The Dungeon

After playing 100 different escape rooms, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find games that feel unique and completely new. The Dungeon checked both of those boxes, offering some great gameplay and utilizing a variety of different mechanics to create something incredibly fun. The beginning of the game is a highlight. Don’t be worried about physical touch or being restrained if that’s holding you back. It’s very short lived and was not uncomfortable/painful at all. The start was a highlight for sure, but teams that struggle with communication will have a hard time solving the initial puzzles even though they’re relatively simple. The set used its unique size and multi-floor layout effectively, with the best puzzles requiring communication and teamwork between different spaces. The game relies more on physical locks rather than tech, but it makes sense in the setting and worked well for this game. 13th Hour’s games are all located in a warehouse and lack ceilings, which means there is very little sound proofing between games. Since this one is so dependent on communication, it would be extremely difficult if the venue was busy. When we played, there was a birthday party in a neighboring room, and we had to repeat ourselves and yell over them multiple times because of their volume. I would recommend booking at a time where there isn’t likely to be many other teams playing, such as a weekday, later at night, or earlier in the day. The game could also use better spotlighting. We had multiple instances where we solved a puzzle, heard something unlock, then had to run around trying to find what it was.

Had a blast. This room is a cool concept with a lot of fun puzzles. There are stairs in this room which does tend to split people up, so expect a lot of running up and down and splitting the group. Some puzzles were a little too straight forward for my preference. But the ones that weren’t made up for it for sure!

This room has stairs that you’ll have to go up and down frequently. So keep that in mind if you have mobility issues. Puzzle difficulty seemed pretty hard but that seemed like a common thing for this company. The blindfold and chains was probably the standout feature from this room, but it didn’t seem as themed as many of the other rooms we tried.

Besides being blindfolded and chained (what drew us to the game in the first place) in the beginning being a new experience, the whole experience was fairly new. Definitely need at least 4 people for this one, especially for the beginning. **Warning** Still just as hot as most of the Hayden rooms (besides the room, “John Hayden” — that one has air conditioning!). Another downer was that there were several mechanical errors that forced the game master to repeatedly revisit the room, which interfered with my experience of The Dungeon. It might have been one of my least favorite of the Hayden rooms because of it… There were too many messy elements.

Went for my son’s birthday. The room was really spooky and we started off in a way like never before. Definitely felt like we were trapped. Loved the layout and the whole experience.

This game was cool!! There were a few small malfunctions during our gameplay but the game master JJ handled them well!

My favorite room with 13th hour. Just an immersive experience with very challenging puzzles. Really good for a group of 4. Highly recommend

Story: 8/10 Theming: 10/10 Puzzle Difficulty: 8.5/10 Bathroom: Didn't use Awesome. This room definitely has a scare factor to it, but it's cool as hell. This room has a literal second floor to it so get ready to be running up and down stairs. I would advise you don't wear a jacket in this room. You will understand why within the first 5 minutes. I don't like scary stuff, but this room was so good. Everything seemed to flow well. All the puzzles made sense. The puzzles were clever and a good mix of technical and mechanical. 13th Hour tries to personalize each room you do in a different way, and.... I gotta say if you finish the room and see the personalization, I was so salty hahahaha. That's just my vanity speaking, but in all seriousness, the personalization is an awesome touch. Highly recommend this room, but it is a bit spooky! Caution: You will be physically moved at the beginning

Great immersion from the jump, the team that facilitated our experience was top notch. I love the idea of being separated from your group - I wish this portion of the room was longer. The solitary/teamwork element was so fun!! Lots of cool surprises and great theming. Not exactly sure what the story was fully. A lot of similar puzzles with numbers, would have loved some diversity here. Overall loved the experience!!! Great for 4 people.