Room Escape Artist

[At the time of this review, Red Door Escape Room was called The Escape Room Dallas Fort Worth.]

The rumors are true… Everything really is bigger in Texas!

Location: Dallas, Texas

Date played: November 2, 2015

Team size: up to 8; we recommend 4-5

Price: $25 per ticket

Story & theme

The story in Confinement isn’t immediately apparent. The Escape Room Dallas Fort Worth’s website introduced it cryptically:

“A mysterious dwelling, a dark secret, and the foreboding presence of a shadowy enemy await you.”

Over the course of the game, the dark, twisted, and strangely soap operatic tale unfolds through angsty notes and journal entries.

The game itself is equally dark, twisted, and angsty. I wouldn’t quite classify it as horror, but it’s damn close.

Expansive game

The Escape Room started us off in a small room. That one room was equivalent to half the space of a typical New York City game. But as this Dallas game progressed, it revealed its immense size.

It was huge. Because Texas.

The space that fit Confinement would easily hold two to three games in most cities.

Fluid, well-paced gameplay

In keeping with the size of Confinement, there was a lot going on in this game. It was manageable because most of the puzzles had solid clues, and especially for its size, the game wasn’t bogged down with a ton of red herrings.

Every puzzle ended in a lock, but I wasn’t bothered by this because it flowed well and felt intense.

Dark & edgy

My hat is off to our gamemasters… They legitimately scared my whole team (of coworkers from my day job). They did it only once, but they got us so good.

The Escape Room’s website warns that Confinement is for mature audiences. I have to agree (especially considering where it is located). One of my coworkers, a Texan, was pretty surprised by the themes covered in the game. We all had a good time, but if you’re thin-skinned about darker themes, pick another game to play.

Serialized games

The Escape Room currently offers four games. Each one is an episode in an on-going story.

The story itself is hard to follow. I wish I found it as compelling as our gamemasters wanted me to, but I did love that they attempt to convey a larger narrative.

Should I play The Escape Room Dallas Fort Worth’s Confinement?

My team of coworkers crushed the record in Confinement (we work really well together) and we had a ton of fun doing it.

Confinement offered thrills and challenging puzzles that were produced with a lot of maturity. I can only think of one puzzle where the hints were a little bit confounding. Overall, this was a highly refined game. It is absolutely worth playing.

If you’re jittery or politically hypersensitive, then Confinement isn’t going to be your game. If you’re up for it, this game is well worth the money.

Book your hour in The Escape Room Dallas Fort Worth’s Confinement, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.