Room Escape Artist

To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. -Fullmetal Alchemist

Location: Tampa, FL

Date Played: March 27, 2026

Team Size: 4-8; we recommend 4-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price:  $33 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: Players must duck through a low doorway and step over a small ledge

Emergency Exit Rating: [A] Push To Exit

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

We weren’t completely surprised to find ourselves trapped in an evil wizard’s lair. Those pesky wizards always seem to end up three steps ahead of the intrepid heroes. Fortunately, in true evil wizard fashion, we were left completely unguarded after we were locked up. Separated from our adventuring gear, we had to rely on our wits to escape our cells, stop the ritual, and save our souls.

We found ourselves split into two dim, stone jail cells. The set had a consistent medieval fantasy vibe and the stone wall that reached to the ceiling added to the weight of the dungeon aesthetic. We managed to find some wands that provided light, but they wouldn’t stay on consistently and barely provided enough illumination to see the information we needed. For a smoother experience, we wished there had been ambient spotlighting on important information or at least brighter and more consistent light sources. Additionally, the doorway between the two cells was not latched. While we attempted to respect the illusion, one of our teammates accidentally opened the wall while searching the area, which temporarily broke the immersion.

We especially enjoyed the depth and variety of puzzles within Spellbound. In general, the puzzle flow was logical. One layered puzzle kept us busy and engaged in the best way, and there was one unique element that provided a satisfying surprise. However, one of the instructions for the centerpiece of the room seemed to be misleading, since we had to disobey the instruction to complete the puzzle. We also ended up solving one puzzle later than expected and skipping a minor jump scare because we misunderstood a riddle.

Although the large quantity of puzzles and multi-step solves would probably prove challenging for newer groups, players visiting Tampa with escape room experience would likely enjoy adding Spellbound to their itinerary.

Who is this for?

• Fantasy fans
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Large scale props and unique interactions
• Sizable quantity of multi-step puzzles

Story

The evil wizard Molgovo had captured our adventuring party. We knew he had been working on an immortality elixir and we were on the hunt to stop him. In order to get the immortality elixir working, Molgovo planned to trade our lives for his. We had to escape our cells and foil his ritual to save not only our souls, but rid the land of his evil.

Setting

Dungeon Chic. Stone walls enveloped us and extended beyond our paltry cells. We were stuck behind iron bars and each cell was secured with a heavy padlock. The evil wizard had a large round divining table, a personal gallows, and scattered skeletons warning us that escape was futile.

Gameplay

Riddler’s Escape Tampa’s Spellbound was an in-person escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around solving puzzles. There was a fair amount of searching required, but it was balanced well with logic, physical, memory, and visual connection puzzles.

Analysis

➕ The number and variety of puzzles kept our team busy throughout the entire experience. We appreciated the amount of content packed within the confines of Spellbound.

❓We weren’t truly separated in the beginning for safety reasons. Both jail cells could be accessed at all times to allow egress. We respected the closed and unlatched door, but one of our teammates accidentally broke the immersion when they burst into the other space while searching. We wished there was a visual cue to indicate the door was out of play to discourage accidental entry into the other cell.

➖ In several of the gamespaces, the lighting was dim. We were provided with wands that had a small LED at the end; however, they didn’t provide enough illumination to cut through the darkness. We wished we had a more consistent light source to see what we were working on.

➕ At one point we thought we had hit a dead end and were pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be the next puzzle we needed to solve. This unique interaction was a highlight of the escape room.

➕ One layered puzzle brought us a lot of joy and kept several of us engaged. We also enjoyed the large scale of the prop.

➖ On a few occasions, we noticed a lack of gating for certain puzzles. In one case, we triggered a prop out of order because we were able to bypass it earlier in the puzzling sequence. Additionally, there was one instance where a series of instructions indicated that we should focus on one action when we actually needed to do something elsewhere to complete the puzzle.

➕The finale was quite the light show and tied up all the loose ends, using all of the items we were collecting throughout the escape room. We appreciated the satisfying payoff for all of our work.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot

Book your hour with Riddler’s Escape Tampa’s Spellbound, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Riddler’s Escape Tampa provided media discounted tickets for this game.