The police will arrive… just as soon as they finish their wings.
Location: North Tonawanda, NY
Date played: January 21, 2017
Team size: 3-10; we recommend 4-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $25 per ticket
Story & setting
We entered the bank intent on stealing the contents of the vault before the police could catch us.
The Bank Robbery looked like a bank, in that drab bank kind of way. We had plenty of room to move around within the bank and interact with the various set pieces.
Puzzles
Escape Room Buffalo did a good job of keeping most of the puzzles tangible. The puzzling was largely built into the set and required physical interaction.
A few challenges forced teamwork, communication, and careful observation.
Standouts
While we were in the bank to steal the contents of the bank vault, there were additional gems that could be stolen as a bonus puzzles. The added bonus puzzles offered a layer of intrigue and complexity for more experienced teams.
There were a few brilliant puzzle design moments. Many of them were exceptionally simple and elegant, which only made them more impressive.
Shortcomings
The Bank Robbery was spacious but barren. While the set and puzzles remained true to the bank theme, a local savings bank wasn’t the most exciting of environments.
There was a surprisingly confusing puzzle implementation that left us thinking that we hadn’t solved something when we had.
The set of The Bank Robbery looked and felt hacked together. The problem here was that Escape Room Buffalo actually had interesting, unusual, and unique puzzle design… but the cleverness of their work was diminished by the room escape’s lack of aesthetic.
Should I play Escape Room Buffalo’s The Bank Robbery?
Escape Room Buffalo got a lot right in The Bank Robbery. The puzzling was solid and the game flow was generally good. Additionally the set was sturdy, even if it didn’t look particularly enticing. With an added focus on exciting environments and refined set design, I think that Escape Room Buffalo could really shine. They are getting a lot of subtle things right.
The Bank Robbery would be approachable for newer players while appealing to experienced folks due to the addition of the game-extending bonus puzzles.
Book your hour with Escape Room Buffalo’s The Bank Robbery, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Full disclosure: Escape Room Buffalo comped our tickets for this game.
The next Room Escape Conference is taking place in Niagara Falls, NY from May 1-3, 2017. The conference organizers sponsored our trip to Buffalo, New York, Niagara Falls, New York, and Niagara Falls, Ontario, to play this game and others in the region. We strive to help conference attendees visit the room escapes that are best for them.
