Room Escape Artist

Escape My Room was as delightfully strange as New Orleans.

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Date played: May 11, 2016

Team size: 2-8; we recommend 4-6

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $30 per ticket

Story & setting

As soon as we stepped through Escape My Room’s door, we were in their world. The game hadn’t yet begun, but their waiting room was as immersive as I’ve ever seen. It served as a teaser for things to come: a costume closet, and a sort of bizarre museum of strange antiques, and even stranger taxidermy.

We were met by a hostess who was in character. She introduced us to the story and our mission:

“The year is 1990, and Odette DeLaporte has invited you to her study. As the last remaining heir in New Orleans to the DeLaporte fortune, she needs your help locating a treasure which went missing a long time ago. The reclusive matriarch has not been seen in public for quite some time, yet she has agreed to meet with you with the hope that you can recover what’s been lost.”

The room was as lushly decorated with curios as the lobby.There were more than a few breakables, but the room did not seem broken at all. Escape My Room was not a new company; they were expertly maintaining their set.

Puzzles

The puzzles were pretty standard escape room interactions. They kind of fit within the story, some a bit awkwardly, but everything worked.

There were two sets of puzzles in the room: one to lead the team out and the other to find what Odette DeLaporte had lost. Escaping was job one and finding what she lost was the secondary win condition. Unfortunately, with this structure there was no way to know which puzzles were tied to which task.

Standouts

The look and feel of the entire facility was bizarre and beautiful.

Everything about Escape My Room New Orleans tied back to the region’s unique history and eccentricities.

The lobby was a trip.

Shortcomings

The dual tracks of puzzles were impossible to tell apart. This was needlessly frustrating.

Some of the puzzles were very clunky and didn’t quite fit with what was going on within the game space.

The story was largely carried by long, cursive letters. They were perfectly in-theme and in-story, but they were hell to read. Note, our whole team was old enough to know cursive.

Should I play Escape My Room New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Study?

Escape My Room New Orleans is a quirky company that does its own thing.

The Mardi Gras Study’s mechanisms were a solid execution of a standard escape room, but everything surrounding the game was strange and fun.

We frequently preach that companies should lean into their strengths and give their games personality. I can’t think of many companies that have done that quite as profoundly as Escape My Room New Orleans.

Book your hour with Escape My Room New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Study, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.