Room Escape Artist

[At the time of this review, this escape room was called Room 1409.]

“Even if you leave this room, you can never leave this room!” – Stephen King

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Date played: September 19, 2016

Team size: 3-5; we recommend 3

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28 per ticket

Story & setting

We were guests in New York City’s Dolphin Hotel; upon check-in, we found that our room was haunted. We had to escape before an unspeakable horror overtook us.

This escape room was based loosely on Stephen King’s short story 1408, published in 2002 as part of the Everything’s Eventual compilation. Visually, the room strongly mimicked the story. The plot, however, strayed from the book.

It was not necessary to read King’s story before playing this game. However, hardcore King fans will recognize certain plot points carried out in the room escape. Fandom enhanced my experience in this game.

Puzzles

This room was a typical Komnata Quest design – heavy on immersion and tasks, light on puzzles.

Our favorite puzzle in the game made fantastic use of the setting while incorporating a direct plot point from the King story.

The tasks in this immersive environment were fun, and in several cases, unusual.

Standouts

The set design was the strongest feature of this room escape. As a King fan, the design exceeded my expectations in capturing the madness of the story. For those who hadn’t read the story, the design was incredibly solid, realistic, and eerie in all the right places.

In several instances, we were required to interact with the room in unique and unexpected ways, which we all enjoyed.

Shortcomings

Because the room was task-based, it marched along quickly. Our experienced team blew through this game, and the end came far sooner than we expected. 1409 genuinely appeared larger than it was. This illusion added to our end-game confusion.

After the initial scene was set, any semblance of story faded quickly. I wasn’t expecting the room to mimic the King story, but there was an opportunity to design a narrative compelling enough to match the set. It was never really clear exactly who/what we were escaping from and why they/it were there to begin with.

Should I play Komnata Quest’s Room 1409?

If you are looking for a fun, interactive experience in a spooky environment, then this is for you.

If you’re looking for more challenging or layered puzzles then this is probably not your room escape.

Note that this game was a bit creepy. It flirted with horror. Leave small children or sensitive adults at home.

Experienced players will probably finish this room quickly. If getting to Brooklyn is hard for you then consider adding one of Komnata’s other rooms. Their current Brooklyn collection includes a horror murder mystery, a sex dungeon, a claustrophobic coffin escape and a heist.

Book your hour with Komnata Quest’s Room 1409, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you using the coupon code escapeartist to receive 10% off.

Full disclosure: Komnata Quest comped our tickets for this game.

(If you purchase via our Amazon links, you will help support Room Escape Artist as we will receive a very small percentage of the sale).