Room Escape Artist

The Mezzanine is one of the best games in the Detroit area. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms around Detroit.

An elevated experience

Location:  Ann Arbor, Michigan

Date Played:  May 2, 2025

Team Size:  2-15; we recommend 6-10

Duration:  75 minutes

Price:  $39 per person, 4 ticket minimum

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: None

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock and [A] Push To Exit for one area

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

The Mezzanine at Decode Detroit’s Ann Arbor location was an ambitious, large-team game with a creative storyline and a focus on challenging puzzles. The premise was intriguing: everyday objects that often get lost – keys, wallets, socks – end up in a cosmic space called the Mezzanine, reachable only by a special elevator. But when things went wrong, as they often do, we had to find our way to the Mezzanine through solving puzzles. And that was just the beginning!

This game was a puzzler’s delight from the very start, with various logic-based puzzles that offered a pretty robust warmup for later challenges. Most puzzles were meaty and involved, and we often spent quite some time focused on a single task. Unfortunately, that meant some players completely missed out on certain solves or barely had time to look around to appreciate the inventive set. It was intense. One early section did involve cooperative play in a fast-paced, thematic sequence that combined quick solves and beat-the-clock challenges; it was fun and exciting and also very satisfying to puzzle through. 

Eventually we arrived at a section of the game with a complex, layered mechanical centerpiece that had us scrambling trying to figure it out, while also tackling other puzzles around the room. Imagine Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory, but solving logic puzzles at the same time.  It was creative and colorful and noisy with a good dose of chaos, but issues with gameflow and lack of clear instructions made this segment frustrating. 

After 60 minutes of mental workouts, we completed our objective and were then offered a choice: end the game or continue the story with an additional 15 minutes of bonus gameplay at no extra charge. Challenge accepted! (We are enthusiasts, after all.) We then entered a new space with even more logic-based puzzles involving some renowned lost items. I highly recommend taking the extension — it’s offered to everyone and doesn’t affect whether you win or lose. Besides, you can always rest later! 

The Mezzanine was an impressive game, with an intelligence in puzzle design and story that shined through; in fact, the more we talked about it, the more nuance we identified. But it’s not for everyone, especially newer players. Decode Ann Arbor allows a team size of 2-12 as the game is dynamically scalable, but they recommend at least 4 players in a game. I can tell you as a team of 3 experienced players, we felt understaffed and overwhelmed at times. Definitely bring your A game and a few extra friends who love logic-heavy puzzling.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• People who lose things
• Larger teams
• Players with some experience
• Players who don’t have to be part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Unique scenario
• Complex solves
• Inventive, whimsical decor
• You LOVE logic-based puzzles

Story

Ever wonder what happens to a sock lost in the laundry or a hat left behind on a bus? According to Decode Detroit, they end up in a cosmic space called The Mezzanine, and this was our chance to check out this unique location. But first we had to get into the elevator with enough time to make it to our destination… without getting lost along the way.

Setting

The game started in a large, hotel-like lobby decorated in art-deco style, with subdued lighting, colorful wallpaper and a dark red and gold carpet. A decorative service cart and various workspaces took up different areas in the room. But it was the glimmering gold elevator labeled “The Mezzanine” that drew our gaze upon entering the gamespace.

Gameplay

Decode Detroit’s The Mezzanine was a puzzle-centric escape room with a higher level of difficulty, and accommodated group sizes up to 15 players. 

Core gameplay was mostly non-linear and revolved around puzzling, observing, making connections, logic… and even more puzzling.

Analysis

➕  The story of visiting another dimension to see where lost items – both infamous and commonplace – wind up, was decidedly unique. We had a great time after the game comparing notes on various lost items spotted throughout the experience.

➕ Set decor was high-quality and polished, with set pieces and special effects that made the game seem larger than life.

➕  Puzzles were well-themed and challenging. They offered opportunities for puzzling together or solo, depending on our preferences. Most required extensive logic and reasoning to get to a solution, but when we got there, we felt like masterminds.

➖ One area in the game contained multiple puzzles, but with little-to-no signposting, we struggled to get momentum. After quickly solving a prominently-placed puzzle, we couldn’t figure out what to do with the solution, and spun our wheels until we realized it wasn’t useful until much later in the sequence.

➕ A high-energy sequence of puzzles had us working together to make progress in a meaningful way; these puzzles were approachable and provided an opportunity for fun collaboration.

➖ The game’s central puzzle used a familiar mechanic in a uniquely creative way, but we repeatedly failed to progress because of unclear cluing and feedback. A tutorial level going through the basics would help players ramp up and understand how to successfully work the main prop.

➖ Several side puzzles were unnecessarily time-consuming and yielded minor payoffs compared to the time and effort needed to solve them.

➕ The bonus section at the end of the experience was less intense but still challenging. The puzzles were fun and approachable, leading to some satisfying solves. It also gave the game extra dimension as it wrapped up a plot point. It left our team on a high note.

🌎 Make sure to check out Around the World in 80 Days, also designed for large teams. We enjoyed similar logic-based puzzle challenges combined with the unique game mechanic of this experience.

Tips For Visiting

• Decode Detroit has two locations about a 10-minute drive apart. This game is located at Decode Ann Arbor.
• There is a parking lot. This location also offers Finding Stella, Decode’s Drive-in Adventure, a unique game developed during the pandemic that is played in your car from the parking lot. While we didn’t have room in our schedule to play it this time, we were intrigued.   
• Detroit-style pizza originated at Buddy’s Rendezvous, and today Buddy’s Pizza is a local chain offering the classic square pizza. We recommend the Detroiter. 
• We also enjoyed the hearty breakfast menu with vegan options at Anna’s, with several nearby locations, including the one in Ann Arbor.
• Conveniently located just around the corner from the Decode Ypsilanti location, Bellflower offers a seasonal dinner menu that satisfied our varied appetites and cravings.
• For another take on this unique and fun theme of “lost items,” in the form of a tabletop game, check out PostCurious’ Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition.

Book your hour with Decode Detroit’s The Mezzanine, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Decode Detroit comped our tickets for this game.