The Candy Shop is one of the best escape rooms in Philadelphia, PA. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms in Philadelphia.
Sweet & Puzzley
Location: Montgomeryville, PA
Date Played: June 13, 2021
Team size: 2-10; we recommend 4-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $29.99 per player
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A] Push To Exit
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
The Candy Shop was the kind of escape game that immediately drew me in, put a smile on my face, and kept it there the entire time.
The set was bright, playful, and full of joy.
The gameplay was traditional and puzzle-focused, but generally well executed, with some novel interactions. That said, there was one low point in this game, and it was a singular puzzle that dominated most of the play time for one player. While the team loved this game, the person who spent most of their time solving this puzzle wished that they had picked up something else in the opening minutes of the game.
An interesting thing happened to us in The Candy Shop: we unintentionally set a record, completing this game in about 23 minutes. I don’t normally mention record-setting, but in this instance, no one on the team felt like we had only spent a third of our allotted time in the game. In spite of blazing through this, we all felt like we had gotten our time’s worth out of this experience. It was a fun game and we truly enjoyed playing it.
This was the kind of traditional escape room that made us love escape rooms. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, venture out into the suburbs for The Candy Shop.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Wonka fans
- Any experience level
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- A delightful theme
- Puzzle-focused gameplay
- The set feels happy
Story
Our chocolatier grandfather was searching for an heir to his candy shop. We may have been his favorite grandchildren, but we still had to prove ourselves by solving the puzzles he’d hidden in the shop and uncovering his secret recipe.
Setting
The Candy Shop was bright, playful, and welcoming. If we could have purchased candy there, we would have!
Gameplay
Expedition Escape’s The Candy Shop was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Gameplay was puzzle-focused with an important, but not overpowering search component.
Analysis
➕ The bright set of The Candy Shop added energy to this game. It looked great. Nostalgia vibes.
➖ While the main area of the set was beautifully designed, other late-game elements felt underdeveloped.
➕ The puzzles were varied and interactive. They relied on the set pieces and props. They were entertaining and satisfying to solve.
➕ Interactions were frequently oversized. While this might seem insignificant, we loved recognizing favorite candies reimagined for larger-than-life gameplay.
➖ One less exciting puzzle was a huge time sink. It added challenge without adding fun. The player who spent the majority of the game solving this missed out on a lot of the team’s experience.
➕/➖ Many of the puzzles required us to reference a booklet. We wouldn’t call this a runbook, per se, but rather a book of extra details. Implemented as it was, it didn’t cause any bottlenecks or detract from our experience, but there was opportunity to incorporate these details throughout the space.
➖ /❓We encountered significant wear on some of the set that was… unappetizing. (It’s unfortunate that much of this has been exacerbated by Expedition Escape’s diligent cleaning this year, which we very much appreciate.)
➕ The Candy Shop built up to a fun, thematic, interactive conclusion. Expedition Escape minded the details and this moment delivered.
Tips For Visiting
- There is a parking lot in front of the location with plenty of parking.
- We had a pretty good meal at The Metropolitan American Diner and Bar in North Wales, PA.
Book your hour with Expedition Escape’s The Candy Shop, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Expedition Escape comped our tickets for this game.
