Room Escape Artist

[At the time of this review, Impossible Escape was called Brainstorm Escape Games.]

Black and white and gray.

Location: Norcross, GA

Date Played: March 23, 2018

Team size: up to 10; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28 per ticket

Ticketing: Public

REA Reaction

Black & White was a neat concept. It didn’t need the extra hype of the storyline, which it didn’t deliver on. There were some good puzzle, but one was nonsensical and essentially broken.

If Brainstorm Escape Games cleaned up the nonsense, and dropped the over-the-top story that didn’t exist beyond the setup, this one could be worth a visit.

Who is this for?

• Any experience level

Why play?

• Some good puzzles
• The look of the space

Story

We were sucked into an old black and white TV program. If we couldn’t escape before the end of the show, we’d never see color again.

Setting

Black & White was a giant checker board. The set and props were boldly painted to conform to this aesthetic. It was a cool aesthetic.

Upon closer inspection, a lot of the props looked like they could benefit from some refinement.

While everything was black and white, nothing else about the set gave us the sense that we were trapped in an old television show.

Gameplay

Brainstorm Escape Games’ Black & White was a standard escape room with a tough onramp that gave way to a generally low-difficulty game.

Core gameplay revolved around observing and puzzling.

Analysis

+ When our teammates heard the setup for this game, everyone wanted to play it. We were running ahead of schedule and we just couldn’t say no.

– The opening puzzle was staggeringly obtuse. It was needlessly difficult to get started, due to lack of in-room cluing and abundant ambiguity. This was the kind of puzzle that teaches new players to just guess at things in escape rooms.

– Much of the gameplay came from laminated sheets of paper rather than the interesting environment. This felt like a missed opportunity.

+ Black & White put a brilliant twist on a time-tested escape room standard puzzle.

– There was a frustrating search mechanic: a small tool, a large space, and no direction.

+ Black & White came round to a satisfying final solve. It tied back to the opening, albeit abstractly, and worked well.

– The mid-century TV story felt bolted on. While the black and white aesthetic was cool, it didn’t feel like a period television set. That plot had no obvious correlation to the puzzles. The plot could have just as easily not existed, and the escape room might have been better for it. We didn’t need to make sense of that wacky black and white world, we simply puzzled in it.

Tips for Visiting

• Parking: There is parking out front.

Book your hour with Brainstorm Escape Games’ Black & White, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Brainstorm Escape Games provided media discounted tickets for this game.