...............I don't know where to start. Perhaps a good place is that at some point, I sat down and quit doing much of anything cause I was ready to be done with the room. The room is well laid out and interesting with high quality props. Although the room nice, it was just time spent being quite irritated - and not only were we irritated with the room, but it caused us to argue with each other, which is rare.
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Escape the Room - 3 Mile Island
...............I don't know where to start. Perhaps a good place is that at some point, I sat down and quit doing much of anything cause I was ready to be done with the room. The room is well laid out and interesting with high quality props. Although the room nice, it was just time spent being quite irritated - and not only were we irritated with the room, but it caused us to argue with each other, which is rare.
Escape the Room - The Theater
This room looks neat, and the idea isn't bad, but the overall experience left me somewhat deflated. There were at least two puzzles that we got by guessing right on the first try (and were later told you just had to try until you go it), and other things that we just hidden so well we had to use clues to find them (reminiscent of things I didn't like in their Bank Heist in Dallas). And when you have to be told that when you solve a puzzle, you'll hear a sound, but look around cause you'll have to figure out what opened, that is quite frustrating.
Price:$$14 per person (used opening weekend coupon)
Theme:★★★This looks neat when you enter, and all of the things about the room focus well around the theme, although some things are a little creepy.
Quality:★★We didn't expect any issues, but we did have a few things that didn't open and had to be triggered by the game master.
Difficulty:★★★Most of the puzzles themselves weren't too hard, but what was hard was figured out what opened once you solved something.
Fun:★★Some parts of this were fun, and others were just confusing (because we didn't listen when told to use "dumb" logic).
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰21:11
Escape the Room - The Clock Tower
I hesitated on booking rooms here the first day, waiting on feedback from others, but ending up going on Sunday. I'm glad we went for this room, especially with the opening weekend discount. This is the best Escape the Room game I've done, and we were able to figure our way through, do some fun puzzles, and see some really neat technology used throughout the experience.
Price:$$14 per person (used opening weekend coupon)
Theme:★★★★The concept behind the room, the decor, and the sound effects were neat.
Quality:★★★We expected no problems in the room, and for the most part things went great. There was one prop where position was very important, and because we were off a little we spent five minutes or so messing with it. Otherwise, this was good.
Difficulty:★★★Some of the things in the room were easy to find and figure out, while others took some trial and error.
Fun:★★★★I liked this room and how different things came together - I suspect there are even things I never saw, but what I did was fun.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰5:52
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Escape My Room - Inventor's Attic
We were so excited to come back and do this room, and very glad they were able to accommodate us as we were out and walking around the area. We had so much fun in the first room we did, and this room and experience did not change that impression. The room was very detailed, there were a lot of things that came together to make a really fantastic time for us.
Price:$$$30 per person
Theme:★★★★This is a neat idea, with a somewhat perplexing conclusion (which you will understand when they explain the room to you to get you started).
Quality:★★★★Very well done - we were impressed and surprised by how things came together.
Difficulty:★★★★★Absolutely a challenge! There is so much going on, and so many things to play with, you really have to focus. Some challenges took several attempts and trading off before we got them, but all were great.
Fun:★★★★★Write about the fun here.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win?
Time Left:⏰N/A (~15 minutes left before additional puzzles provided)
Clue Carre - French Quarter House of Curiousities
The idea behind this room is fun, we love the name, and had heard good things about it, so we made sure to go to this during our trip. There was some attention paid to all aspects of the room, and a good focus on things that made us work as a team. Communication was important, and there are things in here designed to challenge you in that area, so be prepared.
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★★This was put together very well, and there was a lot of attention paid to small details (make sure to really look around when you are done).
Quality:★★★There were a few things we had to wiggle around, and some things we weren't sure about, but once we calmed down things worked great.
Difficulty:★★★The perfect level for a good time - anything really hard we did to ourselves by just not slowing down and thinking it over.
Fun:★★★★This was fun and took a lot of team work from start to finish - I am betting the game masters also get a kick of listening to parts of it.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Meredith, Judy
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰23:21
Escape My Room - Jazz Parlour
There is so much attention to detail at all times, it is really neat to do rooms here. The perfume shop is fantastic and you really shouldn't miss it, and then there are neat things to engage you while you wait to start. The room itself follows this, as does the photo wall at the end (check out the photo above).
We really enjoyed the room and how different elements came together. We also loved the different elements of teamwork and how we had to work together in different ways to get things done.
Price:$$$30 per person
Theme:★★★★The theme is great - and not only will you feel this in the room itself, but the whole entry leading in sets the stage very well. Go a little early so you can check out the lobby area - you won't regret it.
Quality:★★★★Things worked great, with a minor thing at the beginning that was fine when we really needed it. I also have a hard time with how one of the ways to view information, but this worked for everyone else.
Difficulty:★★★★The first part of the game is perfect, and if you finish early enough (which we did) you can get extra puzzles to tell more about the story.
Fun:★★★★★This is a fun room, in part because you get the feel of the atmosphere early on, but also because there are so many fun things to play with. I let one of these distract me cause it was so fun.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
13th Gate Escape - Cutthroat Cavern
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★★★OMG - just wow! This was fantastic from start to finish and just amazing. The best theme I've ever seen in a room, and left us a little speechless.
Quality:★★★★★Everything was amazing and worked together perfectly - not just functional, but completely in theme.
Difficulty:★★★★Perfect combination of puzzles - physical, logical, and very well done. We definitely had to think outside the box and work together to make this work for us.
Fun:★★★★★We love this room, and I'm sure it will become a new standard with which we compare other rooms. I will definitely recommened everyone go do this room because of the great time we had.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰N/A
13th Gate Escape - Tomb of Anubis
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★★★This is the best themed Egyptian-based room I've ever done - there is so much attention to detail and making sure that everything is tied together, and many surprises.
Quality:★★★★The room was well put together, and there are many things I was amazed by and want to know how they did them.
Difficulty:★★★★★This room is hard, but more than that it is packed with content - you definitely need to communicate well and not make assumptions about how to do things (which we did more than once).
Fun:★★★This is a great room, but our team's lack of communication between people who didn't know each other well at various points did have us spending a bit of time doing nothing while waiting for others.
With:8 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith (with 4 others)
Outcome:☹Loss
Time Left:⏰N/A
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Clue Carre - The Game Museum
We had heard great things about this room from others (friends who had visited and other escape room employees), so we made sure to go while we were there. Once you are able to park, you begin a pretty fun experience inside of the room.
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★The layout of this room is fun, and I loved the game facts to read about as you moved through it.
Quality:★★★This worked great, the only difficulty really being at the end where there was an overpowering smell/vapor of super glue with one of the props.
Difficulty:★★We had a couple of parts that were more difficult, but overall this game we felt had more fun than challenge for us.
Fun:★★★★As mentioned before, we had a lot of fun. The theme was great, and everything in here led to a fun time.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰14:08
RISE Escape Rooms - Spellbound
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★★This theme is great, and from start to finish it feels like you are thrown right on into a witches home. I really enjoyed how well things were done and how elements flowed as you made progress.
Quality:★★★★★Things worked great, especially when we stopped to follow instructions.
Difficulty:★★★There are so many different things to do, and a wide variety of elements in play as you progress. We definitely had to split up and try different things to be successful.
Fun:★★★★★This was a pleasure the whole time, and we love everything about it.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰18:00
RISE Escape Rooms - The Bookie
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★This room looks nice, and components within are fun to experience. However, as usual we struggled with the setting as none of us really know how these games work in real life - and while this wasn't necessary, it did throw us off.
Quality:★★★Things worked great in the room, and we were able to split up and work on things as needed.
Difficulty:★★★★There was a lot going on, and we made this much harder than it needed to be because of our hesitation with the theme. The puzzles made great use of the theme.
Fun:★★Through not fault of the room itself, we didn't enjoy this as much as the others they have because we got in our own heads. But it was still a challenge and we are glad to have done it.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰6:00
RISE Escape Rooms - Hijacked
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★★Once inside, this is quite impressive, and how you start out in the room is a fun beginning to a room that makes great use of the space and ideas.
Quality:★★★Write about the quality here.
Difficulty:★★★While there was a little trial and error, most of the puzzles in here were easy for the group, but there were plenty to keep us intrigued.
Fun:★★★★This was so fun - they really make the most of the space and your typical plane experiences to make this is fun and interactive room.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰24:03
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Red Door Escape Room - Taken
Price:N/AUsed red key for free entry
Theme:★★★Since this was a repeat, this was exactly what was expected (once I recalled what it was).
Quality:★★★Well put together - when I compare to my review the first time I went, no finagling was needed, so I think they've made repairs on whatever that was.
Difficulty:★★★None of the puzzles were super hard, but there were several of them, and you do have to communicate well. We were fortunate that, even though we didn't know part of the group, every was good about sharing things.
Fun:★★★This was much less frustrating than last go around, although I did spend a bit of time just sitting there waiting for others.
With:6 peopleJudy, Meredith (with four others)
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰9:00
Friday, May 11, 2018
Handmade Mysteries - Poppa Plock's Wonky Workshop
Definitely adults only! But unlike other rooms I've been in where I might say this, a lot of this is fairly subtle and not straight in your face. There are just cute hidden things in the room that will make you pause (and, in my case, giggle). We loved the creativity of the room, the story, and how awesome our game master was - she really helped the story come to life.
Price:££££35 per person
Theme:★★★★This is truly an experience, from the moment you follow the instructions on where to meet them all the way through the end. The theme definitely drives this experience.
Quality:★★★★Things were great - and as you got through things that might have seemed off early on made a lot of sense later.
Difficulty:★★★There were a lot of different things to do - only one of which we'd seen anywhere before (and that one thankfully we got on the first try because I learned I suck at it).
Fun:★★★★★We had a blast - the story was very creative, and there are a lot of things hidden in the room that make you stop and laugh.
With:2 peopleEvan, Judy
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰11:21
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Grapevine Escape - Wine Vault
Price:$$$26.99 per person
Theme:★★★★★This room really reflects where the room is located and one of the things Grapevine is known for. And as the you move through the room, you get a really good backstory (and if you really pay attention, there is a lot to find).
Quality:★★★This worked well when we were in the room, although there are some things that are a little tricky to do.
Difficulty:★★★This is a nice mix of things that make you think and physical activities that make up those games. Some of these looked awesome and were neat ideas.
Fun:★★★This was fun - the only thing that was missing was real wine to drink.
With:4 peopleList name of people here alpha order separated by commas.
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰15:40
Exit Plan - Safe House
I am writing this a little retroactively, but one of the things about this one is I don't really remember liking or disliking it. I do remember that some of the puzzles were interesting, but many of the things in there we got through quickly because we'd seen it before. We even made it to the end fairly quickly, and would have been more so if you didn't have to put the same code into two different locks. And then we may not have blown up at the end if we'd made the right choice on the final puzzle (we had the answer but listened to something in the intro video instead).
Price:$$$29 per person
Theme:★★This was sparse - maybe that was realistic, but also it made (or should have made) figuring things out easier because there were few things to find, and some of those we were flat out told not to mess with.
Quality:★★★This was generally good, but the lighting was difficult for us, and there were whole parts a member of our group could not access.
Difficulty:★★★We made this harder as a group by not communicating well what was already done, and by thinking things from the welcome video were relevant in the solution of the room (they weren't, really - at least not the parts we remembered).
Fun:★★...Parts. Parts were fun. Other parts felt like a lot of searching and somewhat guessing what to do.
With:4 peopleBob, Evan, Judy, Linda
Outcome:☹Loss
Time Left:⏰Blew Up
Friday, April 27, 2018
Perfect Escape - Wong's Chinese
Price:$$$30 per person
Theme:★★★★★All you can say when you walk in is wow. That is all - just wow.
Quality:★★★There are some neat things in the room, and most work very well. Things we had issues with were more on us that the room, with the exception of there was an extra lock that got cut off halfway through our game.
Difficulty:★★★There is a lot going on, and a nice mix of things. We did a poor job looking around which caused some headaches, but the puzzles are perfect in quantity and difficulty, with one exception (later this was explained to us and makes more sense).
Fun:★★★★We had a good time (other than waiting for the lock to be removed). There are really some fun things in here that will make you laugh, and so surprising items/puzzles.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win? (we lost track of the time with the pause, but did finish the room)
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Escape the Room - Agency
I really wanted to like this room, but I feel let down in a different way than with their heist room. While in the first experience the game master was a let down, our game master here was fantastic. The room itself was neat at the beginning, but without a coherent story and with progressively more confusing "theme", I really don't know what was going on here. We had a few fun puzzles (some we quite liked), but there were several that were frustrating and we spent more time that should be reasonable just staring, which was irritating. While we ultimately were successful, I was ready to leave long before we were done.
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★Parts of this were neat, but overall there is no real story told and we really have no idea how elements in the room went together at all.
Quality:★★★Things worked well, even if we had concerns on what exactly those things were.
Difficulty:★★★There is a decent mix, but some of the things that took us the longest were just puzzles that were designed to take a while to solve, and due to some waiting.
Fun:★★I had fun at the beginning, but towards the end it felt like work and I was ready to be done.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰15:10
Friday, March 23, 2018
North Texas Escape Rooms - Submerged
We had a last minute get together at the escape room with friends, and it was a good thing we did. We had a fun time going through the room, and the puzzles were fun and a wide variety. My only complaint is that, due to the size of the group, there are how parts of the room and whole puzzles I missed out on.
Price:$$$27 per person
Theme:★★★There are some neat ideas in here, and most things go well with the theme. I'm not sure all of these would be as they are in a real submarine, but they worked well for the experience.
Quality:★★★Things were pretty good - there are some that didn't open up or line up for us quite well, but after some patience we were successful.
Difficulty:★★★This was about perfect for our group - everyone was able to contribute.
Fun:★★★We had a fun time - our group really came together and we had a good time.
With:7 peopleAmy, Evan, Lesley, James, John, Judy, Tony
Outcome:☺Win
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Conundrum - Bella Notte
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★★This room is so cute! I love the decorations, the lighting, and how well every part of this room and every puzzle is centered around the theme and the story.
Quality:★★★★Well put together and some well put together props - neat use of everyday items and a good mix of ideas.
Difficulty:★★The puzzles were simple and fun to do - nice job putting this together.
Fun:★★★★This is a great room for us and we had a lot of fun doing the room as a couple.
With:2 peopleEvan, Judy
Outcome:☺Win
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Ultimate Escape Game - State Fair
Price:$$$28 per person
Theme:★★★★This theme is neat, and even more so the more you get through the experience. Where you end up is cram packed with fun puzzles and tons to look at and put together.
Quality:★★Overall, this was well done. However, we had something in the middle that completely didn't work, and our time had to be paused to reset the prop, and even that took a while. They were great about working with us to rectify, but be careful with things and you should be fine.
Difficulty:★★★SO MUCH TO DO. Again, way too much for the two of us alone. I think if we'd had two or three more with us, we would have needed much less help at the end.
Fun:★★★★Neat puzzles and a good mix of ideas and concepts. You cannot help but enjoy the decor and props to play with.
With:2 peopleEvan, Judy
Outcome:☺Win
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Escape Your Mindgame Room - Dark Room
I was so excited by the name and idea behind this room, and parts of this room were exactly what I expected. Other parts were a little more difficult. Definitely read the description well before you opt-in - I love this type of room, but have several friends who'd not have been keen to stay in.
Price:$$$30 per person
Theme:★★★I love the idea behind this room, and the starting point and decor are perfect to go with it.
Quality:★★Things were pretty good, but it was easy to do something wrong and I'm not sure how well certain elements will hold up.
Difficulty:★★★★The room itself (read the name...) greatly contributes to the difficulty rating I'm giving. The puzzles themselves aren't too bad, but the environment complicates them.
Fun:★★★A good time, but having a more interactive game master would have improved the experience.
With:2 peopleEvan, Judy
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰28:08
Monday, February 12, 2018
South Beach Room Escape - Black Ops
Price:$$$25 per person
Theme:★★★Most everything makes a lot of sense, but there are a few wacky things that I'm not sure why they are where they are. The beginning part is spot of and ideal for setting you off in the right direction, if we'd paid better attention.
Quality:★★★There were a couple of touchy things for us, but overall this is in good shape and the employees really care about how you experience the room from start to finish.
Difficulty:★★★A little harder than their first room, and mainly because we are terrible at the obvious. I mean terrible. We spent the first ten minutes getting nothing done, and then things got better from there after taking a clue.
Fun:★★★Neat room and a good experience - liked Panic Room better, but had a good time here as well.
With:2 peopleEvan, Judy
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰10:31
South Beach Room Escape - Panic Room
Price:$$$25 per person
Theme:★★★★This room is just creepy, and how you interact with the room can really add to that depending on how fortunate you are on where you happen to be standing at different points. Good use of space available.
Quality:★★★This worked well, and we found all of the locks and puzzles in good order.
Difficulty:★★We really did rush a bit through here, and one of two things we might have made educated guesses on rather than successfully solving.
Fun:★★★★We had a good time - some adrenaline filled moments where we weren't sure if things were supposed to happen or we messed up, but still quite fun.
With:2 peopleEvan, Judy
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰25:13
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Escape Game Dallas - Playground
We were a bit mixed about this room and really what we were trying to accomplish, but we had fun accomplishing it. Mainly, we were thrown off by the name of the room from the start, but once we got past that and into the actual game, it was an okay and fun time. We definitely had to split up to get through, and there were some complicated puzzles to move through mixed in with some simpler ones.
Price:$$$$34.63 per person (had coupons)
Theme:★★When I first entered this room, I really didn't understand the name given to this room. It clears up slightly as you move through the game, but I was expecting something much different that I got here.
Quality:★★★Things were still in great shape, and everything worked (once we figured out what it was we were to do).
Difficulty:★★★This room has a mix of short successes and longer, more drawn out completion. There are so many directions to go, and there is always something to be working on.
Fun:★★★A little of a mixed review from the group, but this room has one of my favorite things to find in a room so I enjoyed that a lot and a few times.
With:4 peopleDan, Evan, Meredith, Judy
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰N/A
Red Door Escape Room Plano - Warrior's Way
This room looks so nice, and the decor and props and everything you encounter fits in very well with the theme and overall completion of the room. There isn't a lot of extra, but there also wasn't enough content for our group. We could have done this as a group of two and had a better time, but our group of six breezed through this room. We were proud to finish quickly, but also a little sad to not have more challenging things to keep us engaged in the room longer. I am glad that things in the room made a lot of sense, the flow was logical, and there were no leaps of logic required.
Price:$$$28 per person (had coupons)
Theme:★★★★★This room looks super nice, and the concept and design are well-implemented and contribute well to the story.
Quality:★★★★Things are in great shape and put together well, so players should get consistent game play over time.
Difficulty:★We finished the room VERY quickly. There weren't really enough puzzles, and those we did we way too easy for our group.
Fun:★★Parts were fun, but overall this was just so easy that it was mellow.
With:6 peopleDan, Evan, Judy, Meredith (with two others)
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰31:15
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Conundrum - Outbreak
We got to play out a mobile room setup in their conference room, and it was a good experience. The room itself was a nice, simple room that is great for larger groups, and there was plenty to keep us engaged. We did have a hard time logistically with a bit of the flow, but we chatted with the owners after and talked through those areas (which have been tweaked since). I love the idea and how involved the owners are in its success.
Price:$$10 per person
Theme:★★★This being a mobile room, it is hard to get a full feel of an environment, but things that were setup were neat and really felt nice.
Quality:★★★★This is neat and well done, but we were also one of the first groups to play and things were in great condition.
Difficulty:★★This was a quick and fairly easy group of puzzles for us. Some difficulty when it came to communicating with each other.
Fun:★★★I enjoyed the room and the group I played with.
With:5 peopleEllie, Fred, Jamie, Judy, Tony
Outcome:☺Win
Time Left:⏰N/A (30 minute room)