Crash the White House.
Location: Orlando, FL
Date played: November 14, 2016
Team size: up to 10; we recommend 5-7
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $35 per ticket
Story & setting
A paramilitary group launched missiles at the White House and we needed to enter the Oval Office to disarm them.
For the most part, Crisis at 1600 was a standard office escape room with a style of furniture and props that suggested a governmental office. It was themed, but the set design didn’t elevate the drama of the mission.
Puzzles
Crisis at 1600 relied heavily on busywork puzzles. Once we had determined how to solve something, it took quite some time to execute the solution.
The puzzles were not distributed evenly throughout the game. This unevenness created bottlenecking, which would be magnified with large teams.
Standouts
The penultimate segment of Crisis at 1600 was unusually designed and a lot of fun.
Shortcomings
Everything before and after that aforementioned section lacked punch. We were completing tedious puzzles in a governmental office.
One particular portion of the game demanded accuracy while forcing us to use an inaccurate toy as a precision tool. The concept was exciting, but the execution was frustrating. Our gamemaster interrupted this segment to inform us that should we not succeed at the task, we’d have to burn a hint to move forward in the game.
Players with knowledge of American government and history will be able to steamroll portions of Crisis at 1600. We completed a section of the room escape out of order because we had the outside knowledge to both speed up and bypass puzzles.
There was one tedious newspaper-style puzzle.
Should I play America’s Escape Game’s Crisis at 1600?
Multiple people in Orlando have suggested to us that this is the greatest room escape they’ve ever played. We don’t know what to make of that. Did they seeing something we didn’t? Or is it that everyone loves their first time?
This is America’s Escape Game’s flagship game. While Crisis at 1600 may have given the company its start, at the end of 2016, it felt dated. If they want to lean on this experience as a flagship, it needs to be updated. It’s a great concept and there is opportunity to create a dramatic space, an emotional roller coaster, and more interesting puzzles. They could make this game that into that special something.
That said, as we played it, Crisis at 1600 was a very average room escape. New players will enjoy it; experienced players could certainly have fun puzzling for America, but won’t find much to write their representative about.
America’s Escape Game seems a well-managed and disciplined company, but we don’t understand the Crisis at 1600 hype. We hope they can build more drama and intrigue into their White House.
Book your hour with America’s Escape Game’s Crisis at 1600, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Full disclosure: America’s Escape Game provided media discounted tickets for this game.
