Tick, tick, boom.
Location: Lakewood, NJ
Date Played: January 27, 2018
Team size: up to 5; we recommend 2-3
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $22 per ticket
REA Reaction
Western Bank Heist was a ton of fun. It was inclusive, but not overly simple. It was unrealistic, but it didn’t try to be more than a game. We road off into the sunset smiling… having played our 500th escape room.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Western fans
- Any experience level
- Families
- Players who can cooperate
Why play?
- The adorable props
- Solid puzzles
- Team experience
Story
Our band of bandits arrived in a small frontier town in search of food, water and supplies. We also found the town quiet and the bank full. It was heist time.
Setting
We entered a collage of an old western town. The walls were painted with murals, each one representing something different. Tangible props lined those walls.
There were more tangible interactions in Western Bank Heist than in Malus the Elf, but at the same time, the focus on the murals made the set more abstract.
Gameplay
Western Bank Heist had a unique style of play where most of the puzzles came together at once, even when we were doing lots of different things.
Western Bank Heist most readily rewarded observation.
Standouts
Western Bank Heist was adorably thematic. It didn’t try to be realistic. The set and props were playful and fun.
Western Bank Heist could engage less puzzle-minded players. It was easy to get involved.
One larger, layered puzzle required different types of observation. This too helped engage different types of players in a collective solve.
Locks and Puzzles incorporated technological puzzle elements well. These were interactive and gave feedback.
Shortcomings
It was frustrating to get started. Locks and Puzzles abundantly clued the opening interaction, but the layout of the set – more thematic than realistic – buried the opening thread of the gameplay.
The scale and details of a crucial prop were a bit off. We struggled with a puzzle simply because we didn’t realize what the prop was supposed to be.
Western Bank Heist teeters on the edge of outside knowledge. While it would be possible to solve this escape room without these specific skills, it would certainly be much more challenging.
Tips for Visiting
- Locks and Puzzles has ample parking available out front.
- There are plenty of food options nearby.
Book your hour with Locks and Puzzles’ , and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Locks and Puzzles provided media discounted tickets for this game.
Wow – 500 escape rooms. Congrats I think 🙂 I have lost a bit of my interest due to the number of so-so games. Are you somehow avoiding the disappointing rooms to keep your enthusiasm high? Do you get a little burned out after a string of “blah” rooms?
Thank you!
Yes. And yes.
We put a lot of effort into avoiding both bad and blah rooms, especially when we travel, and especially when we play multiple games back to back. It’s hard when we hit a run of meh rooms, but as we talk about them and write the reviews, we always look for the one thing they did that was interesting and different, and that keeps us engaged.
There’s probably a whole post to be written on this topic…