Room Escape Artist

Order up.

Lucky Dice Diner is one of the best escape rooms in Philadelphia, PA. Here are our recommendations for great escape rooms in Philadelphia.

Location:  King of Prussia, PA

Date Played: March 31, 2024

Team size: 2-10 allowed (but 5-7 suggested); we recommend 3-5 (for experienced players)

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $35.99 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  This game is wheelchair accessible.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Lucky Dice Diner was a classic escape room. By classic, we mean a puzzle-focused game in a themed environment. It’s one of the best classic escape rooms in the Northeast.

It had strong, well-clued gameplay, complex but fair layered puzzles, and a polished set. It was largely non-linear, which meant it could feel chaotic, but also rewarding. (If you are new to escape rooms, this one will be challenging!)

In a couple of instances, puzzle elements felt aesthetically out of place in the beautifully themed diner, which slightly diminished the overall experience.

If you want narrative and dramatic effects, this won’t be your game. That may be a next evolution that Expedition Escape will aspire too. There were opportunities to edge in that direction, for example, with the ending.

Lucky Dice Diner was not trying to be anything more than an escape room. It delivered on this ambition. It played in the style that first drew us into escape rooms: the rush of collaborative, tactile puzzle solving in a well themed environment. The folks at Expedition Escape are effective practitioners of this style, and furthermore, continue to iterate to give their players the best experience possible. We commend that.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Fans of 50s music
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Game flow as silky smooth and chocolate silk pie
• The impeccably themed environment
• Layered solves that you earn collaboratively – so rewarding!

Story

It was just a regular day at work at the diner when our boss called to say that he’d left his lucky dice somewhere in the diner. He was competing in a race, and he needed these to have any chance of winning. It was time to turn this diner insideout to find them!

Setting

From the bright walls to the checkered floor, Lucky Dice Diner looked on point. The set was complete with booths, a bar, coke machine, and of course, a juke box. There were even celebrity photos on the wall.

Gameplay

Expedition Escape’s Lucky Dice Diner was a standard escape room with a higher level of difficulty.

The difficulty came from it being a puzzle-focused, non-linear escape game.

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

Analysis

➕ The set looked impeccable. It dropped us right into the 1950s. From the decor to the music, to little details like the food, names, and the images of cars, the environment was consistent. Although it was had a smaller footprint, the gameplay spread out across the room and kept us traversing the space; we never felt crowded.

➕ The gameplay flowed smoothly from start to finish. Lucky Dice Diner included multiple layered puzzles. These were well-tuned for teamwork and rewarded communication, with important details often spread out across the space. While there was a lot of solve, but everything was well clued.

➕ Expedition Escape minded the details in every puzzle. In one case, it was the precision required to sense our success, in another, it was how delicious the props looked and smelled. In addition, one puzzle made us feel like kids again, and we appreciated the extra reset effort in making this a playful, tactile part of the experience.

➖ One prop felt out of place in the well-themed 1950’s diner. It was functional, and clued a puzzle well, but it looked overly cartoony.

➖ Another prop worked well for a puzzle, but could have used more aesthetic spin. It wasn’t as exciting or as thematic as most of the room decor.

➕ Expedition Escape got their coin’s worth from one prop, which delivered multiple moments of delight.

➕/➖ The premise was silly and the finale was a silly, surprising reveal that fell out of the sky from nowhere. However, there was opportunity for a more impactful ending.

➕ When we played, the puzzle flow was especially open, with many possible starting points. Since our playthrough, Expedition Escape has reworked the opening sequence which (1) gives all teams a clear starting place and (2) elevates the mood in the room early on by directing players to interact with a specific prop first – something we only touched partway through the game. We have enormous respect for creators who continue to iterate and improve their experiences long after they’ve opened, making them more accessible and more fun for all teams!

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot. Follow the Expedition Escape directional signs around the building to the back. The entrance is down the stairs underneath our Expedition Escape sign.

Book your hour with Expedition Escape’s Lucky Dice Diner, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Expedition Escape comped our tickets for this game.