rachelraee
12 escape rooms
Perhaps a bit petty to review now, but this room was not very well-designed or themed compared to escape rooms now. It's interesting to consider how far escape rooms have come from the empty rented spaces with Ikea furniture, numerous traditional locks, and GM gimmicks to the immersive, themed experiences that exist today.
Gameplay
This room had somewhat non-linear puzzles with thresholds to access the next room and next puzzles. While this format allows individuals to split up and all engage with puzzles, it is harmed when people are unable to find puzzles or have any deficits in communication between other players.
Atmosphere
The room was not designed to fit the story and was clearly minimally stocked and furnished.
Customer service
The GM was nice, but did not provide as in-depth a description of the rules as possible.
Particularly interesting or different
No
Story
Nowadays, the plot would be quite contrived for a serial killer to kidnap you and place a time limit on your escape from their grasp.
Difficulty
Hard
Most puzzles were not that difficult. However, the wealth of non-relevant items in the room severely increased the difficulty, especially for novices (like my party). Additionally, one puzzle required GM involvement and it was not clarified prior that GMs may be involved in puzzle solutions.
Game tech
Mechanical
This room was more reliant on mechanical puzzles than any high-tech ones.
Ideal number of players
6
Scary
Not scary
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
Yes
The GM doubled as an actor and was involved in a puzzle solution.
Physically active
Not at all
Easy to find location
No
The room was on the upper floor of a shopping center but hidden off to the side.
Parking
Limited
This room used to be located in San Francisco Japantown which has extremely limited parking.
