40 ThievesMindTrap Escape Room - TemeculaEscape roomIRLReally charmingly decorated and very cool, unique tech. Most of the room was pretty intuitive (although we needed a few prompts to get us going for certain puzzles). There is a physical aspect to the room to keep in mind. We played with 4 people, which we felt was the perfect amount. 6 would probably be the max amount of people to fit comfortably in the room.
Moriarty's ManorMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLWe did Moriarty's Manor with a group of 5 and we found it pretty challenging! My group had varied experience levels (a few beginners, a few with 10+, and one who had done 30+) and we still had to request around 5 hints (and finished with only 5 minutes remaining). The puzzles had really cool tech with a lot of new things that I had never seen before. We really beat ourselves up on things that we requested hints for because we should have got it in the first place. All of the puzzles were logical and cohesive. Our GM Victoria was a sweetheart and we're definitely looking forward to coming back to play the black and white cafe room as well. This has probably been my favorite room in San Diego due to the really cool puzzle tech and high difficulty. Would recommend playing this with at least 3 people even though the min is 2.
The NeighborSteal and EscapeEscape roomIRLI loved this one. My group of 4 came here after going to a different, disappointing room in Oceanside and we're so glad we did. Our GM Manny was really nice and excited to greet us. We had an amazing time. The game technology in here was advanced and had a lot of new puzzle tech that I haven't seen before. There were enough puzzles for all of us to split up and do at different times (we prefer non linear to linear) so we were all able to split up and do our own things. The room has a smart tech concept that we really appreciated. Overall, probably one of the best ones we've done in San Diego.
The EscapeThe Unlockables - San DiegoEscape roomIRLWe've done both Sister's Secret (creepier) and this one. The separated start is really unique and a fun way to start. All of Unlockables' rooms are non-linear, which is really great for larger groups. We played with a group of 5, which was almost too many people, but we were all able to have something to do most times.
Sister's SecretThe Unlockables - San DiegoEscape roomIRLThis was one of my first escape rooms and I was so creeped out by it! The ambience is very creepy (no live actors/jump scares though). Early on, we got plushies and I carried mine for most of the game :') There were some really unique puzzles and it is a bit difficult for beginner escape room players. There are A LOT of puzzles and it's non-linear, so it's a great room to play with 4+ people. There are also a lot of Hamilton references, which was hilarious.
The Book of The DragonsCuriosity Escape Rooms [prev. Clever Fox Escape Rooms - Menifee]Escape roomIRLThis room was pretty difficult. My fiance and I did this as our first 2 person room together and it was HARD. We're pretty new to escape rooms (this was our 5th maybe) so a lot of the tech was really novel and interesting for us. We barely escaped with less than 20 seconds remaining after using a lot of hints, but our game master was so much fun to interact with. A lot of the puzzles need precision and won't unlock unless you get it exactly right. Would recommend this with more than 2 people, some of the puzzles were a little difficult to do and we were time crunched with only the 2 of us.
Y2K VirusThe Unlockables - PowayEscape roomIRLThis is moreso a beginner level room. A fun theme but really short. The theming is cute and my group was dancing to the tunes as we went through the room. Would recommend for a small group that's more in the inexperienced side.
Exit ProtocolThe Unlockables - PowayEscape roomIRLWe were expecting it to be a bit more difficult but I'd rate it a 6/10 difficulty. We've played Unlockables at the Clairemont Mesa Blvd location and enjoyed the production value there more than here. The puzzles did have an electronic component that was enjoyable since the room was spy themed.
Lost Tomb of CleopatraGreat Room Escape - San DiegoEscape roomIRLYour run of the mill escape room. It impressively was mostly tech (I don't think there were any lock and key). We went with mostly beginners and we managed to get through the room pretty quickly. Probably best for, at most, a group of 4 since it's pretty small.
The Official SAW EscapeSaw Escape RoomEscape roomIRLEscape room is honestly a misnomer here- it's more like a horror maze with puzzles stuffed in. The place is huge and we probably spent about 1.5 hours in here, but it was an extremely stressful experience with a live actor yelling at us for most of the time. The puzzles were not logical or cohesive. You get clues via intercom for every room and it was honestly super hard to hear/ focus. You don't get to take your time per room but are instead ushered out at the end of a designated amount of time in the room (15 min or whatever) and forced into the next room regardless of whether you finished. The production value and sets were extremely high though and the atmosphere felt like you were in a SAW movie. We were very creeped out and scared for the majority of the experience. Would highly recommend if you're a horror fan and would like to experience a very immersive set. Would not recommend if you're looking to do an escape room.
