Haunted Train

I’m conflicted… This game is a very decent technical achievement and has an amazing atmosphere in the middle of the game with some fun activities connected to it. But… every good thing this game has has an issue holding it back. The most technically advanced puzzles in the game have feedback/clarity issues that make it hard to understand what the puzzles are asking for and I say specifically the middle portion of the game has amazing atmosphere because the beginning and ending… don’t. And without a clear story the game feels like a very empty take on the horror theme which is sad for a theme as uncommon as a train. In the end though I still give this a thumbs up because this is an overall fun (and definitely ambitious) game and these are ultimately nitpicks. I just wish this game lived up to what it was trying to be, and it’s close, but in the state it’s currently in it just feels kind of empty.

Would not recommend this room not super entertaining for the price tag. Puzzles were obtuse or super easy.

After having completed dozens of escape rooms, a friend recommended this location. The specific business was nice and well maintained, and we were met by a friendly employee. Though no fault of the Neo, we completed the game on a weekend after sunset and thought it would be nice to walk around the area. If you find yourself in old Sac or the downtown commons (K St) on a Friday or Saturday evening, do yourself a favor and don’t stick around. Thugs everywhere and saw on the news there was a shooting shortly after our group departed the area. As noted by other reviewers, the room was very basic, the progression completely linear, and really only a few puzzles to solve. Absolutely once our least favorite rooms that our family has completed. If looking at this location, do yourself a favor and consider their other room (better reviews) or another place.

While this game is notably higher tech and a more interesting set than Neo Escape's other game, it also feels unfinished. The puzzle-to-space ratio felt low - I think you need 4 players to physically complete the game, but things were pretty linear and 2-3 would probably be more appropriate for the puzzle content. An early puzzle didn't trigger when we thought we had solved it. When we asked for a nudge, we got told to do the thing we had already done (so either the GM wasn't paying attention or the hints were precanned), and then were told to do something that felt completely unclued. In two places there were what looked to be the remains of puzzles that may have been removed (or are red herrings), and a sequence near the end overstayed its welcome. The very final task felt like it was out of place, and would have made more sense earlier.

There were a couple cool ideas but there were only a few puzzles in the room and given to you one at a time. They were not at all intuitive and we needed hints to tell us exactly what to do for three of them. The person running the room was great and the atmosphere was fantastic and super creepy at times. The rooms were all fairly bare but that is mostly because of how few actual puzzles there were. It is disappointing because their other room, Capitol Treasure, is really great and a ton of fun with great and unique puzzles! I would recommend doing that one instead.

My only issue with this room was the starting puzzle. Other then that it was spooky and fun for the whole family.

We enjoyed this escape room and the puzzles within it. Our host was very friendly. There was some technical glitches with the very last puzzle and we would have escaped a lot sooner if it had been working properly.

Awesome set and story…

Wonderful staff, ambience, and theming. It was clear to me and my group that the Haunted Train room was well-thought out and the puzzles were carefully crafted to fit the theme. The only thing that leaves a little to be desired was the final part of the room. Where the first two thirds of the room are fantastic, the last third feels a bit empty and lackluster, with not quite enough puzzles to really fill up the remainder of the 60-minute timeframe. With how much careful crafting and thought went into the beginning of the room, I think that the creators at Neo can easily remedy the ending of the room. All-in-all, still a fun and enjoyable escape room, but for those who are real escape-room enthusiasts, be aware that the last part of this room definitely leaves a bit to be desired.

Yeah, I don't understand the hype. I did the Haunted Train, and the entire escape room had one good puzzle and the rest was repetitive button clicking for literally the entire experience. The setting is cool, but if you care about the setting, then go to a train museum. Not worth it.