Dive into Greek myth
Location: Van Nuys, CA
Date Played: April 18, 2023
Team size: 4-8; we recommend 4-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $45 per player
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: challenging for color vision deficiency
Emergency Exit Rating: [A] Push To Exit in 1 segment and the rest is [A+] No Lock.
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Atlantis: The Forgotten City shined in the big, bold choices that made this mythological city feel larger than life. The central set, which we caught a glimpse of early on, but had to earn our way into, was impressive. It was complete with statues, columns, and opulent decor and augmented by lighting and a soundtrack. The hefty props that we set in this scene belonged, and were particularly satisfying to interact with.
The floor plan of Atlantis: The Forgotten City was quite large, and not every set had the same appeal or fit and finish. We felt this unevenly acutely when we spent a bit of time toward the end of the same solving a complete puzzle in a rather bare space.
Given the larger space, you’ll have room to spread out. Communicate well, as the game branches a bit in the middle, and make sure everyone comes together to see the reveals. They make waves, in more ways than one.
Located in Van Nuys, Hypnotic Escape Rooms is a great choice for those who don’t want to drive unusually far distances (especially if you account for traffic) for the “greater Los Angeles” escape room scene.
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Scenery snobs
- Best for players with at least some experience
Why play?
- Expansive puzzles
- Playful mythological set-based interactions
- Because Poseidon demands it
Story
After some recent technological breakthroughs a team of oceanographers had discovered the gates to the lost and sunken city of Atlantis. However, they were unsuccessful at entering it. They subcontracted our team of archeologists and adventurers to accomplish what they couldn’t: enter the lost city and learn its secrets.
Setting
The set was uneven. The bulk of the game took place in a large sunken temple with impressive set pieces and generally strong design. However, the early and late game sets bland in comparison.
Gameplay
Hypnotic Escape Rooms‘ Atlantis: The Forgotten City was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and solving puzzles.
Analysis
➕ Atlantis: The Forgotten City offered an expansive set… it just kept going! With some high ceilings and large set pieces and props, it was an impressive build out. We loved a window that gave us a sneak peak of where we’d be going.
➖ The set was uneven. The final room was noticeably less designed than earlier sets. It felt like we’d stepped into a different game.
➕ Atlantis: The Forgotten City provided a gentle on ramp for new players. It set 3 clear objectives with a sort of mini run-book. Once we’d accomplished these goals, the escape game opened up, and the cluing became integrated into the experience.
➕ Clue structure was strong. The puzzles made sense, and flowed cleanly from one to the next.
➕ It wasn’t only the gameplay that flowed. And this other flow state facilitated an impressive scene transition.
➖ The audio soundtrack was unnecessarily loud, making communication a challenge in some areas.
➖ There was opportunity to improve the video quality. The final video, in particular was hard to take seriously. The vibe just didn’t match the rest of the experience.
➕ The props were substantial. We loved collecting these objects and moving them around the set. Everything had heft.
➖ For anyone with color vision deficiency, Atlantis: The Forgotten City will be especially challenging. Many of the puzzles relied on color perception, but in the dim and tinted lighting, color nuance was difficult even for players will full color vision.
Tips For Visiting
- There is 2-hour street parking, both free and metered options.
- When we visited in April 2023, Hypnotic Escape Rooms had recently added two more segments to this game, increasing the difficulty. However, if you played the earlier version, the change isn’t substantial enough to warrant a replay.
Book your hour with Hypnotic Escape Rooms’ Atlantis: The Forgotten City, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Hypnotic Escape Rooms comped our tickets for this game.
