The Forgotten Room is one of the best escape rooms in Northern New Jersey. Here are our recommendations for other great escape rooms around Northern New Jersey.
Ready your steamer trunk.
Location: Hawthorne, NJ
Date played: February 6, 2017
Team size: up to 8; we recommend 3-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $29.95 per ticket
Story & setting
We entered the headquarters of the Amazing Adventure Society to find the treasured artifact hidden within.
The Amazing Adventure Society headquarters had a simple, warm, and cozy grandfather’s study aesthetic. The setting felt homemade yet adorably homey.
Puzzles
The puzzles in The Forgotten Room were beautiful. In a mix of tech and more traditional components, The Other Tales crafted their own puzzle elements with care and love.
Both tangible and paper-based, the puzzles varied in structure, skills, and difficulty.
Standouts
As we approached the Amazing Adventure Society headquarters, our gamemaster established the story sincerely and reverently. He gave us reason for the adventure we were about to undertake, and even his own role in our experience. It worked.
The room was comfortable. Its atmosphere was heartwarming. It was a fun place to explore.
The Other Tales designed and built the puzzle elements with clear attention to detail and beautiful craftsmanship. Where many companies would cut corners and telegraph their technology, The Other Tales put in the extra effort to hide seams and tech. These pieces, both large and small, were fun to explore.
We loved many little moments. One particular layered decipherment puzzle really caught our fancy.
Shortcomings
We weren’t a loud group, but we found it hard to interact with our gamemaster during the room escape. It was hard to hear him over the PA system.
Some of the more paper-based puzzle components could have been worked into the set more thoroughly.
As much as we loved many of the unique puzzle elements, we worry about the durability of these game pieces. That said, The Other Tales has thus far done a spectacular job of maintaining their game.
Should I play The Other Tales’ The Forgotten Room?
The Forgotten Room was adorable and beautiful. The atmosphere, attention to details, and craftsmanship brought this adventure to life. It wasn’t a fancy game, but it was so cleanly executed.
I worry about the longevity of the props, but that might be the tradeoff for their charm.
This was a fun, exciting, family-friendly room escape that is perfect for its suburban location. It will be challenging, but approachable for newer players.
More experienced players will find some interesting puzzling in The Forgotten Room, much of it memorable.
If you’re in the area, visit The Other Tales and see an example of escape room design on a budget done right.
Book your hour with The Other Tales’ The Forgotten Room, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Full disclosure: The Other Tales comped our tickets for this game.
