Decipher like an Egyptian
Location: New York, New York
Date Played: September 20, 2019
Team size: 2-7; we recommend 2-4
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $28 per player for Public booking, $34 per player for Private booking
Ticketing: Public or Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Pyramid Heist was one of PanIQ Room’s earlier escape rooms. The gameplay was heavily focused on searching, ciphering, and unlocking. That said, despite repetitive concepts, the gameplay moved pretty smoothly. Our teammates – a family of 4 including 2 teenagers – participated in everything and had a blast doing so. It was a traditional escape game in the style that stoked our early interest in escape rooms.
Although the initial office set wasn’t particularly exciting, Pyramid Heist offered more than initially met the eye and escalated dramatically in the second act.
If you are looking for a solid, classic escape room in New York City, Pyramid Heist has been our favorite game at PanIQ Room in NYC thus far. It didn’t offer anything novel to experienced players, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle lovers
- Any experience level
Why play?
- An unexpected second act
- Opportunities for collaborative solving
Story
We had broken into the Curator’s office at the Museum of Ancient and Historical Artifacts in order to steal the Golden Ankh of Ra. Although security had left a lot of locks to prevent this type of theft, our boss knew we were the team for this heist.
Setting
Pyramid Heist opened in a standard office space with a desk, bookshelf, and a few wall hangings.
In the second act, it opened up into a considerably more exciting gamespace.
Gameplay
PanIQ Room’s Pyramid Heist was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and puzzling.
Analysis
➕ Although Pyramid Heist opened in a drab office setting, as our search intensified, we found ourselves in a more impressive and interesting setting. The second act exceeded expectations.
➖ Pyramid Heist had a lot of locks of similar types and similar digit structures. Whenever we found a key or solved a code, we’d have to try it all around the room. More variation would enhance momentum.
(Ok, we didn’t have to try all the keys in every lock because we used David’s superpower of recognizing which type of key goes to which lock – which left our teenage teammates awestruck – but most players can’t rely on this. I certainly can’t look at a key and know where to try it.)
➖ PanIQ crafted a cipher-centric escape room. While I enjoy ciphering, Pyramid Heist struggled for lack of puzzle variety. There were too many overlapping, but different ciphers, which came into play at different times. This could easily cause confusion, especially among newer players. Additionally, we continually needed to rely on the provided pens and paper to work out the ciphers.
➕ We appreciated some unorthodox opens. These segments were especially enjoyable.
➖ We fell victim, yet again, to playing too gently. In this search-heavy game, not all searching was properly clued. One search in particular desperately needed addition cluing.
➕ Pyramid Heist had thematic puzzles that came together well. We were able to follow the gameplay from start to finish.
Tips For Visiting
- There is street parking in this neighborhood.
- If you’re coming by subway, take the B/D to Grand St, the F to Delancey, or the J/Z to Bowery.
- We recommend Vanessa’s Dumpling House for a quick meal or Lena for wine and tapas.
Book your hour with PanIQ Room’s Pyramid Heist, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: PanIQ Room comped our tickets for this game.
