Room Escape Artist

We don’t see games like this in New York.

Location: Auburn, AL

Date played: March 31, 2017

Team size: up to 8; we recommend 4-6

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $22 per ticket

Story & setting

On our way to our uncle’s remote huntin’ cabin, our friend was bitten by a timber rattler. Without any cellular coverage, we had to break into the cabin and find the antivenom.

The set looked and felt like a cabin. It was kitschy in a compelling sort of way. There were some great twists and clever design.

Puzzles

The Cabin was a puzzle-heavy game. There was a lot to work through, so much so that we kept 8 serious puzzlers busy on parallel tracks.

The puzzles were blended with technology and set design.

Standouts

In escaping The Cabin we re-enacted a true life-or-death situation… with a lot more puzzles than real life usually offers. It was unusual, entertaining, and delightful.

With this escape room, Escape Zones leveled up their set design. One magic moment in particular relied on expertly crafted, well-hidden technology.

Where Escape Zones’ previous games were search-based, The Cabin was a more complex, puzzle-driven adventure.

The ending was adorable.

Shortcomings

While Escape Zones did integrate puzzles and story, The Cabin still contained some standard escape room puzzles that didn’t necessarily make sense in the context of our life-or-death adventure.

Occasionally, Escape Zones’ attempt to combine puzzles and story resulted in the reading of extraneous, long-winded, sciencey babble. It got a little tedious.

We encountered one puzzle that relied on order preservation. Moving props rendered it unsolvable. This could be easily remedied.

Should I play Escape Zones’ The Cabin?

The Cabin was a pleasure to play. The set was compelling, the puzzling good fun, and the story entertaining.

Escape Zones in Auburn, Alabama is a legit escape room company, despite being the only company in town. They have produced an escape room that would hold up in any market.

First timers might find The Cabin a touch overwhelming, as there was a lot to do. If you’ve never played a room escape before, start with one of Escape Zones’ other offerings to get used to how things work. After you’ve finished with those, return for The Cabin. It’s absolutely worth it.

If you’re an experienced room escaper who happens to find yourself near Auburn, I’d strongly encourage you to spend an hour in The Cabin.

Book your hour with Escape Zones’ The Cabin, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Full disclosure: Escape Zones comped our tickets for this game and outfitted our team in t-shirts.