Room Escape Artist

Something’s Out There is one of the best games in Los Angeles. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Los Angeles.

Hunting Cabin

Location:  West Los Angeles, CA

Date Played: October 17, 2023

Team size: 2-7; we recommend 2-3

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: from $37 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  The escape room is located on the second floor of a plaza. There are also some steps within the game.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

It’s rare to find a horror game that balances tension as skillfully as Something’s Out There. Throughout this experience, Maze Rooms dialed up the tension, and then dialed it back down so that we could comfortably solve puzzles. Subtle tricks with simple technology made the set feel alive and fed into this emotional roller coaster.

Something’s Out There was best enjoyed with a small team. The linear gameplay had us all solving together, and experiencing each scare together. The puzzles were sometimes a bit escape room logic-y, but they were varied, crafted into the set, and well-clued. The weakest gameplay segment was the denouement, which could be reworked to capitalize on the fantastic, shocking conclusion.

Something’s Out There was legitimately scary. I say this as someone who shied away from horror escape rooms for years. If you react to horror, you will be on edge. That said, this was not nearly as scary as some of the more renowned horror games in the region. There weren’t any actors. If you love horror, or you are cautiously curious about horror, Something’s Out There would be a great choice. It was approachable and expertly balanced fear with gameplay.

Maze Rooms West LA has a strong lineup of games with a wide variety of themes. Whatever Happened to the Garretts serves a more general audience, but for the Los Angeles horror fans, Something’s Out There should be on your must-play list.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Horror fans
• Any experience level
• A small team – gameplay is linear

Why play?

• An approachable horror game – not terrifying but intense
• The tech made the space feel alive
• Gorgeous and varied set design
• Engaging puzzles

Story

Our friend who loved adventuring had gone missing. Our search for her took us to a swamp in Louisiana, known to be dangerous. In fact, multiple people have recently gone missing in the area. Still, we were determined to find her.

Setting

We wandered into the Louisiana swamps at night. The outdoor set was unnerving, but beautiful. Throughout the game we explored a variety of well-built horror scenes.

Gameplay

Maze Rooms’ Something’s Out There was a standard escape room, with moderate difficulty. The horror theme will make this game more challenging for some players.

Core gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, solving puzzles, and being scared.

Analysis

➕ The outdoor swamp setting made a great first impression. It was an eye-catching build. Maze Rooms built a variety of sets into this game, in a few different styles, but each detailed and compelling.

➕ We loved the reveals that remained well-hidden until the perfect moment.

➕ With minimal technology, Maze Rooms made the set of Something’s Out There feel alive. This wasn’t necessary to the story or the puzzles, but it added a lot to the environment. They made moments into events.

➖ There was opportunity to cover tech with a soundscape. We could hear the tech actuating.

➕ We enjoyed the inclusion of a layered deduction puzzle, implemented within the game, but not as the culmination of the experience.

➖ The last scene suffered from a pause in momentum right when everything should have been extra intense. First, we encountered a not-quite-right prop and some finicky tech, leading us to disregard a correct solution. Second, after the dramatic conclusion to the story, we had another puzzle to solve, which was neither interesting nor narrative-driven. It was barely clued and rather random when it seemed like it would be more revealing.

➕ Something’s Out There expertly created tension, and then released it. We would be on edge, and then transition into a comfortable enough state to solve challenging puzzles.

➕ The jump scares were timed perfectly to add intensity. They were never gratuitous.

❓ Maze Rooms hid an Easter egg in this game. One of our teammates enjoyed this extra challenge, as something fun to consider in moments where they didn’t have a role in what is generally a linear game. I found myself uninterested in searching in a game that’s not built around search. Plus, we worry that incentivizing this type of searching will cause unnecessary wear on the set and props.

Tips For Visiting

• Parking: There is a parking lot.
• Note that you should not play this if you are sensitive to animal skins or taxidemy.

Book your hour with Maze Rooms’ Something’s Out There, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Maze Rooms provided media discounted tickets for this game.