Experiment C73 is one of the best games in Denver. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Denver.
💙 & 💊
Location: Arvada, CO
Date Played: September 8, 2019
Team size: 2-8; we recommend 4-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: from $80 per team for teams of 2 to $200 per team for teams of 8
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Experiment C73 was David’s type of game from start to finish. The puzzles were tangible and rewarded communication and spatial awareness. A bit of dexterity went a long way.
To top it all off, Conundrum Escape Rooms took some design risks that paid off profoundly.
This wasn’t the prettiest game, but even that was deliberate and well executed.
Ultimately, Experiment C73 was way more than the sum of its parts, and many of those individual parts were great in their own right.
As far as we’re concerned, Experiment C73 is a regional must-play escape room.
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Scenery snobs
- Players with at least some experience
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- Brilliant mechanical puzzles
- Strong world-building
- Engaging communication challenges
Story
The year was 1973 and we’d volunteered for a psychiatric experiment; it seemed like a fun way to make a few bucks.
As we entered the experiment we had a bad feeling about the administrators and their intentions. They seemed keen on making us prove our sanity.
Setting
Conundrum Escape Rooms’ Experiment C73 was an interesting beast that began as one game and ended as another.
This escape room opened with an interesting twist on the split team game. Then it became something a bit different.
Conundrum Escape Rooms played with the 1973 aesthetic. They used the function of their game to set the tone for its form. If it sounds like I’m being cagey about the direction of the experience, it’s to avoid spoilers.
Gameplay
Conundrum Escape Rooms’ Experiment C73 was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty and a split-team beginning.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, dexterity, communication, and puzzling.
Analysis
➕ Experiment C73 used a small space creatively to make it feel larger than it was.
➕ The set design was smart. This isn’t to say it looked great; it didn’t. It looked exactly as intended, leaning into that 1970’s aesthetic.
➕ The staging justified the puzzles.
➕ The puzzles rewarded teamwork.
➖ The gameplay in Experiment C73 was uneven. It was easy to end up playing support and not see the best angles. Not all teammates had as interesting or exciting playthroughs as others.
➕ Conundrum turned one classic escape room trope into a completely different one. It was brilliant. They clued this twist so creatively, and even used a crafty psychological hack to increase the odds of it working. It delivered.
➕ The puzzles were unusual, in a good way. What seemed simple was sometimes far more complex, but always fair.
❓ It’s hard to recommend a perfect team size. Although communication and teamwork were essential, the footprint was small and it could be challenging to maneuver around each other. Some of the later puzzles were single-player solves.
➕ Conundrum Escape Rooms added a personal touch that surprised and delighted us.
Tips For Visiting
- There is a parking lot.
- This game is at the Arvada location.
- At least one player will need to crouch/crawl.
- This game has a split beginning. Not all players start in the same space.
- Conundrum Escape Rooms will soon open a second copy of this game. Larger groups will be able to book both copies and race each other.
Book your hour with Conundrum Escape Rooms’ Experiment C73, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Conundrum Escape Rooms comped our tickets for this game.
Disclosure: Our trip to Denver was sponsored by the Denver escape room community. Contributions were anonymous.
