Room Escape Artist

Mr. Holmes sent his B team to dig up some evidence.

Location: Salem, Oregon

Date played: May 19, 2017

Team size: up to 6; we recommend 2-4 (be mindful of price)

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $139 per team

Designed by: Labyrinth, Portland, Oregon

Story & setting

As employees of Sherlock Holmes, we needed to find evidence of the crime so that the captured murderer wouldn’t walk free.

With antique furniture, the set evoked a 19th century office.

Puzzles

Sherlock’s Mystery required observation, deciphering, dexterity, and logic. In many cases, the designer used standard escape room trope in unconventional ways.

Sherlock’s Mystery included a number of more challenging puzzles. They were satisfying solves.

Standouts

The strength of this escape room was in the cohesive puzzling. It flowed smoothly, with each thread unlocking new information or an interaction.

Sherlock’s Mystery was physically involved. We manipulated set pieces as we puzzled.

The puzzles were inventive. They delivered a few great aha moments.

Shortcomings

The story was mainly delivered in longer, written passages, which interrupted the puzzling.

The set looked good, but the environment wasn’t exciting in and of itself.

Should I play Escape Tech Salem’s Sherlock’s Mystery?

If you enjoy interesting tangible puzzles, you’ll enjoy Sherlock’s Mystery. The puzzling flows smoothly, delivering quite a few fun moments.

New players will find a serious opponent here. Bring a team with diverse skills sets. You’ll need them.

More experienced players will likely puzzle through this more quickly, but appreciate a couple of surprises along the way.

While we wouldn’t say you should fly across the country for Sherlock’s Mystery, if you find yourself near Salem, Oregon we recommend you stop in.

Book your hour with Escape Tech Salem’s Sherlock’s Mystery, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Full disclosure: Escape Tech Salem provided media discounted tickets for this game.