Ghost PatrolTrivium GamesEscape roomIRLGhost Patrol told a heartwarming story through brilliantly designed puzzles, a beautifully constructed set, and well-timed audiovisual effects. I especially loved a tangible metapuzzle that perfectly translated the essence of a puzzle hunt into an escape room environment.
The AlchemistSherlockedEscape roomIRLOne of my favorite experiences of all time, escape room or otherwise. The Alchemist is magical in the truest sense, and it has some stellar puzzles and a compelling emotional arc to top it off. If you have the time and $$$, I highly recommend adding on The Lost Cabinet prequel for an even fuller experience!
Birth MachineMad MachinesEscape roomIRLOne of my all-time favorites!! Absolutely brilliant and hilarious reinterpretation of the escape room format, where every single puzzle and interaction has narrative meaning, there's a unique playfulness to the environment and flow, and you'll experience some things you've never seen before... even if you've played many hundreds of escape rooms.
Time MachineMad MachinesEscape roomIRLBirth Machine often gets talked about more due to its unique theming, but gosh, Time Machine is 100% up to the same level, with top-notch humor, a truly unique take on a common theme, and satisfying story-driven puzzles. Very highly recommend!!
Het TestamentBaron BeeckmanEscape roomIRLEasily one of my favorite games in the entire Benelux region! The setting is remarkable, the puzzles are delightfully mechanical and tactile, and there's a certain feature that makes Het Testament particularly unforgettable. We were told we were only the third group of English-speaking players to ever visit, and we were only able to play thanks to a Dutch-speaking teammate. I fully understand the company's decision not to translate the game into English, but if you're visiting from abroad and can find a way to play this, you absolutely should go out of your way to do so.
Secret StudioEscape In Time / Secret StudioEscape roomIRLSome genuinely creative framing and moments, but abysmal signposting especially in the first half of the game. Worth playing but with an asterisk that this is a choppier experience than it needed to be.
Into The ReliquaryDarkmaster Escape RoomsEscape roomIRLGorgeous set with some truly unforgettable features and effects. The puzzles were far more playable than Shamleys, but still an excess of random searching for tiny bits, mountains of the tiniest padlocks you've ever seen, and worn paper nonsense.
ChernobylTheStartEscape roomIRLWe enjoyed all 3 experience at TheStart, but Chernobyl was their strongest offering by a mile. Our actor's performance was sublime, with a distinctive and highly athletic movement style. Great set design with some fun physical exploration, and we loved that the actual control room was nicely decorated as a Chernobyl control room for team photos. (Hot tip: if you find the Chernobyl post-apocalyptic aesthetic compelling, I recommend exploring Google Earth's extensive coverage of the area.)
Ghost StoriesBrain Games Escape RoomEscape roomIRLA masterfully executed delight factory! Dynamic and detailed set design, countless creative interactions, and an impressive variety of endearing and humorous ghostly vignettes. Highly recommend playing it mostly linear, even if given the option to parallelize. By far the strongest offering yet from one of the most impressive companies in the LA area, particularly when it comes to puzzles 👻
