The doctor is running out of patients.
Location: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Date Played: January 4, 2020
Team size: 2-8; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $32-35 per player for public booking; private booking $35-$60 each depending on team size
Ticketing: Public or private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Patient 17 felt like an old-school escape room at heart, but the production design and attention to narrative elevated it above the average escape room.
The relatively complex story (especially for a crime-themed escape room) subtly followed us through the experience to its conclusion. Breaking Point also developed a strong sense of place through the story, set, and puzzles. Patient 17 felt ominous and confining, but never claustrophobic or scary.
The puzzles were mostly standard escape room puzzles, with nothing particularly flashy to offer experienced players. However, the game felt intuitive and flowed naturally. Some ambiguity slowed us down at first, but once we got going, we were in the zone until the end.
The Secret at Whitmore Estate is Breaking Point’s newer and stronger game, but Patient 17 is also worth playing while you’re there.
Who is this for?
- Story seekers
- Thriller fans
- Any experience level
Why play?
- Creepy, isolating atmosphere
- Thematic puzzling
- The feeling of being part of a larger story
Story
An undercover agent investigating a doctor with connections to several missing women appeared to have blown her cover. We had been sent in to attempt a rescue.
Setting
Patient 17 took place in a dingy-looking hospital with an appropriately creepy vibe. Foreboding props and dark corners lent the game an ominous feeling, without ever veering towards scary.
Gameplay
Breaking Point Escape Rooms’ Patient 17 was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around observing, puzzling, and making connections.
Analysis
➕ Breaking Point’s intro videos were among the best we’ve seen. The introduction for Patient 17 provided backstory that gave our mission urgency and emotional heft.
➕ The detailed production design made the escape room feel like a creepy hospital. The gamespace felt confining, but alluded to a larger outside world. This level of detail drew us into the story and heightened our sense of urgency.
➖ Patient 17 could have used stronger gating early in the game. With so many puzzle elements available at the start, we struggled for a while before making real progress.
➕ The puzzling mostly involved standard escape room puzzles that coordinated well with the setting and the story. Solving them felt like making progress towards our goal.
➕ We were especially delighted when we discovered how to make use of one everyday item that initially felt too unbounded to contain a puzzle.
➖ We kept returning to a certain interesting-looking object that ended up having no bearing on the game. Replacing that object with a puzzle element or a less compelling prop would make it less of a red herring.
➖ The ending felt somewhat abrupt. We found ourselves wishing for a more exciting final scene.
➕ We appreciated the attention to narrative that threaded throughout Patient 17. After the intro, we encountered more information through the set and puzzles that enhanced our understanding of the story world without requiring excessive reading. The story felt original enough to stick in our minds while solving.
Tips For Visiting
- There is ample parking at the venue.
Book your hour with Breaking Point Escape Rooms’ Patient 17, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
