Room Escape Artist

“Get off my plane.”

Location: Tickfaw, LA

Date played: October 6, 2017

Team size: 4-7; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28 per ticket

Story & setting

We boarded RISE Airlines flight 772, sat in our seats, buckled in, watched a riveting safety demonstration, and then drifted off to sleep… until we were startled awake by a hijacking. It fell to us to secure the plane and land it before it ran out of fuel and fell to the earth.

There’s no other way to put this: RISE Escape Rooms built a commercial airliner’s fuselage into their facility. It bore the look, shape, and aesthetics that anyone who has ever flown will immediately recognize. They even went out of their way to build cabin doors that looked strikingly similar to the genuine artifact.

Puzzles

The puzzles in Hijacked took us through the components of a commercial aircraft. As we opened each new space or prop, we engaged in a thematically appropriate puzzle. The puzzles traversed the aircraft.

Some of the puzzles involved set or prop interaction. Other times, RISE Escape Rooms presented themed paper-style puzzles to us, on board the aircraft.

Standouts

Hijacked looked and felt like an airborne airplane. The cabin included rows of seats, overhead compartments, a drink cart, and a lavatory. The cockpit had a myriad of buttons and dials. The plane even had the thick, heavy outer doors. It was exciting to explore a space that was familiar, but also unusual. The thing that seemed a little out of place… too much legroom (which was great for the game and would be fantastic in real life too).

Moreover, RISE Escape Rooms created some shocking full-set interactions.

The puzzles took us throughout the plane, revealing each area of the set in turn. This was exciting.

Hijacked started out with one simple on-ramp puzzle to help us get our bearings. This puzzle asked us to think about the airplane staging. It worked beautifully as the catalyst to this airborne adventure.

Shortcomings

While the puzzles were thematically airplane-y, they didn’t tell the story of a hijacking on board. We made seemingly random connections between objects, generally sticking to a theme. The gameplay was escape room-y.

Hijacked included a number of less interactive, paper-style puzzles. Especially considering the exciting aircraft set, any puzzles that didn’t incorporate the space felt out of place and disappointing.

Should I play RISE Escape Rooms’ Hijacked?

Hijacked was an exhilarating escape room. The gorgeous details sold the adventure. It contributed to the overall experience in ways I never would have dreamed up. It was brilliant.

RISE Escape Rooms constructed Hijacked a couple of years ago and its age shows in the occasionally lackluster gameplay. It was a linear playthrough with more paper-style puzzles that only belonged because they were thematically “airplane.” That said, the puzzles flowed well and built to a more exciting conclusion.

RISE Escape Rooms has built something incredibly special. This set delivered an exciting adventure that overpowered any other shortcomings, even age. This is a must-play.

Whether you’re new to escape rooms or overly experienced, Hijacked offers an unusual and fun adventure. RISE Escape Rooms has constructed a truly impressive environment that delivers a dramatic airborne exploit.

Book your hour with RISE Escape Rooms’ Hijacked, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Full disclosure: RISE Escape Rooms comped our tickets for this game.