Room Escape Artist

The Near-Perfect Ballroom Escape Game

Update 11/12/24: If you enjoyed this article, we hope you’ll check out our interview with Fro Myers, Owner of Boxaroo, on S8E3 of The Reality Escape Pod.

Location:  Somerville, MA

Date Played: December 9, 2023

Team size: Played in groups of 6

Duration: 75 minutes

Price: $45-50 for a public ticket, or $300 per team + staffing for private runs

Ticketing: Public or Private (contact Boxaroo to run a private game for a large group)

Accessibility Consideration:  This depends on the venue where the same is set up.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

With The Perfect Heist, Boxaroo has improved upon the ballroom-style escape room, introduced by SCRAP with experiences like Defenders of the Triforce and Trials of Bahamut. It was a perfected model down to the last piece: the finale puzzle twist.

In comparison to other outstanding games in this large format style such as Order of the Golden Scribe and Club Drosselmeyer, The Perfect Heist was less ambitious, with less world building. However, it was more refined, with more interesting puzzles and a more repeatable design.

We loved the puzzles, especially how they escalated in complexity and intrigue. Everything was impeccably clued. And the puzzles were well-balanced with actor interactions, which added the right amount of playful pizzazz to the game.

The Perfect Heist is portable, which means the venue is variable. Because the game doesn’t typically have a long run, and pops up for 1-2 plays in a space, this limits how much Boxaroo can transform the space to add to the game. The upside, however is that for a large group, you can hire Boxaroo to bring it to you for a one time private experience.

If you’re in escape room player in greater Boston, keep your eye open for the next time The Perfect Heist pops up.

If you’re looking for a collaborative, puzzle-focused, large group activity in the greater Boston area, contact Boxaroo.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Mobsters
• Any experience level (Boxaroo can adapt it to match the experience of the players)
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Engaging paper puzzles
• Even more engaging not-paper puzzles
• Fun character interactions

Story

We found ourselves with the opportunity to pull off the perfect heist. We’d need to assemble the team and plan every detail of the mission. If the boss likes our plan, we’ll be on our way to greatness.

Setting

The Perfect Heist was a tabletop game in the style of SCRAP ballroom games.

For our playthrough, Boxaroo set it up in The Green Room in Somerville, MA.

Each team of 6 sat around their own table. There were puzzle components waiting for us at the table. In one corner of the room, behind a restaurant facade, sat the boss.

Gameplay

Boxaroo’s The Perfect Heist was a ballroom-style tabletop escape room. Multiple teams of 6 played simultaneously.

The level of difficulty can be adjusted to the level of experience of the players.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, interacting, and solving a variety of puzzles.

Analysis

➕ The puzzles were outstanding. They were varied in style and fun to solve. They ramped up in intrigue too, adding more complexity and requiring more outside the box thinking as the game progressed. Furthermore, everything was expertly clued. The Perfect Heist had truly refined puzzle design.

➕ In the third act, the props built up extra intrigue.

➖ There was opportunity to do more with the room decor.

➕ The performer interactions added depth to the experience. They were a lot of fun. With a performer as the hint system, hinting could be a fun part of the experience.

➖ In our playthrough, the space was a little too cramped for 4 groups of 6 to maneuver. Although Boxaroo hid the actor interactions well to avoid spoilers, it was a little too easy to have reveals minorly spoiled by the props you see on the tables around you.

➕ The writing had character. We enjoyed the opening staging. One prop can be tailored to the group. We appreciated how they addressed it to us.

➕ The Perfect Heist maximized the ballroom format. It was designed to be repeatable. And while it didn’t have some of pomp and circumstance we’ve seen from a few other ballroom games, it optimized the puzzle design and character interactions for smooth gameplay and satisfying solves.

Tips For Visiting

• The game does not have a permanent location. Contact Boxaroo to find out where/ when it will run again or to set it up for your large group.
• The Perfect Heist is a prequel to Boxaroo’s escape room Conundrum Museum, available at their permanent location. However, they are self-contained experiences and there’s no need to play them in a specific order.

Book your session with Boxaroo’s The Perfect Heist, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: We played this game at Boxaroo’s discounted rate of $35 per person for Operation Nutcracker weekend.