Room Escape Artist

“It was somebody, in the someplace, with the something!”

Location: Los Angeles, California

Date played: March 20, 2016

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3-4

Price: Prices vary based on time & day.

Theme & story

Following on the story from Enigma Escape Rooms’ previous game, The Will, we were a team of investigators seeking the truth about Albert Cartwright’s demise. The game was set within the theater where he was murdered. We were tasked with a two-part mission:

1. Determine who killed Cartwright, where they did it, and with what weapon
2. Escape the room

Basically, we were playing Clue.

The setup

Because Crime Scene included an additional layer of game, Enigma Escape Rooms spent a bit more time during the pre-game explaining the setup, rules, and expectations. The extra handholding was entertaining and setup the game well.

We had no doubts about our mission.

The mystery

We liked that we could escape the room and still lose because we failed to solve the mystery. This was an interesting X factor for us to reconcile.

As the game progressed, we probably spent equal amounts of time solving puzzles to advance through the game and making sense of the clues.

In the end, we had the door puzzle solved, but chose to spend an additional 5 to 10 minutes debating the facts to ensure that we had the narrative of the crime correct before we exited the game.

The mystery itself mostly made sense. There were a few plot holes that didn’t quite add up, but it was a fun mechanic nonetheless.

Hinting system

The action that our team had to collectively take to trigger a hint was humorously self-deprecating. We got a good chuckle out of it.

Brilliant interactions

Following what we experienced in Enigma’s The Will, Crime Scene had a number of wonderful moments and fun triggers. Some of them were foreseeable; others were rather complex and surprising.

The exit door

The exit door was magnificently constructed. It’s our second favorite door.

Should I play Enigma Escape Rooms’ Crime Scene?

Crime Scene was an interesting game. It offered our team a bit of unexpected challenge because early on it was difficult for us to determine the difference between the clues to the puzzles, the clues to the mystery, and the ones that were part of both.

As our game progressed, we got a better grasp on things and it became more about understanding the facts of the crime.

If you’re new to escape rooms, this is not the best room to begin with. It’s a bit too different from the norm to serve as an on-ramp for rookies.

If you’ve played a few escape rooms and you’re looking to spice things up, I wholeheartedly recommend attempting to solve this crime.

Book your hour with Enigma Escape Rooms’ , and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Full disclosure: Enigma Escape Rooms provided media discounted tickets for this game.