Pour me a shot of puzzles.
Location: New York, NY
Date Played: September 17, 2018
Team size: 2-7 ; we recommend 3-4
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: from $22 per ticket to $24 per ticket depending on team size and day of the week
Ticketing: Private
REA Reaction
The Cage, the Cards, and the Cash set us as wily criminals of the Wild West in a standard search-and-puzzle escape room. While the puzzle flow occasionally stalled, it offered satisfying moments that combined searching with interactive puzzle solves.
If you’re looking for a traditional, beginner-friendly escape room with a solid set in Manhattan, try your hand at this jailbreak-heist.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Searchers and scavengers
- Any experience level
Why play?
- Fun premise and theme
- Surprising discoveries
Story
A large sum of cash sat in the saloon awaiting the winner of a high stakes poker game. Instead of trying our hands at cards, however, we were taking a backdoor approach: we’d gotten ourselves arrested. Now we were locked in a cell in the sheriff’s office, next door to the saloon. We needed to break out and get to the cash before the sheriff returned or the poker game began.
Setting
We were locked in a small, barred, and dimly lit cell in the corner of the sheriff’s office. His office had a few pieces of furniture and a wall of wanted posters.
Gameplay
PanIQ Room’s The Cage, the Cards, and the Cash was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching and puzzling.
Analysis
+ The staging of The Cage, the Cards, and the Cash as a jailbreak heist was an amusing premise that, odd as it seemed, justified the gameplay.
+ The Cage, the Cards, and the Cash was well themed from floor to ceiling. Although the opening set was sparsely decorated, the second act included more detailing. The set design was solid… not amazing, but strong.
– The Cage, the Cards, and the Cash had a few substantial red herrings including one that we suspect will pull in most players and one that will likely only distract experienced escape room players.
? One early puzzle created a bottleneck that could last quite some time and quickly become quite frustrating, especially for a larger team. We didn’t struggle with it at all. In fact, it was David’s favorite part… but that’s probably because he nailed it on his first try.
– One interaction made it all too easy to accidentally inhale particles… I can tell you first hand that this was uncomfortable. Depending upon the player’s lungs, this could be a hazard. This entire interaction should be reworked; it wouldn’t be a big challenge.
The particles were sawdust.
Sawdust is a carcinogen in large doses, which isn’t the concern for this puzzle.
My concern is for people who are allergic to it or suffer from asthma or other respiratory illnesses. The amount that I inhaled gave me discomfort for a few days.
+ PanIQ Room lit up their mid- and late-game opens. This touch added excitement to small reveals and made the clues easier to read.
– We encountered some wear on various set pieces and props.
+ The Cage, the Cards, and the Cash included multiple rewarding mechanical search puzzles. We enjoyed these moments.
– The Cage, the Cards, and the Cash lacked a finale. Because the final sequence didn’t engage or excite the entire group, it didn’t build energy towards a reveal or memorable moment.
Tips for Visiting
- There is street parking in this neighborhood.
- If you’re coming by subway, take the B/D to Grand St, the F to Delancey, or the J/Z to Bowery.
- We recommend Vanessa’s Dumpling House for a quick meal or Lena for wine and tapas.
Book your hour with PanIQ Room’s The Cage, the Cards, and the Cash, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: PanIQ Room comped our tickets for this game.
