Lone Star Escape
Location: Sugar Land, TX
Date Played: March 5, 2023
Team Size: 2-8; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $32-36 per player depending on the number of players and day of week
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: At least one player must climb a few steps
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Some escape rooms take you to far-off or imaginary places. Others stay more locally rooted, transporting you back in time.
Such was the case for Escape Again’s Outlaw. We entered a historic one-room schoolhouse that was said to have also been the hideout of an infamous train robber. The space was dotted with small details that reinforced the actual history, from a hitching post outside to Texas flags, realistic school furniture, and a “Slocum Schoolhouse Time Capsule” inside the school.
With the premise that the schoolhouse had been turned into a museum, our presence as modern-day interlopers was justified. The museum setting also explained away some of the less-than-realistic details, such as there being just a single student desk in the classroom.
Outlaw also managed to cleverly sidestep some common “escape room logic” by shaping the gameplay around some simple questions: How would a schoolteacher have hidden things in her classroom? How would an outlaw have hidden away his treasure and set up traps to ensure it remained hidden? This thinking yielded puzzles that still required some suspension of disbelief, yet felt much more rooted in the environment and story than in your average escape room.
If you are in the Houston area, I strongly recommend a visit to Escape Again. Down in Sugar Land, it’s worth the drive. Outlaw balances puzzles, history, and discovery, while Wizard offers a slightly longer (75-90 minute) and more fantastical adventure. You can’t go wrong with either.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Scenery snobs
- Adventure seekers
- Any experience level
Why play?
- A theme that’s deeply grounded in local Texas history
- Crafty environmental puzzles
Story
We visited a historic one-room schoolhouse that was rumored to have also been the hideout of an infamous train robber. We entered with hopes of discovering treasure…
Setting
Outlaw took place in a vividly rendered one-room schoolhouse. The space felt nostalgic and a tinge mysterious, with salvaged wood, antique furniture, and idyllic murals.
Gameplay
Escape Again’s Outlaw was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around solving puzzles, making connections, and searching.
Analysis
➕ The puzzles in Outlaw naturally emerged from their environments and the behaviors of characters who might have existed in them. We were prompted toward delightful tactile discoveries and spatial communication. Our favorite puzzles put clever twists on classic escape room mechanics in ways that felt fresh and fit the theme.
➕ Outlaw was deeply Texan, leaning into local history, imagery, and symbology without overly forcing it on the player. The integration of some real antique furniture deepened the feeling of entering a historic one-room schoolhouse. This environment was well designed and built to feel both old and also recently refurbished as a modern museum.
➕ A number of mechanical interactions were deeply satisfying. Things opened, moved, and affected other elements in unexpected ways, all while staying low-tech and purely mechanical to fit the time period.
➖ Contrasting with the commitment to period-appropriate props and mechanisms, some more modern inputs felt out of place.
➕/➖ A sneaky hiding spot was fun to open, yet it triggered prematurely with only half of the intended cluing. By the time we solved the other part of this puzzle, the intel we obtained seemed redundant.
➖ Though creatively presented, a slithery puzzle had cluing that felt inconsistent or misleading, depending on your interpretation.
➕ The attention to detail throughout Outlaw showed, with various small touches to ensure everything fit a period-appropriate aesthetic. For example, a standard padlock fit right in with the addition of some exterior moulding and weathering.
➕ A thematic set of props were perfectly on brand. I appreciated the research and craftsmanship that went into their creation.
➕ An exciting finale utilized the physical space in a unique way. It also, by chance, set one of my teammates up for a small action hero moment.
Tips For Visiting
- There is a parking lot.
- Nearby, Jupiter Pizza & Waffles Co. offered delicious food and drinks that satisfied a range of dietary preferences.
- Players with an extreme fear of snakes may want to avoid Outlaw.
Book your hour with Escape Again’s Outlaw, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Escape Again comped our tickets for this game.
