A Knight To Escape is one of the best games in Orlando. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Orlando.
Have fun storming the castle!
Location: Orlando, Florida
Date Played: July 24, 2023
Team size: 4-8; we recommend 4-6
Duration: 120 minutes
Price: $59.95 per player off peak, $69.95 per player on peak
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: EE is fully ADA-accessible.
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
A Knight To Escape was an escape room for puzzlers, but your enjoyment of the game will hinge more on your team dynamics than your puzzle prowess.
A recipe for success includes balanced teams with at least one strong communicator on each side. Clear communication is crucial throughout the game. Note that one side is pretty dim, and lanterns are necessary. Cast your teammates with better night vision (or less hostility to handheld light sources) on this side. If the team stalls, don’t be afraid to take a hint. It might be a search fail… and only half the team is even in the vicinity to search.
We did all of the above and truly enjoyed this game. It was a collaborative puzzle-fest through and through, and a really satisfying one.
That said, it’s an expensive experience. When you consider that it’s a 120-minute game, this feels justified… except that it shouldn’t be a 120-minute game if you’re having fun. Teams that take the whole time probably spend a lot of it frustrated. If you have the right group that enjoys puzzling together, it’s an unusual escape room with some exciting, collaborative, layered solves. But, yes, it’s expensive.
If this sounds like the princess you seek, then you’ve found the right castle.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Best for players with at least some experience
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
- Challenge seekers
Why play?
- For the communication challenges
- Density of good puzzle content
- Structurally interesting
Story
There had been a feud, as occurred often in Medieval times. Because of this, some of our friends – who had fought for the good guys – were now imprisoned in the castle dungeon. Those of us not imprisoned (also on the good side!) needed to sneak into the castle to break them out. We’d all need to work together to escape.
Setting
Each player’s perspective on the set will be determined by which side of the game they start on. One team started outside the castle walls in a well lit set adorned with a lot of puzzles. The other team started in a fairly convincing castle dungeon that was quite dim.
Gameplay
Escape Effect’s A Knight To Escape was a split-team escape room with a higher level of difficulty.
We spent the majority of the game with half the team inside the castle, and half the team outside of it. Success relied on keen observation and clear communication.
Gameplay also included a variety of puzzle types and challenges.
Analysis
➕ The sets were each designed, and felt distinct. The props were period appropriate. Escape Effect selected fitting locks.
➕ A Knight To Escape ramped up in complexity. It eased us in with straight forwarded communication, and rewarded us with fun reveals. As we progressed, the puzzles offered more challenge. The difficulty curve was on point.
➕ A Knight To Escape was a puzzle-dense escape room. The puzzles were varied. There were multiple layered solves that required expert communication. These were especially satisfying. Most importantly, everything solved cleanly.
➖ A Knight To Escape required quite a bit of patience on behalf of the players. There were multiple interactions for only one player at a time. Also, because of the split-team design, we sometimes had to wait on the other group.
➖ One puzzle relied on symbols that were too similar to each other. With time, this puzzle became more tedious than fun, and finally completing it was a bottleneck. There was an opportunity to space this puzzle out a bit more, to make it easier on the eyes, let it fill some of the gaps, and avoid the bottleneck.
➕ The puzzles gave feedback. We could always tell when we’d solved something and this gave us good forward momentum throughout the experience.
➕/➖ The final puzzle engaged the entire group. We appreciated Escape Effect’s periodification of an modern electronic lock. Narratively, however, this seemed an odd choice. Additionally, some visual ambiguity made this puzzle more frustrating than it needed to be when it was an exciting culmination of our split experiences.
Tips For Visiting
- There is a parking lot.
- Escape Effect offers players deals at some of the other businesses in their plaza.
- Communication is essential to success.
Book your hour with Escape Effect’s A Knight To Escape, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Book with the code REA to get 20% off.
Disclosure: A Knight To Escape provided media discounted tickets for this game.
