The Heist is one of the best escape rooms around Salt Lake City / Park City. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms in the Salt Lake City / Park City area.
Race for the gold.
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Date Played: January 4, 2018
Team size: 4-40 (4 copies of the room, each for up to 10 players); we recommend 3-5 per room
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $22 per ticket
REA Reaction
We have mixed feelings about The Heist. Getout Games played with some truly brilliant game mechanics in creating a beginner-friendly competitive escape room. Unfortunately the first half of the game was underwhelming and it left us wishing that Getout Games had focused more on the unique elements of this escape room.
Who is this for?
- Best for beginners
- Teams looking to compete
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- To race your friends
- The mid-game puzzles
- A brilliant final set
Story
Notorious Salt Lake City mob boss Crazy Coz had left his office for the day. We were seeking to relieve him of some of the gold it was rumored he had been trafficking.
Setting
The Heist took place in Crazy Coz’s rented office… which didn’t look all the much like an office, let alone a notorious mobster’s office. It had white walls with a few hangings, a few simple pieces of furniture, and some knickknacks.
The initial gamespace was about as uninspiring as escape rooms get. Fortunately as The Heist progressed, the set became increasingly more interesting. Getout Games staged the final act in a really cool manner.
Gameplay
The Heist was a competitive escape room. Multiple teams could simultaneously race for the gold in up to four adjacent sets.
The Heist was an old-school search-and-puzzle escape room that improved over the course of the experience. The first half was mundane. The second half offered quite a bit more intrigue.
Standouts
Getout Games excelled at the transitions in this escape room. Although they used escape room standbys, they delivered. One was impressively concealed. Another was overt, but smoothly executed.
We enjoyed one mid-game puzzle sequence that changed our perspective.
The Heist was a race. We wanted to find the gold before the other team. If we had been neck and neck as we approached our prize, oh wow, would it have been a dramatic conclusion.
Shortcomings
As it was, we won decidedly. Because of this, the conclusion was underwhelming. We recommend that Getout Games shuffle the puzzle flow to increase the chances for a dramatic race to the gold. Otherwise, the unique staging is a missed opportunity. While it’s always possible for one team to absolutely blow out another, we suggest stacking the odds in favor of perceived competition, even if one team has a significant edge.
The setting was unimpressive. Getout Games could make the office facade more believable or play up the mob boss character. Either one would give the early game more depth.
Much of this escape room took place in the dark with poor flashlights. There didn’t seem to be any reason for this frustrating game mechanic.
We experienced three reset failures during our one playthrough of The Heist.
Tips for Visiting
- Much of The Heist takes place in the dark, with flashlights.
- The Heist could be played by a single team, but you will be missing something if it’s not played competitively.
- Getout Games has a large lobby and ample parking.
Book your hour with Getout Games’ The Heist, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
