Irvine School of Wizardry and the Goblin's SecretsHidden DonkeyEscape roomIRLThis room ended up becoming my wife and I’s all-time favorite room. I’m a huge enthusiast and have had favorites for years—Goblin’s Secret bumped those favorites down mid-game before we even finished it! It made me fall in love with escape rooms all over again. Our Game Master, Kyrie, was extremely friendly and professional. The set was detailed and high-production for sure! I’m a huge fan in total immersion, especially with hints and solving puzzles. This room did not fail to disappoint and it’s the little things that made it a great room. I loved every puzzle and appreciated the escape from reality and to feel like I’m truly in a magical realm. I hope everyone has the opportunity to try this room! Hidden Donkey, please continue to make rooms, especially with this theme. Thank you for bringing to life the true love and magic of escape rooms!
Stash HouseStash HouseEscape roomIRLThis was a PHENOMENAL room! I now understand why this room has so many awards. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this room to anyone, whether you’re a newbie or an escape room enthusiast. My group of 4 are highly experienced in escape rooms but even we escaped with just 10 seconds left on the clock! We divided an conquered which was a great strategy but I feel like I still need to do the room again to try other puzzles my other teammates got to solve. There were just so many elements to this room. The room was a bit challenging but not expert level, in my opinion. You needed nudges to keep you on track but despite needing the nudges, we did NOT feel totally stuck. The puzzles may confuse you at times but you can solve it as long as you’re on the right track. The room was extremely well-thought out and executed. I told the GM my favorite escape rooms before we started but now, Stash House has taken that title. 90 minutes also made the experience even better. I appreciate escape rooms where you’re able to stay 100% immersed in the atmosphere, story and vibe. That also includes the way you are given hints or nudges. I think that adds another great touch to the craft of creating escape rooms. Our GM was very attentive to my group and knew exactly what our progress us, what puzzles were on and WHAT exactly were confused about. Very helpful with just minimal hints. When you do this room, feel confident in your GM and relax. You’ll get out as long as you aren’t stubborn when it comes to asking for hints when you need it lol. I can’t wait to do this room a second time to explore other puzzles I didn’t get to partake in completely and for them to create more rooms.
Lab RatHatch EscapesEscape roomIRLI discovered this room through an article that listed this as the #1 escape room in LA and honestly, I think it really did replace my precious top room (Red Giant by Quest Room. Sorry Quest! Love both rooms to death). First of all, I loved the story and the goal of the room. It was quite unique to me and the puzzles did not disappoint. We got stuck on some parts but our Game Master was great with keeping us on track (which I think we did a pretty good job of doing!). The room was EXTREMELY well-thought out and I enjoyed every single second of it. I had no time to question things and had to think like the test subjects to get out. There were many elements that were unique and that you don’t normally see in other escape rooms. As an escape room enthusiast who has done lots of rooms, this room does not disappoint. I also don’t think it was insanely or impossibly difficult, so despite there being challenges you still get to enjoy the puzzles without being too frustrated. The puzzles are also really fun and everyone gets a hand at figuring them out. Props and set were top tier! I’d love to do the room again and appreciate the other elements too. I can’t say enough good things about this room except that if it was this good, I absolutely cannot wait for their next room! Definitely would recommend to anyone– beginners or enthusiasts.
Moriarty's ManorMindFox EscapeEscape roomIRLNote to our Game Masters Isabella and Jenna–I’m sorry if this wasn’t your name! Kept forgetting to review and it slipped my mind. They were extremely helpful, friendly and professional. They welcomed us and it was a good experience right off the bat! The room itself was great and pretty immersive. There were interesting and out-of-the-box puzzles. We were a group of 6 and there was enough for everyone to do! Puzzles weren’t too hard and fun Easter eggs for fans of the theme. I do recommend this room! I think it’s a bit more for experienced players, but overall a fun and great experience!
Hunting Dracula [Formerly "V"]Locked AdventuresEscape roomIRLIt’s a late review but I made sure to get to it because this place deserves it!!! Walking in, staff was friendly and accommodating. We didn’t wait too long and we got started. I was very immersed in the room and thought the set design was quite impressive. The Game Master was AMAZING and HILARIOUS in the appropriate way. I couldn’t get over it. No spoilers but I just love escape rooms where the GM doesn’t talk like a GM but as a character that is part of the story/theme. Less distracting and more immersive. Actual puzzles were FUN! Truthfully, we asked for a ton of hints but didn’t care because we wanted to experience and finish the room. Usually asking for lots of hints makes the room less cohesive but not in this one. I was glad to ask for some help and got excited with solving the puzzles. Somehow, probably because of the cool GM and mode of communication, I didn’t feel less immersed or frustrated when we asked for hints. We continued on our merry way LOL. Puzzles were also quite unique and unlike other escape rooms I’ve experienced. I enjoyed this room quite a lot and would definitely recommend it to anyone! Finally, I want to say that the staff is incredible. I am so sorry I didn’t get the names of the main woman who checked us in and helped me out + our GM because they really made everything memorable and special for me and my group. I asked the staff for some help to plan a surprise photo of me whipping out a ring at the end of the room (without my fiancée seeing lol). They did their best to help me out before we started and it’s the photos after. It was perfect and a hilarious surprise after I officially proposed later in the night. So THANK YOU!!! You guys are awesome. So glad the room was awesome too because it made everything perfect.
Da Vinci's Secret60Out - HollywoodEscape roomIRLThis room has pretty cool puzzles that weren’t too difficult to figure out. It did take some trial and error but we did pretty good. However, we did get stuck on one particular puzzle towards the end and we needed the GM’s help quite a lot in order to solve it. My only comment is that since the puzzle’s design was quite complicated, the GM’s help broke the fourth wall (the GM doesn’t have a “character role” and their assistance doesn’t feel immersive in comparison to the environment). But overall, not a very big deal. Our GM was VERY helpful and clear and we couldn’t have done it without her! I think this is a good room for beginners with a bit of experience. Newer players may have a bit of trouble with a few puzzles but that depends! Would recommend this room.
Tut's RutNightwalker Caverns Escape Room AdventuresEscape roomIRLThe room had a lot of great props but the spectator in the room took away from the experience. I have played rooms with spectators for guidance but our guide, although she was great, was a little too excited and gave us so many clues without us prompting for it. It also felt like the room couldn’t be completed without a guide, which I don’t normally like.
![Hunting Dracula [Formerly "V"]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mortyapp/image/upload/c_limit,w_260/f_auto/v1/store/s/2bbb78c51a84c7fe4cb2298edefa2ac7.jpg)
