Lightning Ride
Location: Louisville, CO
Date Played: September 8, 2019
Team size: 2-8; we recommend 5-6
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: 2 players – $40 per person; 3 players – $35 per person; 4 players & up – $30 per person
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Paradox was another fantastic escape room from Rabbit Hole Recreation Services. Set in a steam-punkish time machine with Tardis overtones, Paradox was puzzley in the best kind of way.
Each challenge came with a new interface and tools and asked us to think in a different way. The puzzles were tangible. Solving each felt like an accomplishment.
From a set and tech standpoint, Paradox was about as on-point as Mystic Temple. Rabbit Hole Recreation Services knows how to build an energetic and engaging escape game.
If you’re choosing between Paradox and Mystic Temple, I think that most will prefer Mystic Temple… if only for the ending. If you’re more into puzzle-driven gameplay, I’d go with Paradox. That said, if you’re already visiting, dive all the way down the Rabbit Hole and play both.
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Scenery snobs
- Sci-fi fans
- Dr WHO fans
- Players with at least some experience
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- A large volume of fun and engaging puzzles
- The set had some fantastic interactions
- It was a strong all around experience
Story
As a powerful electrical storm passed over the lab, we had to complete the construction of our time machine and harness the power of lightning to traverse space and time.
Setting
Paradox opened in an elegant study that seemed influenced by the video game series The Room. There was a massive device hooked up to barrels by large wires. That device was an appetizer teasing the contraptions that lay ahead.
As with Mystic Temple, the game was loaded with embedded technology. In this escape room, however, the tech was a bit louder as it was supposed to function as a steampunk-ish Tardis.
Gameplay
Rabbit Hole Recreation Services’ Paradox was a standard escape room with an higher level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and puzzling.
Analysis
➕ Paradox was beautiful. From the opening moments, the set was elegantly designed, intricate, and interactive. Later on, it was breathtaking. We loved exploring the world of Paradox.
➕ Rabbit Hole Recreation Services used effects brilliantly. They felt connected to our interactions and they belonged in the world of the game. They brightened the playthrough.
➕ Rabbit Hole Recreation Services minded the details, not just visually, but in every sense of their interaction design. One prop was especially cool to touch.
➖ Given the ingenuity that went into every inch of this set, there was one set piece that we really wanted more from – partially because we loved it – and also because it just didn’t seem to have a significance that matched its coolness.
➕ We’d never seen a radio interaction quite like this one. The puzzle concept worked beautifully.
➕ Paradox included an unusual reflection of a standard puzzle concept that we especially enjoyed.
➕ The gameplay branched well. We gravitated toward certain puzzles with an understanding of how they would fit together in the end. We reunited for the finale.
➖ In the late-game, we followed written instructions on a sheet of paper. The clarity was appreciated, but that single sheet felt out of place in this world. There was an opportunity to build native cluing.
➕ There were a lot of challenging puzzles in Paradox. They were difficult in different ways and required different skills to solve. We enjoyed the variety.
Tips For Visiting
- There is a parking lot.
- This game contains flashing lights and strobes.
Book your hour with Rabbit Hole Recreation Services’ Paradox, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Rabbit Hole Recreation Services comped our tickets for this game.
Disclosure: Our trip to Denver was sponsored by the Denver escape room community. Contributions were anonymous.
