Room Escape Artist

Escape IT – The Funhouse is one of the best escape rooms in Las Vegas. Here are our recommendations for other great escape rooms in Las Vegas.

You’ll float 2!

Location:  Las Vegas, Nevada

Date Played: October 27, 2024

Team Size: 1-10; we recommend 4-5 (or seven, if you want to call yourselves Lucky Seven)

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $54.99 per player (public ticket, Wednesday – Friday); $59.99 per player (public ticket, Saturday & Sunday); $74.99 per player (private VIP ticket, minimum of four tickets, Wednesday – Friday); $84.99 per player (private VIP ticket, minimum of four tickets, Saturday & Sunday)

Ticketing:  Public and private available

Accessibility Consideration:  Escape IT is designed to accommodate a standard wheelchair

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Egan Escape Productions once again showed up large and in charge with Escape IT – The Funhouse, a horror-forward escape game based on the 2019 film IT: Chapter Two. With Egan’s signature large-scale interactions, horror movie aesthetic, and thrilling scares, Escape IT – The Funhouse took me on an immersive journey through iconic locations in the fictional town of Derry, Maine. The game was full of magic moments and one sequence in particular completely absorbed me into the game world.

As with its predecessor game Escape IT – The Sewers, Escape IT – The Funhouse placed greater emphasis on scenery and immersion than on puzzles and plot lines. Puzzling sometimes felt not well clued. The storyline was thin and I relied heavily on my knowledge of the source material to understand what was taking place and why. For maximum enjoyment, I recommend watching the movies IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two before playing.

Egan’s games run on a public ticketing system and when I’ve played their games in the past (The Official SAW Escape in 2019 and Escape IT – The Sewers in 2023) it has been with strangers. Their website also warns players to book early as games will sell out. Imagine my surprise when I showed up to find that I was the only one who had booked in my time slot, and ended up playing alone in a game meant for up to ten people.* I found this delightful as I got to fully experience the space and be involved in every interaction, with the help of outstanding in-game actors that were willing to serve as extra hands. However, I must caveat that this is clearly not what the creators intended and therefore I didn’t fully experience the game as it was meant to be played, as much as I did enjoy it.

I’ve vacationed annually in Las Vegas for almost 15 years and have experienced more world-class entertainment, dining, gaming, nightlife, and glittering delight than I can remember. Despite all of the things vying for my attention when I visit, I continue to return to play Egan’s games because I feel they stack up nicely against other Vegas entertainment options. For me, Escape IT – The Funhouse built on the strong foundation of Escape IT – The Sewers and offered a slight edge over its predecessor in terms of wow factor. While both games are great, if you can only play one while visiting, I would suggest Escape IT – The Funhouse, or, for a comparable wow factor, The Official SAW Experience.

Who is this for?

• Fans of Stephen King’s IT (both the novel and the movie adaptations)
• Horror game aficionados
• Players who want to feel like they’re in a movie
• Adventure seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Fans of haunts
• Players with some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle or interaction
• Players who aren’t disturbed by horror-themed effects or jump scares
• Players who don’t mind actors in the gamespace

Why play?

• Impressive, immersive set design, including spaces that mimic those featured in the movie adaptations of IT
• Large-scale interactions and magic moments
• Quality jump scares and a satisfying adrenaline rush

Story

I had returned to my childhood home of Derry, Maine to join my friends for our 27-year reunion. While there, I came face to face with forgotten faces and places from my childhood and was forced to confront an ancient evil that had the town in its grip.

Setting

The gamespace featured key locations from the novel IT and the movie adaptations, including some that directly mimicked sets in the movies IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two. The set was larger than life and detailed and evoked a haunted small town vibe.

Gameplay

Escape IT – The Funhouse  was a highly immersive escape room with a moderate level of difficulty, exacerbated by the distractions of standard horror-themed special effects.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing details, and making connections. On a few occasions, puzzles were collaborative and required more than one person to participate.

As a pipelined experience, we moved through multiple rooms at timed intervals.

Analysis

➕ The set was so immersive and fun to interact with. It alternated between scary and playful and transported me into beloved locations from the source material. Those who have not read the book or seen the movies can still appreciate its detailed design.

➕ One sequence really dialed up the immersion and delivered what were, for me, two back-to-back magic moments.

➕ The final scene was epic and made me feel like I was in the movie.

➖ Unfortunately, after the final scene, the game ended abruptly and the momentum fell flat.

➖/❓Puzzling felt inconsistent and sometimes poorly clued, making it difficult to get started. There were a few times where I took a hint and still didn’t understand how I would have arrived at that answer. One segment completely baffled me and I was unsure if I actually solved anything, or if the pipelined game simply advanced me through. (Here, I’m caveating that I played alone and perhaps other players with different skills sets would have understood.)

➕ The in-game actors were outstanding and clearly took pride in their roles. Because I played by myself, I got a little extra attention from Pennywise, including a funny moment where he tried to steal my sweater.

❓The story was thin. There were a few occasions where I found myself doing a cool thing, but had I not read the book and seen the movies, I wouldn’t have know what the cool thing was or how it was significant. This may not be a consideration for players just looking to be scared and have fun.

➕/➖The lighting design created an eerie ambience and elevated the scare factor. Unfortunately, this often meant that it was so dim that I had a hard time seeing. Make sure someone in your group is good in dim light.

❓I’ve now played three of Egan’s games (The Official SAW Escape in 2019, Escape IT – The Sewers in 2023 and Escape IT – The Funhouse) and recommend a team size of 4-5 for each. David’s review of Escape Blair Witch in 2021 also recommends 4-5 players. However, Egan’s public ticketing system sells up to ten tickets per time slot, and unless you’re willing to pay a premium for private VIP tickets, your experience will be influenced by whether or not strangers happen to book the same time slot as you. Depending on the day of the week, private VIP tickets can cost an additional $20 – $25 per person, with a minimum of four tickets, which puts it out of the range of what I would consider a good value. I think it’s good value at the public ticketing price, and I’m happy to take the gamble on randoms, but if you strongly prefer the private experience, then your assessment of value might be different.

Tips For Visiting

• Parking: There is a parking lot. Pay close attention to the street address.
• ID: Valid identification is required to enter.
• Age: The experience isn’t recommended for anyone under the age of 16, and parental supervision may be required. Check before you book if you have minors in your party.
• Food: Escape IT – The Funhouse is a five-minute drive to famous Fremont Street where you will find casinos, bars, restaurants, hotels and attractions such as ziplining.

Book your hour with Egan Escape’s Escape IT – The Funhouse, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

*Editor’s Note: Room Escape Artist contributors typically do not review when playing solo, as escape rooms are designed to be team activities. Fro asked questions about the group experience and also took multiple hints during gameplay in order to write this review.