Room Escape Artist

Temple of Light is one of the best escape rooms in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here are our recommendations for other great escape rooms in the area.

Gorgeous

Location: Charlotte, NC

Date Played: July 13, 2025

Team Size: 2-6; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 75 minutes

Price: $55 per player (minimum of 4 players on some days of the week)

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  All players must walk up stairs, crawl, and other light physical movement. However there is a bypass available for these sequences.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A] Push To Exit

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Before you read another sentence of this review, just scroll through the images. They are real images of this awe-inspiring set.

The set for Temple of Light was breathtaking. It included multiple rooms, and each one was special. The Keepers of Balance thought of absolutely everything, and no detail was too tiny to pay attention to. They even used specific materials in one pass-through space where we spent no time, so that it would feel like the space should. I cannot overstate how extra the set was.

Furthermore, the transition scenes were magical. Temple of Light moved us through disconnected scenes in some unusual and exciting ways. The reveals were sensational.

If you play escape rooms to go on a grand adventure, this is your game. There really isn’t anything else like it.

That said, Temple of Light won’t be everyone’s game. The gameplay flowed well, but it wasn’t packed with puzzles. It was a more task-based, interaction-forward style of play. This worked well for the set, however, where large props stole the show, and became the centerpieces of each interaction.

The Keepers of Balance was steeped in lore, but Temple of Light was mission-based rather than story-driven. The gameplay didn’t provide narrative, or take players on a story arc. However, the overworld of The Keepers of Balance provided for an especially satisfying ending, which added depth of meaning to the mission. It was an unusual design, and we are excited to see how The Keepers of Balance builds on this as they continue to construct more games in the same universe.

Temple of Light delivered in a big way. On the axes that were dialed up, they were dialed off the chart. We haven’t seen an escape room rival this build. It’s certainly worth adventuring to Charlotte to experience.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Indiana Jones fans
• Any experience level

Why play?

• Aesthetically, Temple of Light ranks among the most beautiful escape rooms in the world
• The Keepers of Balance have created an incredible adventure
• There is some strong world building (and their merch game is on-point)
• Verticality

Story

The Keepers of Balance is an organization that traverses time and space fixing anomalies, and ensuring that stability of existence.

As representatives of The Keepers of Balance, we found ourselves exploring antiquity in search of an artifact containing pure light.

Setting

The Keepers of Balance was set within a new building that was purpose built for this new escape room business. To the best of my knowledge this is a first. From the outside, it looked like a warehouse building. Inside, everything was beautifully themed and specifically constructed to facilitate adventure. The lobby, bathrooms, and hallways were all extensive and in-world.

From a set design perspective, Temple of Light was as beautiful as it was expansive. The photos in this review speak for themselves, and I can confirm for you that they look accurate. There were points where I had seen some of these photos before playing and thought that they were photoshopped… and they really aren’t.

Gameplay

The Keepers of Balance’s Temple of Light was a standard escape room with a low-to-moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around observing and making connections between the set and the objects within it. Gameplay was primarily task-based, although there were some more puzzley interactions.

Analysis

➕ The set was spectacular. It was enormous. Each room was impressively designed from the overarching feel of the space to the tiny details, with no surface overlooked. The incredible ceiling height wowed us, making each space feel immense. Furthermore, the sets were varied. Each room felt distinct, but still part of one world.

➕ In addition to the physical construction detail, the projections were top notch, and added depth to the experience.

➕ Early on, The Keepers of Balance pulled off a trick rarely seen in escape rooms (especially in North America) with incredible finesse. They expertly designed the player action to pull our attention one way, keeping us focused and safe, and let the magic ensue around us. It was impressive.

➕ /❓ The guide who led us into the Temple of Light was funny. Their self-deprecating tone elevated us. Their jittery, excited vibe worked for the experience, and made sense in the universe of The Keepers of Balance. They were also so annoying that we were thrilled to be rid of them.

➖ While we appreciated the staging of the first few scenes, these scenes overstayed their welcome. The script for the character who guided us just went on and on. There was too much unnecessary wind up.

➕ Temple of Light had many amazing set transitions. They never broke the magic circle, even when a complexity or safety consideration seemed to warrant this. They also used these transitions to keep our relationship with our guide multifaceted. One transition slid into the absurd, in the best way possible.

➕ /➖ It felt cheeky to pull this rope (see above), which was exhilarating. Yes as experienced escape room players, we did not want to disobey this sign, and didn’t like the idea that it sanctions this type of player behavior. We left conflicted over this interaction, but at the very least, it was memorable. Your mileage may vary.

➕ Throughout Temple of Light, we were wowed by the mechanisms. So much depth of design and construction prowess made an event of each moment. We loved how one rolled by early. Later in that scene a prop descended from the ceiling beautifully marking our progress, only to retract upon our misstep. It offered great feedback and a beautiful show.

➕ The final act was equally uplifted by its mechanisms. The props were hefty and fun to interact with. The attention to detail in one transformation warmed our hearts.

➖ At times, the tolerances on the tech were too tight. In an experience than leans heavily on tasks, there was an opportunity to tune object placement even more, especially in the middle acts, so that slight variation doesn’t ignore correct solutions.

➖ Small adjustments to lighting in a couple of places would go a long way. We struggled to solve one puzzle that overly relied on color in a dimly lit room. We also missed an essential clue because nothing directed us to look where it was presented, and it had to be replayed.

➕ Temple of Light was beautifully scored. Through excellent sound design, just like in a movie, we felt like the heroes at exactly the right moments. The audio complemented and enhanced our actions.

➕ The Keepers of Balance has built an overworld for all their games. We delighted in how Temple of Light maximized that greater world to add depth to the singular game. We look forward to how the next experiences use the overworld to their advantage, and continue to elevate it and its mystique.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.
• Before our game, we enjoyed coffee at Night Swim Roastery & Cafe.

Book your session with The Keepers of Balance’s Temple of Light, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: The Keepers of Balance comped our tickets for this game.