Category: New Mexico Escape Room

Nefertari’s Tomb is one of the best games in Albuquerque. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Albuquerque.

Grand Puzzle Tomb

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 14, 2021

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 4-6

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $25 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Nefertari’s Tomb was jam-packed with content. Our goal was to raid as much loot from the ancient tomb as we could, and destroy the evidence of our presence before the authorities stopped us. New Mexico Escape Room truly made us work for the loot with a constant stream of puzzle solving, searching, and translating.

The upshot: in terms of gameplay for your money, you won’t find many games with as much to do as Nefertari’s Tomb… and it was all staged in a beautiful Egyptian tomb.

The potential struggle in Nefertari’s Tomb was the volume of translation, which felt both completely narratively justified… and also excessive. I literally learned to sightread the hieroglyphics in Nefertari’s Tomb and so did two of my teammates. (Not David… that’s not his thing.)

Overall, Nefertari’s Tomb feels unique, big and exciting… and at times it also feels cumbersome. It’s one of the strongest large team games we’ve seen, and it has a style that a lot of players – especially puzzlers – will connect with. If you’re in Albuquerque and looking for a puzzley good time, give this one a try.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Indiana Jones Fans
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Explosive intro/ outro sequence
• An unusual game structure that facilitated an impressive volume of puzzle content
• A nifty Egyptian tomb set

Story

After years of research, Arnold von Dunkelheit had found the location of Nefertari’s Tomb. He had a long list of items that he required from this site, and he’d hired our gang of adventuring tomb robbers to attain them. Our instructions were clear:

• Enter the tomb
• Steal as many items as we could
• Destroy the tomb and all evidence of our presence before the authorities would arrive

Continue reading “New Mexico Escape Room – Nefertari’s Tomb [Review]” →

Bombshell is one of the best games in Albuquerque. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Albuquerque.

Syndicate Revolt

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 14, 2021

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: If the transition sequences don’t work for you, you can bypass them.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Have you ever just connected with a game? I connected with Bombshell. Maybe it was because I live in New Jersey, and the villain strongly reminded me of my neighbor… or maybe it was the noir vibes, beautiful set, and the clever way that New Mexico Escape Room massaged escape room tropes into the narrative of this game.

Whatever it was… I got really into it.

Another thing that I loved about Bombshell was that things had weight to them. The props, transitions, lighting… so much of this game had a playful gravitas. When you picked up props, they required a bit of oomph; the story felt the same.

Where Bombshell lost me from time to time were in a few puzzles that required a bit more repetition than was necessary. Those “ok, I get it…” moments weren’t numerous, but in such a smooth game, they stood out.

Bombshell is another one of those must-play games in Albuquerque… so if you’re anywhere nearby, go play it.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Noir fans
• Any experience level

Why play?

• A strong narrative-driven game
• Phenomenal set design accentuated by lighting

Story

For decades Vittorio Bosargio had ruled crime in this city as the Don of Dons. No one questioned his judgment… until recently. He seemed to be losing it, becoming chaotic, violent, and mad. As the leaders of our respective crime families, we’d gathered to put an end to his reign, but Bosargio knew what we were up to…

Continue reading “New Mexico Escape Room – Bombshell [Review]” →

Blackwell Manor is one of the best games in Albuquerque. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Albuquerque.

Don’t stay for dinner

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 14, 2021

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $32 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: one person has to crawl

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Blackwell Manor isn’t just an escape room; it’s a calling card for New Mexico Escape Room.

Within their facility sits a two-story Victorian manor, and it’s haunted.

Within its walls we found a compelling story tied together with brilliant haunt scares that pushed well into thrilling territory, without turning excessive.

The puzzles flowed well and were used to introduce us to characters and key plot points.

And the effects were perfect.

Our only real gripe was that the story resolved a bit too quickly. We really felt like we needed another story beat at the end to land where we did.

Overall, it was clear from the moment we set eyes upon Blackwell Manor that we were about to have a special experience. And, oh my, did New Mexico Escape Room deliver. Albuquerque is a city worth visiting for escape rooms, and if you’re down for a bit of horror, Blackwell Manor is one of the must-play escape rooms in the region.

Who is this for?

• Haunted house fans
• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level

Why play?

• They built a whole house inside of their facility… a whole house
• The effects and worldbuilding were incredible
• The horror was intense yet approachable

Story

We had been dared to enter the house. How could we possibly turn down a dare?

The house had been abandoned for a century, but that hadn’t stopped people from talking about it… spreading rumors that it was haunted. We were going to go see for ourselves.

Continue reading “New Mexico Escape Room – Blackwell Manor [Review]” →