
GuyFawkes
190 escape rooms
The Experience: After enjoying Basement 1 and other rooms at Intense Escapes, I tackled their sequel with nearly 190 escape rooms under my belt. Basement 2 promises to be their scariest offering, though fellow enthusiasts had hyped it as something truly extreme. The reality fell somewhere in between. The Good: The staff at Intense Escapes deserves praise—friendly, attentive, and genuinely interested in our feedback. Live actors are the highlight here, bringing energy to what could otherwise be a standard escape experience. The sheer size impresses with roughly 7 distinct areas to explore, making this one of the more ambitious rooms in the region. I particularly appreciated puzzles requiring genuine collaboration among teammates, forcing us to communicate rather than split up. The thoughtful use of scents throughout the environment added a layer of immersion that enhanced the overall atmosphere. The Disappointing: While fellow players had built this up as an extreme experience comparable to California's 17th Door, Basement 2 delivered only basic jump scares that might startle but never truly terrify. This disconnect between reputation and reality clouded my experience. The absence of a visible timer created unnecessary frustration. Without knowing how much time remained, we couldn't strategize effectively or know when to request hints. This directly contributed to our failure to complete the room—we simply didn't realize we were running out of time until it was too late. Technical issues further hampered the experience. Several interactive elements malfunctioned during our session, and while the gamemaster informed us about some broken components, others went unmentioned, leaving us wasting precious time on unsolvable puzzles. These technical difficulties highlighted the budget limitations evident throughout. Most frustratingly, our game ended abruptly when time expired, without the option to see the conclusion despite the venue appearing uncrowded afterward. This left our experience feeling incomplete and unnecessarily cut short. The Verdict: Basement 2 shows genuine potential but suffers from inconsistent execution. The impressive scale and live actors are undermined by technical issues and puzzling game management decisions. For a room from creators who clearly know how to craft enjoyable experiences (as evidenced by their other games), these shortcomings feel especially disappointing. With some technical fixes and clearer expectations about timing and hints, this could be a solid addition to Tampa's escape room scene. As it stands, however, it's difficult to recommend Basement 2 over Intense Escapes' more polished offerings, including its predecessor.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Story
Difficulty
Expert
Game tech
Mechanical
Ideal number of players
6
Scary
Spooky
Minimum age
18
Was anything broken?
Yes
Live actors
Yes
Physically active
Very
Easy to find location
No
Parking
Easy