Cryptid GroveEscape Room Herndon - Raven's NestEscape roomIRLDisclaimer: played a test version as an employee Ive worked for Escape Room Herndon for several years now, and have seen three rooms built in that time. Almost from the beginning, the owner had a vision for a room based on a shack in the woods filled with mystery, adventure, and whimsical fantasy. And i could tell playing this room, it is one that he was passionate about. The puzzles were fun and immersive, there was a good flow, and wonderful aesthetics. The room dips into little nods and references to the media that helped inspire it. Some blatant, some a lot more subtle, but enough to please even a grumpy uncle. Like 8 Bit Escape, Cryptid Grove is a solid room on its own, but there is a target audience that the experience will deeply resonate with. There are a few wow puzzles and some that will made me shout "Shmebulock!" (or Eureka! If you prefer ) I believe the room lived up to the gravity of the hype within our team, and did not fall short of my expectations. I would recommend 4 players for this room if theyve had a few under their belt (which is probably a safe bet for Morty users!) But for beginner's I would recommend 6. While it could certainly be played with more, youd end up waddling about each other and missing the magic, and gnome-one wants that. I would suggest if youre bringing beginner bills, perhaps start with Maritime Mutiny first. Parts of Cryptid are pretty unique for escape rooms (at least compared to the ~50 under my belt!) and maybel hurt expectations for future rooms. Either way, wendy chance presents itself, i definitely suggest fording your way on down to play this magical shooting star.
The DepthsThe Escape Game - Penn QuarterEscape roomIRLThis was my first submarine themed escape room, and 2nd room for Escape Games. I was pleased to try a different theme, but as one friend pointed out, "space and submarines are basically the same, open the door and you die." That said, the aesthetics were great, puzzles and flow were solid, props looked sharp, everything worked well. The staff was excellent, very friendly and engaging. Our game master was Hyde, but we also interacted with two front desk people who were also lovely. My main complaints: there's unnecessary time sinks, they provide lore, but nothing useful for the game itself. I wish we knew that instead of being riveted by this component. It's also hard to move around the first room because its so small. The Escape Game also lets you take pictures inside the room, which was a blessing for solving some puzzles, especially when there's no notepad available. I'm also very impressed with how they offer 3d tours of the rooms on their website, that's very cool. Even though Escape Games is a big chain, it doesnt play or feel that way. We had a great time and I look forward to returning!
