Mission Escapes – Treasure Hunt [Review]

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.

In-game: An old and worn office setting with mang pictures hung on the walls.

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.

In-game: a cabinent locked with 6 differend padlocks.

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.

In-game: A long wooden cabinet covered in black and white blocks of wood.

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.

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