Room Escape Artist

🐱 & 🐭

Location: Port Charlotte, FL

Date Played: February 19, 2024

Team Size: 2-6; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $32.99-38.99 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: At least one player needs to crawl or kneel

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Click ‘N Glitch took us on a nostalgia trip to the 1980s. Almost a heist, our objective was not to steal anything but rather to set a brand new high score and claim all the glory (and tokens) at our favorite local arcade.

Throughout many of their games, including Bros for Life: Fraternity Heist and Neighborhood Watcher, The Escape Ventures has embraced quirky, off-beat themes that cast the players as kids. In Click ‘N Glitch, we were middle schoolers who just wanted to have a good time at our favorite hangout spot. With this setup, we are not asked to be anyone other than ourselves, yet by quite literally bringing out our inner child, we are given explicit permission to play.

This set the stage for a joyful and action-packed adventure. Countless puzzles provided nonstop fun, and a sequence of brief actor interactions humorously elevated the experience.

I’m impressed by The Escape Venture’s approach to escape room design; specifically, with their thoughtful balance of business and creative considerations. With each new experience they design, they level up in a myriad of small ways, from their build quality to their storytelling to their lighting and sound design. Yet, with typical build times of a mere few months per game, a strong pulse on local audience preferences, and an increasing eye towards modularity and portability in their set design, they’re truly building business sustainability into their creative process. Furthermore, such rapid iteration allows them to experiment and learn about player behavior much more effectively than games that take multiple years to come into existence. It’s rare to see creators in the fast-paced category churning out new experiences at as high a level as The Escape Ventures.

If you are anywhere near Port Charlotte, both Click ‘N Glitch and Phantom Files are delightfully creative, nostalgia-filled adventures that are not to be missed. For escape room enthusiasts visiting Florida, Port Charlotte is admittedly a ways away from other escape room hotspots, but it’s worth the detour if you have the time — especially once The Escape Ventures opens their third and final game at this location, Nightfall: Creature at Camp Deadwood. (We got a peek at the in-progress set and it was already looking great!)

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Adventure seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• 1980s nostalgia
• To feel like a kid again
• A vibrant, playful environment with dozens of bite-sized puzzles

Story

As middle schooler arcade fiends, we decided to break into the Click ‘N Glitch Arcade Palace after-hours in an attempt to set a new high score.

Setting

Click ‘N Glitch began just outside the entrance of the titular arcade. Inside, the classic trappings of an 80s arcade awaited: boldly patterned wallpapers and carpets, glass display cases of cheap tchotchkes, fluorescent lighting, and, of course, plenty of arcade machines.

Gameplay

The Escape Ventures’ Click ‘N Glitch was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around solving puzzles, making connections, searching, and evading a security guard.

Analysis

➕ From the carpet to the ceiling, Click ‘N Glitch nailed the 1980s arcade vibe. Sound, lighting, and smell all contributed to a clear sense of place.

➕ The story was simple and coherent. Starting with a creative entrance into the space, we were invited to play versions of ourselves as arcade-obsessed middle schoolers. The gameplay, props, choreography, and actor interactions all reinforced this narrative.

➕/❓ The Escape Ventures developed 2 original characters, the titular Click and Glitch, to headline the game. The internal worldbuilding to make these characters feel like decades-beloved mascots went a long way. Detailed and distinctive, these characters appeared throughout the game in both 2D and 3D, and also represented our cat-and-mouse chase with the security guard. Custom plushies of Click and Glitch looked incredible — and were perhaps a missed opportunity for some adorable purchasable merch.

➕ Click ‘N Glitch was jam-packed with nearly 30 puzzles. They were fun, playful, and accessible, providing a constant flow of dopamine hits. Everything was tactile, nostalgic, and perfectly themed, from a kid’s bike to trays of iconic arcade prizes.

➖ Many of the puzzles involved some variation on sequence matching. Though they were reasonably differentiated, there was room for a greater variety of puzzle types.

➕ Click ‘N Glitch was a lock-heavy game, yet it was consistently clear which puzzle went with which lock. We also encountered some interesting and intuitive-to-use lock types we hadn’t seen before.

➕ A throwaway interaction ended up being one of our favorite moments of the game. It positioned us at just the right angles to experience the full immersion from a youthful perspective before seamlessly transitioning back into the gameplay. Nothing was wasted.

➕/➖ For an arcade-themed game, Click ‘N Glitch delivered on the arcade games. Their physical presence felt substantial, clicky buttons provided satisfying inputs, and their theming was enthralling. Our main interaction with these machines was fun the first few times but quickly became somewhat repetitive.

➕ Click ‘N Glitch was tastefully situated within the broader world of The Escape Ventures. Multiple Easter eggs and characters referenced The Escape Ventures’ other games both in Port Charlotte and Orlando.

➕/➖ The finale fulfilled on the core narrative premise with delight and excitement. A boss battle was sleek and collaborative but perhaps too simple, leaving us wanting a more challenging ramp-up in difficulty.

Tips For Visiting

• Click ‘N Glitch is located in The Escape Ventures’ Port Charlotte location.
• There is a parking lot.
• Review our tips for playing escape rooms with actors.

Book your hour with The Escape Ventures’ Click ‘N Glitch, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: The Escape Ventures comped our tickets for this game.