The Jurassic ProjectMemphis Escape Rooms - South MainEscape roomIRLThis room is over-the-top, elaborately themed (and huge), and the story-line is exceptional. There aren't as many puzzles as some rooms, but this is definitely designed to be an experience rather than non-stop puzzles. That being said, there is a good variety of puzzles. We probably wasted a lot of time just staring at everything in the room because of how well done it was. It was extremely immersive. There were several physical elements, and this room would not be appropriate for mobility issues. We were told the room might be too scary for our 10-yr-old daughter, but we didn't think that would be the case after playing it. There were some thematic elements that weren't really scary but were what we would expect given the theme, which made the game more immersive. Knowing our girl, we might have her turn her head at times because we know what isn't her thing, but I didn't think there was anything she couldn't tolerate in the room. Everything was purposeful and added to the theming. Overall, the room was fantastic, and it is easily my husband's favorite of all we've played.
Shipwreck CoveMemphis Escape Rooms - South MainEscape roomIRLA new favorite. Extremely immersive, excellent theming and great game play. Puzzles were varied, unique and a lot of fun. We had a great time with this room!
Monsters from the AbyssMemphis Escape Rooms - East MemphisEscape roomIRLI wanted to love this room, but it was just ok for us. The design and running of the room are impressive for sure. The concept was great, but we felt it lacked a little in execution, especially with the monster theme. We were hoping for a creepier, more intense experience than what it was (possibly more of an issue with expectation than an issue with the room). If you want to be scared, this room isn't going to do that for you. The room felt dated, and it seemed that we had to manipulate puzzles a few times for them to work properly. We had a fun time and admired how they ran the room (love this idea and could see it being awesome with a different concept), but we never felt immersed in the room and felt some elements that were supposed to be scary seemed a little silly. It was one of their weaker rooms for us.
SMAIN: Yuletide Toy HeistMemphis Escape Rooms - South MainEscape roomIRLFun room with a lot of interesting elements. Staff were extremely quick with hints (usually we ask for no hints but forgot due to the unusual beginning of the room), so something to note to them if you don't love hints. Puzzles were great and well-themed; however, some things had to be manipulated after completing the puzzle to access them. It wasn't always clear what was planned to open, so we had completed puzzles a couple of times and were waiting for something to happen when we had push or pull on it to make it work. The center platform in the room and I did not get-along, as I smashed my shin into the bottom every time I had to interact with it. I'm shorter, so it was hard to reach anything without getting my legs very close to it. May be a unique to me experience, but definitely watch your legs! It was very warm in the room, something we haven't noticed in other rooms. All of that being said, one of the strongest Christmas-themed rooms we've played. Game host was very nice and very respectful of our no-hint request once we asked them for it.
One Night In The 90sMemphis Escape Rooms - East MemphisEscape roomIRLSet design was excellent; however, this was not our favorite room. There wasn't really a story to follow, and the room just didn't flow well for us. At times, it was difficult to discern a definite answer, as there appeared to he multiple potential options. We had to make assumptions a few times. We did not at all have the capability of solving one puzzle, as the information delivery was not successful, and we just had to wait for the answer to be given to us. While we still had fun, we much prefer others with this group. The kids loved the optional aspect of the room and mostly just spent the remainder of the escape time doing this, while the adults completed the rest of the room.
Magician's CodeMemphis Escape Rooms - East MemphisEscape roomIRLThis room was extremely frustrating for us because several things just did not work correctly and had to be repeatedly manipulated. We spent several minutes on one task repeatedly requesting help, but it just wasn't functioning properly. The host kept giving the same "hint" to assure the item was covered (it was), and we repeated the process over and over again until it finally resolved. We had to reposition several things over and over again to make them function. It was difficult to know if we had info correct given that the puzzles weren't functioning correctly. A couple of times we requested support when we weren't sure if we were completing activities correctly and received clues for prior puzzles that we had already completed. When we expressed concern with the puzzles after the game, the host said something to the effect of "oh, okay" and changed the subject to taking the photo. There was no ownership or acknowledgement of the issues. This was our 4th room at this location that had at least some minor malfunction (2 with major), and our 3rd day with not so great host experiences. We were so disappointed because this room would have been awesome if things had functioned correctly. Theming was great, and puzzle concepts were good. If your vision isn't the best, this would not be a good room to book. Overall, our first 2 rooms and host experiences at this location were great, but we've had some trouble since. The South Main and Florence locations have been far superior overall with rooms and host experiences.
Atlas 8The Escape RoomEscape roomIRLWe all enjoyed this room overall. I tend to prefer more riddles and puzzles; though, my husband prefers the more immersive production and interactive technology in these sorts of rooms. Though this isn't my style, it was a fun experience, and the game flowed well. One of the codes was very difficult to see despite completing everything correctly, prompting the slightly lower rating; however, this wasn't a huge factor in the game play overall. Highly recommend for an immersive experience!
Biohazard BunkerThe Escape RoomEscape roomIRLWe've played all the rooms at this location, and this was our least favorite; however, this is probably more of a room preference thing than anything necessarily wrong with the room. The room didn't flow as well for us as others at this location have, and the lighting (combined with our personal fear of potentially damaging decor) held us back at points. We found that we were either progressing very quickly or not at all as we worked through the room. One of the puzzles seemed to be a bit of an afterthought in this one, and we haven't really felt that way with most of the other rooms with this company. Production and immersion were okay but not at the level of others for us. All of that being said, we're comparing this room to other rooms with this company. While it wasn't our favorite, it was still a solid escape room experience.
East End Express - Good GuyMemphis Escape Rooms - East MemphisEscape roomIRLThis room has two different outcomes, and we have played them both. This version of the room is fantastic. The room is extremely immersive; the flow of this version of the game is awesome; and the variety of puzzles is great, regardless of what type of room you typically prefer. The room does have some minimally physical elements, so this would be something to consider if you have mobility issues. There were a couple of very minor administrative things that slightly impacted the game. First, as is typical for many rooms, a video is shown before the room giving instructions as to what you are and are not allowed to do in the room; however, one of the puzzles in this room requires that you perform an activity you are explicitly warned not to do during the video. It would be beneficial for this to be addressed before the room or somehow with instructions during gameplay, as we avoided this initially based on instructions. We also had some difficulty with one of the activities registering that we had completed the task, but we only had to work with it a little before we were able to proceed. I would definitely go this route with this room, as the other storyline of this room was the only bad experience in a room we have had with this company. This storyline, however, was one of the best.
Fairytale FrenzyThe Escape RoomEscape roomIRLThis is a very basic room, but we had a blast with it. The theme was fun for our 10-year-old, and we enjoyed the puzzles and the flow of the room. While we thoroughly enjoy this sort of room, it may not be for others who might expect the technology and production that goes into some of the other rooms with this group. Probably would choose a different experience at this location if you have more than a few people or want a more challenging experience, but this was still a solid room!
