Christmas in June
Location: Montgomeryville, PA
Date Played: June 13, 2021
Team Size: 2-10; we recommend 3-4
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
It’s never too early to revel in some Christmas cheer. If you’re eagerly looking toward December and have visions of sugar plums dancing in your head, The List is a good room for you.
I would describe The List as a room that has a lot of potential, delivering a few cool moments while falling short in others. Minor refinements to the scenery and gameplay could go a long way to improving the overall experience. For those who haven’t played many (or any) games since early 2020, The List would be a great way to ease back in and brush up on your escape room skills.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Christmas fans
- Players with some experience
- Strong searchers
Story
We were tipped off that Santa had added our names to his Naughty List. With his elves on a break, Santa’s workshop was currently unattended. We had just enough time to sneak in, find the Naughty List and rewrite history before the elves returned and caught us in the act.
Setting
The List was set in Santa’s Workshop, a space where elves spend all year creating toys and cheer. The gamespace was loaded with toys and Christmas decorations, with the back of a caboose as the centerpiece of it all.
Gameplay
The gameplay was puzzle-focused with some searching.
Analysis
➕ I loved the storyline and haven’t personally been offered many chances in my life to remove myself from the Naughty List, so I appreciated the premise.
➖The experience felt a bit scattered and cluttered, and it was tough at times to know how to proceed with gameplay. The volume of items in the room, many of which weren’t essential to the story or the puzzles, added confusion.
➕/➖ The scenery in the room alternated between warm and Christmasy (think lights, smells and ambiance) and spaces that felt cold and impersonal.
➕ One puzzle, despite being simple and non-technical, was executed exceptionally well. I was impressed at the precision the creators achieved.
➖ The game missed some opportunities to deliver magical moments. One set piece in particular was eye-catching, inviting, and took up a lot of real estate in the room. Unfortunately, when it was time to interact with it, the payoff fell short of where I imagined it could have gone.
➖ A few of the pieces could use polish to bring them more in line with the theme of the room, particularly one of the keys and some of the paper clues we encountered.
➕/➖The ending offered an endearing and personalized touch, but at the same time was anticlimactic. It could be easily improved by leaning in more to mission-based play instead of “escaping.”
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 List, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Expedition Escape comped our tickets for this game.
