Room Escape Artist

Inksidious is one of the best games in Los Angeles. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Los Angeles.

A comic strip search

Location:  Los Angeles, CA

Date Played:  February 17, 2024

Team Size: 2-7; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $35-$45 per player, depending on number of players

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  One player needs to crouch

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Inksidious was nothing like what I expected, and in this case, it was a good thing. I recommend not reading too much ahead of time about this game – present review excepted, of course. The story of a missing cartoonist who has a newspaper comic strip and an approaching deadline was unique. So was puzzling in an artist’s workshop, surrounded by colors, paint, and other artsy props. But there’s more to this game – in gameplay, set design, and story – than appeared at first glance. Making these discoveries led to some entertaining wow moments.

The puzzles, mostly using locks and codes, were fun to solve and not too difficult, making this a good game for newer players. We only really struggled with one puzzle that was hard for us to see, and we made it more complicated than it needed to be. But we appreciated the humor, often subtle or quite hidden, that enhanced the lightheartedness of the experience. This game was fun and it was funny; players of any experience level will find a lot to like. A few well-placed Easter eggs even made us stop in our tracks and laugh. The final reveal provided the resolution we were looking for, though it could have been a bigger moment than it was.

It’s unusual to find a lock-heavy escape game in any city, let alone Los Angeles, that does not feel a bit dated or seem lacking. But Inksidious was an enjoyable, imaginative experience that didn’t need a lot of fancy tech to pull it off. If you are in the area and looking for something unique, stop in and play.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level
• Players who don’t mind caffeinated cartoon characters

Why play?

• Unique theme & story
• Creative set design
• Entertaining details

Story

A missing cartoonist. An anxious editor needing this week’s comic strip – now! Our team had been brought in to search the cartoonist’s studio and figure out what the heck had happened. There was a deadline, after all…

Setting

We started our search in the cartoonist’s very colorful studio, with drippy paint cans on tall, metal shelves, a drafting table with a light box (handy for drawing comic strips), and paint splatters everywhere.

Gameplay

Escape Room 66’s Inksidious was a standard escape room with a low level of difficulty.

Gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, and puzzling.

Analysis

➕ The theme was original; though the setup had us solving the disappearance of the missing cartoonist, there was a twist. As the game progressed, story and set wove together unpredictably, creating an experience that was a stark contrast to what we had first encountered.

➕ Most puzzles were approachable and quick to solve, with creative theming to mask familiar escape-room-type puzzles. This is a good game for newbies, but enthusiasts will appreciate the story and set, if not the challenge. Though this game had little-to-no tech, it was well-designed, quirky and amusing, proving that you don’t need fancy tech to have a fun escape room experience.

➖ We struggled with one puzzle that was positioned in a way that was difficult to see clearly. While we knew what we needed to do, we got it wrong several times.

➕ Humorous touches, both obvious and not-so-obvious, were fun to discover and made the game even more entertaining.

➖ The final discovery was sweet, but a bit underwhelming, given the rest of the game; it could have had more fanfare.

❓Inksidious used color as a primary component in at least two puzzles; players who are colorblind would most likely struggle with these solves without assistance.

Tips For Visiting

• There is street parking available. Use the call box on the right side of the large brown gate and dial ESCAPE ROOM to be buzzed in.
• Restrooms are accessed by going outside, up the stairs, and down an exterior hallway.
• This game is located at Escape Room 66’s Los Angeles location, 1436 S. La Cienega Blvd., Suite 102.

Book your hour with Escape Room 66’s Inksidious, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Escape Room 66 comped our tickets for this game.