BeatCal
52 escape rooms
We did not escape. We weren't even close... This was my 51st game (45W - 6L) and I played with two other adult players with similar statistics. While I still consider myself a bit of a novice, this is not a medium difficulty room. The puzzles were logical and really fun, but the sheer number of them requires a much larger group to divide and conquer. The booking limit is 12 people, perhaps that should have tipped me off! If you are against receiving hints (like us), I would recommend a group of 6-8 people. Smaller groups might succeed if you constantly ask for hints to keep the pace going. I also recommend only one person working on a puzzle at a time (the room is mostly non-linear), again, because it is hard to zip through so many of them. With all of this being said, I think this is an amazing room! I really, really liked it! I want to give it a heart but I'm downgrading it to the thumbs up only because we went in thinking it was a 6/10 difficulty room. The puzzles were very fun, logical, in great condition, different, playful, and (as I mentioned) numerous. Parking was easy (it is in UTC mall near Macy's) but free only for the first 2 hours.
Gameplay
The game is really cute and playful. All of the props and puzzles are very much in character and it flowed very well. I liked the way it was noted that we had completed a task.
Atmosphere
The set design was awesome! I really liked this room (even though we didn't escape). It was very immersive and all of the games and props were in perfect condition.
Customer service
Everyone we encountered was very friendly and accommodating. If you've ever played with The Escape Game before, you know that their games are open to multiple groups. Your game is not guaranteed to be private. We don't like this. However, we booked The Relic room for later today and the staff closed our game for just our group, which we really appreciate.
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
I love the theme of Playground! I have been waiting almost a year to play this game so I was really disappointed with myself for not escaping. With only 51 games under my belt, I think this room is different and very interesting.
Story
I really liked this room. The story was great and everything was well integrated.
Difficulty
Hard
The puzzles are logical but there are SO many of them. For a group of three (like ours) I think this is Hard or Expert. The company rates it as 6/10. I think it is closer to 9/10.
Game tech
High tech
The room is a nice mixture of both.
Ideal number of players
8
We played as a group of 3 adults and did not come close to finishing. This was our 51st game. I would recommend 6-8 players. There are so many puzzles.
Scary
Not scary
It is brightly lit and playful.
Minimum age
12
There are a few difficult elements to this room that a younger child might not know.
Was anything broken?
No
All of the games and props were in perfect condition.
Live actors
No
We won't play rooms with live actors.
Physically active
Somewhat
There is the usual scurrying around associated with escape rooms plus a little extra climbing and sliding.
Accessibility
I would not recommend this room to people with impairments.
Easy to find location
Yes
It is in the UTC mall next to Macy's.
Parking
Medium
There is mall parking which is free for the first 2 hours. Each additional hour is $3 and the daily max is $15.
