The Hideout is one of the best games in the Los Angeles area. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms around Los Angeles.
Step back. I’m about to play with science!
Location: Newhall, California
Date played: June 5, 2017
Team size: 2-6; we recommend 2-4
Duration: 50 minutes
Price: varies based on team size and time of booking
Story & setting
A sequel of sorts to Arcane Escape Rooms’ beginner room The Agency, The Hideout had us on the run from the evil enforcers of dystopian rule that had previously captured us. Now locked up in my brother’s hideout, we had to follow the clues he left in order to throw open the gates to freedom.
The Hideout was a small bunker built from wood, metal, and tubing. It had an unusual unfinished construction site aesthetic that had less to do with establishing setting or carrying narrative than it did with facilitating unusual mechanical puzzling.
Puzzles
Arcane Escape Rooms built The Hideout with two goals:
- Have no silicon-based technology in the room
- Use as few locks as possible (there are two keyed padlocks.)
Everything was mechanical and it made for a refreshingly unusual series of puzzles.
Standouts
The mechanical puzzling was a lot of fun and honestly different from the overwhelming majority of escape rooms.
Arcane Escape Rooms packed a lot of intrigue into a small space.
There was a great illusion in the game.
As we puzzled, we worked through training wheels, so to speak, for some of the mechanisms, which made the puzzling more approachable. This also enabled us to experiment with what we found and discover our way through the puzzles.
While the gamemaster delivered hints whenever he thought we should get a nudge, they arrived in such a way that we could ignore them if we chose to do so. (We always accepted them; they were useful and welcome.)
Shortcomings
The story was a little hard to follow.
One puzzle would have benefited from a little more clarity.
The hint system was used to provide verification that we were on the right path, but it would have been far more fun if they could have confirmed our decisions without it feeling like the gamemaster was providing the thumbs up.
Should I play Arcane Escape Rooms’ The Hideout?
The Hideout was fun and refreshing. It’s rare to find a puzzle room that is completely unusual, but playable from start to finish… and Arcane Escape Rooms built just that.
Additionally, because The Hideout deviates significantly from the norm, it is roughly as challenging for newbies as for experienced players. I’d recommend that regardless of experience level, you give it a shot.
The tangible nature of mechanical puzzling made for some seriously satisfying solves. I recommend that you go out and experience them for yourself.
Book your hour with Arcane Escape Rooms’ The Hideout, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Full disclosure: Arcane Escape Rooms comped our tickets for this game.
