Room Escape Artist

Order some wings and pound a Labatt. Welcome to Buffalo.

Location: North Tonawanda, NY

Date played: January 21, 2017

Team size: 2-8; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $25 per ticket

Story & setting

In Brewery 2, we needed to puzzle our way out of a bar. Despite the name, the setting was actually more bar than brewery.

The set of Brewery 2 had a homemade bar vibe. It was playful, hacked together, and adorable.

Puzzles

Escape Room Buffalo designed the puzzles into the structure of the bar and its associated paraphernalia. Through these hands-on puzzles we physically engaged with the different components of the set.

Standouts

Brewery 2 encouraged us to interact with every part of the set. We appreciated the tangible puzzles.

Two puzzles in particular relied on technology that largely worked with the theme.

Shortcomings

There was a puzzle interaction where we received some components far earlier then we earned the cluing that instructed us how to use them. This would have been fine except that there were clear ways to attempt to solve the puzzle and some of those paths could consume the game components. We ended up needing to summon the gamemaster to restock us after permanently losing these game components to a set piece.

Brewery 2 wasn’t refined; it was hacked together.

Should I play Escape Room Buffalo’s Brewery 2?

While we didn’t brew any beer, or even drink any, we had a good time at the bar. It was adorably handmade. It may have been hacked together with a design flaw or two, but it was robust enough to withstand the interactions between players, puzzles, and set.

Brewery 2 would be welcoming for new players. Given the beer theme and low level of difficulty, it would also lend itself to a light-hearted and laid back playthrough for experienced players.

Book your hour with Escape Room Buffalo’s Brewery 2, 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.