Room Escape Artist

High Speed NYC is one of the best escape rooms in New York City. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms in New York City.

Please mind the gap.

Location: New York, NY

Date played: October 16, 2017

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28 per ticket

Story & setting

We were trapped on a 1 Train in the NYC Subway. A vengeful conductor had abandoned the train after forcing it into high speed and disabling the breaks. It was up to us to save our own lives as well as the other passengers on the train.

High Speed NYC captured the look and vibe of a New York subway car. From entry to exit, it had nearly accurate layout, temperature, lighting, and aesthetic. Additionally, Exit Escape Room NYC used video to create a sense of motion.

Puzzles

Exit Escape NYC put their own twists on a few common escape room puzzle types. The puzzles flowed well. Most of the puzzles were embedded into the set and environment.

The puzzles took inspiration from the theme. This was more pronounced in the first act of the experience.

Standouts

The theme and the set were quintessentially New York City. Given Exit Escape Room NYC’s location in midtown Manhattan, this made so much sense.

The set looked and felt like a New York subway car. It was deliberately crafted to conceal puzzles within a familiar space. It was surprising.

We especially enjoyed how Exit Escape NYC turned subway riding actions into puzzles.

High Speed NYC included primarily large-scale, tactile, group puzzles. They took a few common escape room puzzle types and made them their own.

The ending was adorable.

Shortcomings

While the puzzles were on theme, they didn’t really tell the story of the escape room. At times they just felt like assorted puzzles from subway-esque props. This was more pronounced in the later potion of the escape room. Exit Escape Room NYC could work to tell a story though puzzling, instead of by way of gamemaster introduction, which would bring this experience to the next level.

There are small places in the set where the set construction could be more polished.

The second act of High Speed NYC was more challenging than the first act, but less exciting. The intensity of the room escape dropped over the course of the game.

Should I play Exit Escape Room NYC’s High Speed NYC?

High Speed NYC is one of very few New York City-themed escaped rooms in this city. Its local theming and convenient midtown location make it a particularly fun choice for tourists.

Note that you don’t need to know anything about the New York City subway system to solve these puzzles, but if you do, that might give you a leg up on one or two occasions.

If you’re new to escape rooms, High Speed NYC will be pretty challenging, and definitely surprising, but highly enjoyable. From puzzles to technology, it will give you a good feel for what escape rooms offer. I can see High Speed NYC hooking new players. More experienced players will appreciate clever and clean execution of escape room gameplay.

High Speed NYC was an enjoyable adventure. From the set to the puzzles to the story, it was a lot of fun to play.

Book your hour with Exit Escape Room NYC’s High Speed NYC, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Full disclosure: Exit Escape Room NYC comped our tickets for this game.