Room Escape Artist

Solidly elementary

Location:  Austin, TX

Date Played: April 24, 2024

Team Size: 2-6; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 70 minutes

Price: $45 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  One player must navigate a somewhat tight space

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Knowing that Baker Street Mystery was a limited edition game, I had muted expectations for its complexity and wow factor compared to other Escape Hour games. In this context, it was a fine time. It struck me as a solid classic escape room with impeccably homey décor, dense puzzling, but little pizzazz.

The set outperformed our expectations of a time-limited build, proving again that we can always trust Escape Hour to deliver on the atmosphere. We’ve played three different rooms in this exact same space, yet the layout and game flow always vary. If anything, the set suffered from its subject matter; a Victorian apartment just isn’t that interesting.

This was a puzzler’s game, and in general, the puzzles were fair, clever, and well sign-posted. The standouts gave us space for ahas and authentically used props in satisfying ways. The gameplay also gets points for incorporating an actual mystery into a Sherlock Holmes game. However, some puzzles suffered from symbolic crossfire, reusing iconography in conflicting and therefore confusing ways. It’s surely a personal preference whether this is bothersome; to me it felt more annoying than clever.

Ultimately, this is a game for locals who are satisfied by solid puzzles or newbies who are building up to more impressive experiences. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s just a small taste of what Escape Hour has to offer.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Sherlock Holmes fans
• Any experience level

Why play?

• To practice your puzzling game

Story

As a team of whip-smart detectives, we had been summoned to a famous flat in an effort to solve a murder involving the Baker Street 5, a gang of criminals that had been terrorizing the area. Armed only with our wits and a lengthy voicemail, we had to figure out what happened.

Setting

We found ourselves on the porch of 223 Baker Street, a convincing porch if I ever did see one. The warm aesthetic pervaded the entire experience, reiterating Escape Hour’s reputation for quality environments.

Gameplay

Escape Hour Austin’s Baker Street Mystery was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Gameplay involved searching, decoding, observing, and making connections.

Analysis

➕ The set was nice and cozy, giving a coherent sense of place.

➖ Lengthy in-game exposition was somewhat hard to follow narratively and too easy to access out of order regarding its usefulness. It might have been more effective if it had been delivered in chunks throughout the experience.

➕ Gameplay included a nice mix of puzzle types. Everything felt fair, and we appreciated the opportunity to make connections without them all being blatantly telegraphed.

➕/➖ One set of objects was used in clever, divergent-thinking ways. However, this paradigm was too easily subverted through trial-and-error; we accidentally bypassed the initial aha. Otherwise, it would have been an effective and impressive on-ramp to the other clues. 

➕ A particularly clever effect was a fun diversion from the otherwise serious nature of the game.

➖ Certain clues taunted us from very early moments in the game. When it was finally time to apply them, it felt anticlimactic, like we predicted what we were going to do and then did it without any deduction or skill.

➖ Identical signposting was used to mean very different things in two separate puzzles. I wondered if the first appearance could have been more subtle; the resulting discovery would be more satisfying and surprising without it. 

➕ The hint system fit well in the environment and was fun to interact with. If you played Escape Hour’s retired A Christmas Unremembered, this will be familiar but welcome.

Tips For Visiting

• Escape Hour Austin now has two locations, both within the same business complex. Baker Street Mystery is at the original location, 2113 Wells Branch Pkwy Suite 4300, NOT Suite 6700.
• There is plenty of parking.
• For food, visit El Huarache right around the corner, and order sopes.

Book your hour with Escape Hour Austin’s Baker Street Mystery, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Escape Hour Austin provided media discounted tickets for this game.