Room Escape Artist

Spanning 5 different countries, this month’s reviews have something for everything. We wrote about so many different styles of games. While this compilation is review centric, don’t miss the highlighted podcast and the commentary pieces towards the end. Furthermore I’m thrilled that the Best of August 2026 showcases content from 9 different authors. Enjoy!

💙 RECON Laval 💙

RECON Laval took place August 16-17th, 2026 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. It look a lot of our attention this month, but it was worth it. It was magical.

If you weren’t able to attend, or if you were there and you want to check out the speaker slides and handouts, please visit the RECON Archive.

Reviews

🔒 Golden Lock Winners

CLAWS, Candle House Collective (at home) – The conceit of Candle House Collective’s “telephonic thriller” CLAWS is true evil on the other end of a phone call. (Review by Chuck Kaplan-Smith)

Fall Harvest, 13th Hour Escape Rooms (Wharton, NJ) – With their 10th escape room, Fall Harvest, 13th Hour Escape Rooms leveled up in their grim, puzzle-focused signature style. (Review by Lisa Spira)

Fear of the Unknown, Enigma Escape Cornwall (Cornwall, England) – Fear of the Unknown was a stupendously detailed escape room tribute to the works and worlds of H.P. Lovecraft. (Review by Matthew Stein)

Lost, Dream Labs Adventures (Bad Steben, Germany) – Lost served up its horror/ sci-fi theme with an expert level of skill we’ve come to expect from Dream Labs. (Review by Cindi S.)

Shades of Grey, Lockwood Immersive (Toronto, Canada) – Shades of Grey was a creative innovation on the murder mystery format in escape rooms. (Review by Matthew Stein)

Escape Rooms

Going Underground, Crime Runners (Vienna, Austria) – Going Underground brought us to several unexpected places, with an elaborate set and excellent attention to detail. This game opened in 2019, and yes, it has stood the test of time! (Review by Cindi S.)

Pirate’s Cove, Fox in a Box Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada) – At Fox in a Box Sherbrooke, we found a classic escape room design dialed up in some unexpected and delightful ways. (Review by David Spira)

Unguarded, Riddler’s Escape Tampa (Tampa, Florida) – Unguarded was certainly a unique escape room experience with heavy emphasis on improvisation and creativity. (Review by Kurtis Rohlf)

Something Else

Lost & Found, Secret City (Toronto, Canada) – Lost & Found was an open-world puzzle adventure: interact with characters, complete quests, solve puzzles, and more. (Review by Matthew Stein)

Pixie Dust Dash (Bay Lake, Florida) – The Pixie Dust Dash is a new way to experience Magic Kingdom: players solve puzzles and find details in the park at night! (Review by Theresa Piazza)

The Hunt for the Brightwing Butterfly, Lockwood Immersive (Toronto, Canada) – The Hunt for the Brightwing Butterfly offered an afternoon of enigmatic exploration in Toronto’s High Park that was equal parts wholesome, thoughtful, and clever. (Review by Matthew Stein)

Podcast

PG’s Playhouse 51: Passports (ft. Lingthusiasm’s Gretchen McCulloch) – Learn about passports and play a word game with Gretchen McCulloch of Lingthusiasm in this episode of PG’s Playhouse.

Commentary

An Escape Room Music Video From Lockhill – Lockhill in Athens created an escape room music video, part as escape room marketing, and part as an artistic creation that is so much more. (By Richard Burns)

The Joy of Replay – People think of escape rooms as one time experiences, but there are a lot of reasons a replay can be worthwhile. (By Peter Gwinn & Emily Hall)