A nonlinear game that truly captures a New York City apartment’s je ne sais quoi.
Location: New York, New York
Date played: June 28, 2015
Team size: up to 10; we recommend 4-6
Price: $28 per ticket
Plot
“You are trapped in what feels like your typical NYC apartment: small, intimate and full of roommates (your fellow puzzlers). You usually just feel trapped inside your NYC home, but now you are for real! This game is for up to 10 players.”
Full Disclosure
Escape the Room NYC comped our tickets for this game.
Very New York City apartment-y
It’s cramped and strangely shaped, but it’s in a awesome neighborhood and the rent is great. Escape the Room NYC set out to give their players a true New York experience… And they succeeded. This escape room looks exactly like a New York City apartment (except that it’s missing a shower and a bed).
The trouble with hitting the mark so well on this particular theme is that the game space felt very tight with seven adults and the game is billed for 10 people.
Rare is the NYC apartment that comfortably fits 10 humans.
Nonlinear
The game is decidedly nonlinear, and that is what makes this room work. It’s tight, but there’s a lot to do.
The deeper you get into the game, the more cramped things feel because there are fewer puzzles for people to gather around.
Well done, no magic
The Apartment is a good game. Escape the Room NYC’s staff is wonderful, exuberant, and highly attentive (they are the best non-owner staff we’ve ever encountered). The puzzles are all logically sound, well-constructed, and for the most part fit into a tight theme. That theme just isn’t particularly exciting, and it’s lock heavy.
Everything works, and is fun, but there’s no climactic “wow” moment… Because it’s an apartment. However that’s not to say that this room is lacking surprises; it has some good ones.
Clues in high places
This was my parents’ first room escape, and my dad climbed up on a chair to look for things in high places. I kind of snapped at him because escape rooms never hide things so high up that you have to climb on chairs to get them… Turns out I was wrong. Twice.
There were a couple instances where clues were hidden very high-up. I’m 6’1, if I can’t find something without climbing, then it’s probably too high.
Should I play Escape the Room NYC’s Apartment?
Here’s the deal. Escape the Room NYC has five rooms in Manhattan. Four of them come in various flavors of awesome. The Apartment is good.
If you’ve never played with Escape the Room NYC before, then this will absolutely be a great time. If you have played one of their other games, then this one is going to fall short.
Expectations grow with reputation.
Book your hour with Escape the Room NYC’s Apartment and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
