Room Escape Artist

A no-brainer

Location:  Fullerton, CA

Date Played: December 17, 2021

Team Size: 2-7; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $42 per player for 2 players to $33 per player for 7 players

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

I love witnessing how escape room companies evolve, and in the case of Infinity Escape, that evolution was particularly impressive. The Zombie Lab was a classic escape room with smooth puzzle flow and a few small elements of note. The seeds for something interesting were there, but they hadn’t quite sprouted.

It was clear that Infinity Escape realized this and proceeded to majorly up their game in their second room, The Magic Cottage. Comparing the two rooms side by side, The Magic Cottage especially stood out for its whimsical in-room characters — and in The Zombie Lab, ID badges on the zombies hinted at the (mostly unfulfilled) potential for a deeper narrative. The same style of clearly signposted, puzzle-driven gameplay was identifiable in both rooms, just with fewer moments of magic and a less prominent narrative in The Zombie Lab.

If you only have time for one room while visiting Infinity Escape, absolutely choose The Magic Cottage. But if you have time for both, The Zombie Lab provided a solid dose of fun puzzling and would serve as a great warmup before playing The Magic Cottage. I enjoyed seeing where Infinity Escape’s escape room design sensibilities originated, and I can’t wait to see how they level up next.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Zombie fans
• Any experience level

Story

We were sent to a secret research facility to stop a rogue lab assistant who was attempting to release a zombie virus out into the world.

Setting

The Zombie Lab took place in a science lab filled with zombie-related research. Various zombies and zombie body parts occupied the room, and science-y things lined the shelves.

Gameplay

Infinity Escape’s The Zombie Lab was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay centered around solving puzzles, making connections, and searching.

Analysis

➕ The puzzle flow in The Zombie Lab consisted of pretty standard escape room fare done well. Everything was logical, smooth, well clued, and environmentally on-theme.

➕ We enjoyed a smattering of small animatronic elements, especially that of a supine zombie that might be considered PG-13 to some.

➖ The set was fairly plain overall, with mostly blank white walls, standard shelving, a desk, and a periodic table.

➕ The zombies and other blood-splattered elements around the room looked great and helped zhuzh up the otherwise sparse set.

➕/➖ An intro video featured some amusingly over-the-top characters. I would have loved to have seen these characters, or even one of the zombies already in the room, enter into the gameplay more prominently.

Tips For Visiting

• There was a parking lot across the street and street parking available nearby.

Book your hour with Infinity Escape’s The Zombie Lab, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Infinity Escape comped our tickets for this game.