and puzzling, I found this to be a cute, captivating experience from start to finish. Great job, Tyler!
Operation Ares: Escape from MarsKryptic Tales Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLThis was a cute space-themed room! I thought that the puzzles fit perfectly into the theme and story, and they definitely required a lot of collaboration, decoding, and patterns recognition. I found this to be a “big brain” thinking game mixed with some great physical prop usage and mechanics. There were many opportunities to divide and conquer, but the more you diverged, the more you’d come together again (…that will make sense if you play the room!). My team and I really enjoyed this experience and we felt super satisfied after finishing everything.
The Scholars of the Islamic WorldMuseum of Islamic ArtEscape roomOther This cleverly crafted learning experience is a prime example of how to blend museum education with student engagement. It is a heist theme, with players having to find the missing artifacts (high-fidelity replicas of the real deal!) and place them back in the right location. Split into four wings, participants cycle through each station to interact with different artifacts and solve themed puzzles. Reflecting the rich history & culture of Qatar, the different rooms range from ancient astronomy & mathematics to art & music, with creative takes on how players would learn something and then immediately apply it (think: learning about the historical use of an abacus and then using it to solve a math puzzle). This "activation" not only promotes and teaches the museum curatorial content, but it offers participants a means of getting hands-on and tactile with their puzzles -- not something a museum could typically boast. I hope to see collaborations and experiences like this in museums (and other comparable spaces) so ubiquitous they become the norm.
Escape from the MeetingEscape from the MeetingEscape roomVirtual Set against the backdrop of an interminable Zoom meeting, you and your teammates need to complete certain tasks in order to "escape" the experience. I don't want to spoil too much, but I can confidently say the commitment to immersion is highly commendable (i.e. the conceit behind your tasks and how you submit them or how you ask for hints is hilariously on theme). Everything you do and all the materials you need to rummage through to solve your puzzles is fully on brand. You may, at times, legitimately feel like you're an employee at this corporation, for better or for worse! This game was such a breath of fresh air! Quirky, clever, and perhaps a bit too on-the-nose (in a hilarious fashion) about corporate culture and online team meetings. While inspired by The Office, I think a more accurate pop culture descriptor would be perhaps Silicon Valley (if the two were to ever have a modern sitcom lovechild, this game would be it). If you enjoy satirizing the minutiae and ridiculousness of a stereotypical white-collar/techie work environment, you'll definitely get a kick out of this game!
FlashbackEscape Room in a BoxEscape roomTabletopI thought this was really cleverly designed! For one of the earlier escape room in a box experiences, I think they did well in throwing puzzles and story that immerse you into the flashback theme. There’s a creative mechanic toward the end of the experience that I hadn’t seen in any other experiences (boxed game or otherwise), and it made for a satisfying end to the series of puzzles to solve. It’s a great rainy day or stay-in activity!
VampireMaze Rooms - TarzanaEscape roomIRLThis room is great for slightly larger groups (perhaps inching toward 6-8 as opposed to the more common 4). There’s a lot to do and there are elements that really do require 4 players at a minimum. This means that there are a lot of opportunities across a sprawling room to run back-and-forth or to shout out things to each other to try and be more efficient. Definitely a teamwork oriented game (in a very good way!). Some creative interactive things are built in for some fun surprises…really great and on point for the vampire theme. :)
Wild WestPanIQ Room - San JoseEscape roomIRLI found the theming of this room to be its strongest asset — it definitely transported you into the Wild West era. The way the puzzles were built into the space made a lot of sense for the theme and added a high level of immersion to the game. As for the puzzles themselves, there were a handful (which, in a room, I believe to be a lot…) that didn’t quite make sense logically. It felt like some big leaps and assumptions had to be made (in ways that wouldn’t quite be a player’s first choice). I’m still impressed by the set for what it is and what it tries to accomplish, but I do feel like some of the puzzles were more puzzling than satisfying.
