Room Escape Artist

Update 12/27/22: Escape the Wild West has been relocated since we first reviewed it, to Escape From The 6’s current facility. The entire experience has been upgraded, with a better set, and some new video elements that deliver the story beats. It’s a more modest room than the others at Escape From The 6, but still a fun ride through a classic escape room theme.

Yeehaw! Let’s blow this joint.

Location: Oakville, Ontario

Date played: April 27, 2016

Team size: 2-6; but they recommend 3-4 and we agree

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $25 CAD per ticket

Story & setting

We were outlaws jailed by the sheriff awaiting our transfer to prison. We needed to break out of our cell, find the evidence of our crimes, and escape with it.

This was an immersive set, solidly constructed as the sheriff’s office holding cell.

Early on, the game made us characters in our own escape, complete with side quest.

The custom construction was brilliantly engineered.

Puzzles

Escape the Wild West included a variety of logic puzzles as well as dexterity puzzles that took full advantage of the set.

These physically interactive dexterity puzzles required more patience than room escape puzzles usually demand.

Standouts

The set for Escape the Wild West was a delightfully fun playground. It was beautifully designed. Many of the puzzles interacted with it in a thematically appropriate way that gave us a sense of pride in engineering our own escape.

Each player had a side quest to find their own evidence. This personalized the game and added a simple, yet fun dynamic that elevated the experience.

Escape the Wild West built to an explosive conclusion.

Shortcomings

One of the more traditional escape room puzzles set itself up for overthinking because it had so many possible inputs. That puzzle notwithstanding, the logic puzzles weren’t particularly challenging for experienced players.

The more challenging dexterity puzzles didn’t give feedback and we couldn’t be sure we were on the right track until everything worked (or we called for a hint to confirm we were on the right track). This type of interaction could cause bottlenecking, especially for larger teams.

Should I play Escape From The 6’s Escape the Wild West?

Escape the Wild West relied heavily on physical locks – key and combination – along with set piece interaction. It was low tech in a thematically appropriate way. It worked.

More so than in most escape games, Escape from the Wild West offered players the opportunity to construct their own escape from their environment. This can be both frustrating and rewarding.

The puzzles within Escape the Wild West were hit or miss; this game was more about the experience than it was about the puzzles. As long as you aren’t looking for magical technology or extreme mental challenge, this is an incredibly fun game to play. It’s a great place for new players to start, and a fun playground for experienced players.

Book your hour with Escape From The 6’s Escape the Wild West, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.