Room Escape Artist

Sasquatch: (noun) undefeated hide & seek champion

Location:  Festus, MO

Date Played: December 27, 2024

Team Size: 2-10; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: It’s complicated, but about $42 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  Some steps up and down

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

I’m starting to run out of fingers for the amount of times I’ve accidentally stumbled upon a cabin while being lost in the woods. This time we weren’t lost; we were just checking in on a friend. The oppressive forest was offset by the brightly lit cabin immediately in front of us. Of course it wasn’t that easy; our friend had locked up after disappearing on us. But we were experts in getting creative to solve a mystery. Since there weren’t keys under the welcome mat we continued to explore the clearing and found an active waterfall pouring down over massive boulders and lichen right next to the cabin.

As we searched for our friend, and possibly Sasquatch as well, we discovered more sets that were awe-inspiring. BOXEDin Escape Rooms certainly doesn’t skimp on their set design and it was easy to get wrapped up into the story and adventure that they had left for us to discover.

The gamespace we explored was large and pertinent to the puzzles we solved. We struggled with some of the puzzles and lock inputs due to low light. After completing the escape room we were told we should have had access to a lantern at the beginning of the room. If that tool had been present, our challenges with lighting would have been mostly eliminated; however, there was still only one light source for the whole team. We also accidentally bypassed several puzzles in the room, which interrupted the puzzle flow and left us with locks still unopened at the end of the game.

The finale was bombastic, but brief. We spent the least amount of time in one of the most impressive gamespaces of Search For Sasquatch. It almost gave an exit through the gift shop vibe. In general, the lower difficulty of the puzzles and interactions with the lighting and puzzle gating difficulties left us disappointed. If you only had time for a couple games, I would recommend BOXEDin’s other offerings (Lost Souls, Sweet Lou’s Great Candy Caper, or 90’s Nostalgia) over Search for Sasquatch. However, Search for Sasquatch is worth doing to earn your marathon medal.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Bigfoot fans
• Any experience level

Why play?

• An incredible set
• Straightforward and fun puzzles
• To earn a BOXEDin marathon medal

Story

It was normal to cover for the absence of our dear friend Professor Bernard Watson. Whenever the mood struck, he would spend long weekends in his cabin in the woods hunting for the legendary Sasquatch. Last week he left us a crazed voicemail. Someone was after him and he urged us to join him at his cabin if we didn’t hear from him soon. It was likely paranoia and a little bit of delusion, but the long silence had us worried for his well being. So we set off to go find him. Little did we know we would also uncover the truth of what is out in the forest.

Setting

Towering trees and thick brush corralled us into a clearing. A fire pit, outhouse, and well-lit cabin greeted us as our eyes adjusted to the gloom. In the distance we could hear running water, and around the edge of the cabin we could see a gorgeous waterfall hidden in the back of the gamespace. If we watched carefully we could even make out fireflies meandering about the edges of the forest. What a spectacular space to start in. As we ventured further into the escape room every new area felt genuine and carefully crafted.

Gameplay

BOXEDin Escape Rooms’ Search For Sasquatch was an in-person escape room with a easy level of difficulty.

The gameplay was logical and fairly non-linear. Some searching was required throughout the room, but there were a good variety of puzzle types used that included logic, riddles, cipher, and placement.

Analysis

➕ The set design in Search For Sasquatch was stunning. Once the door shut we felt like were out in the woods with fireflies as our only companions. As the gamespace expanded, the new areas were intricately designed as well.

➖ A lantern was missing from our reset. Due to dim lighting it was challenging to see necessary lock inputs outside the well-lit cabin. In one case we inputted a lock by feel by using the raised bumps on the zero digit.

➖ The puzzle flow was unclear and we accidentally skipped two puzzles by solving a later puzzle too early and at random. We were disappointed that this puzzle was not gated, requiring the other puzzles to be solved first. The missing lantern exacerbated this mistake as we also couldn’t physically see the puzzles we had skipped; we expected to explore that area later in the game after a lighting change.

➕ Most of the escape room was nonlinear and the puzzles were logical and fun, though generally of an easier difficulty. This room offers a great opportunity for newer escape room players to feel very successful in a room.

➕ / ➖ Entering into the finale space was breathtaking, but within a couple minutes we were back out in the hallway of BOXEDin Escape Rooms. It was jarring to be presented with such sensory overload; then expected to leave almost as quickly as we’d entered. Other than the detailed set, the finale lacked any lasting tension.

Tips For Visiting

• If you are interested in completing all of BOXEDin’s available rooms in one go, your team should sign up for the Marathon Bundle Package. You receive a marathon medal, multiple room discount, and merchandise discounts. It is important to call them in advance to set this up.
• Plenty of parking in a free lot behind BOXEDin Escape Rooms
• This location is in the heart of historic downtown Festus and has an array of dining options

Book your hour with BOXEDin Escape Rooms’ Search For Sasquatch, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.