Room Escape Artist

It was better than it looked.

Location:  Aurora, CO

Date Played: September 7, 2019

Team size: 2-8; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: from $76 per team for teams of 2 to $184 per team for teams of 8

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Stepping into Treasure Hunt felt like entering a time warp to the early days of escape rooms. The first act looked and played aggressively old-school.

As the second act unfolded, Mission Escapes presented something more dramatic and interesting.

Overall, Treasure Hunt was a standard, traditional escape room that played smoothly and had a couple of interesting moments. It was a solid game because it played well… and that’s still something. If you’re in the area and want to explore something a bit old-school, check out Treasure Hunt. That said, Lunar Mission was a considerably more intriguing game.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Any experience level
• Newbies

Why play?

• Solid yet traditional escape room gameplay
• A strong reveal
• A few novel puzzles
• The treasure was well chosen

Story

The office of a deceased wealthy man seemed to contain a wide variety of puzzles hiding his most treasured item. His heirs couldn’t solve them, so we were brought in to figure out what was going on.

Setting

At first glance, Treasure Hunt looked like escape rooms did in 2015. It was an office filled with used furniture and padlocks.

The second act put a different twist on this experience. In a lot of ways, it felt like Lunar Escape, Mission Escapes’ other game. This shorter segment was where Treasure Hunt shined and justified its existence.

Gameplay

Mission Escapes’ Treasure Hunt was a standard escape room with a low level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, making connections, and puzzling.

Analysis

➕/➖ Treasure Hunt felt like the type of escape room that got us hooked on these things back in 2014/15. That also meant that it felt dated in many places.

➖ The first set didn’t look like much. It didn’t instill any energy or a sense of adventure.

➕ The puzzles flowed well from start to finish. They were well clued and resolved cleanly.

➕ Although the set and props were basic, Mission Escapes added some details, like using cloth instead of paper to deliver written clues.

➖ We encountered wear on a later puzzle that caused issues in both the cluing and the triggering of an otherwise solid puzzle.

➕ The second act felt so unlike the first. This was surprising and intriguing. Treasure Hunt shined most in this segment.

➖ Although the transition space looked neat, the construction was messy. Players will move through this space in the dark. It needed better padding and the ceiling height shouldn’t change; it was too easy to hit one’s head too hard. I know because I bashed my head pretty badly.

➕/➖ We liked how Mission Escapes added pressure to the final moments, whether or not a team had been racing the game clock. That said, the “puzzle” felt cheap and its resolution even less satisfying. This was a case of a great concept, but rough execution… although I imagine it might feel different to a newbie.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.
• Mission Escape is on the third floor, Suite 390.
• Players need to be able to crawl to play this game.

Book your hour with Mission Escapes’ Treasure Hunt, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Mission Escapes comped our tickets for this game.

Disclosure: Our trip to Denver was sponsored by the Denver escape room community. Contributions were anonymous.