So puzzle. Much solve.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Date Played: August 24, 2018
Team size: up to 10; we recommend 4-8*
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $27 per ticket Tuesday – Thursday, $32 per ticket Friday – Sunday
Ticketing: Public
REA Reaction
The Laboratory was an unusual escape room, especially in Los Angeles. It was entirely puzzle solving from start to finish. Its unusual structure of multiple, linear puzzle tracks delivered a lot of puzzle content and a largely individual experience as part of a larger group effort. The Laboratory sacrificed environment, narrative, and adventure in favor of puzzle content, much of which was tangible, varied, and interesting.
Puzzles comprised the entirety of the gameplay. If you’re looking for puzzles, play The Laboratory; you’ll be thrilled. If you want adventure, narrative, or really anything else… your princess is in another castle.
Who is this for?
- Puzzle focused players
- Any experience level
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- Pure puzzle play
- Puzzle progression
Story
This was a puzzle-filled laboratory with a ticking time bomb in the middle. We had 60 minutes to solve all the puzzles and disarm the bomb.
Setting
The Laboratory was a largely plain, two-room set. We had complete access to both rooms from the opening moments of the game. Tables and shelves held various puzzle props, most of which were handcrafted.
A board on one wall laid out the puzzle progression to follow including each individual puzzle, its components, and where to input its solution.
Gameplay
The Laboratory was an atypical escape room with a variable level of difficulty.
The Laboratory presented multiple, clearly-defined linear puzzle paths that all converged at the final puzzle.
*The number of puzzle paths – and thus the volume of puzzle content – will be based on team size and experience level. We recommend you bring enough players to play a game with at least 4 puzzle tracks. This will ensure that you have access to the most interesting puzzles.
Core gameplay revolved around puzzling.
Analysis
+The Laboratory was an entertaining puzzle orgy.
– The Laboratory didn’t have a set beyond a standard office space and some quirky props. The gamespace didn’t add anything to the experience. (It didn’t really detract either. It just existed to hold puzzles.)
+ We could see the puzzle paths laid out on a board, delineating our progress through the escape room. This board gave us a feeling of control. We always knew what to work on next. We could also track our progress against the gameclock. This mechanism ensured that we never had to trial-and-error our solutions in different locks.
– Many of the lock codes were guessable even without deriving all the information. It would be easy to shortcut these puzzles to pop the locks.
+ The Laboratory was customizable by group size and puzzle experience. They can add or remove puzzle tracks to give each team a fair puzzle opponent for a 60-minute game clock.
? If you aren’t playing at least 4 puzzle tracks, you’re missing out on some of the more interesting content.
+ One of our favorite puzzles hooked us with some nifty tech.
– One puzzle path was primarily paper-based. This didn’t make use of the physical space at all.
+ We enjoyed how as each puzzle path moved forward, it built on a concept. Props we picked up along the way frequently stayed relevant as the puzzle path progressed.
– Most of the puzzles could be solved individually. The Laboratory felt collaborative only in so far as the entire team was working and of all the puzzles got solved. Most of us felt like we were puzzling solo. The puzzles didn’t facilitate natural collaboration.
+ The puzzle tracks converged on the final puzzle: bomb disarmament. Although we’d each solved the other puzzles individually or sometimes in small groups, we came together for the final sequence.
Tips for Visiting
- Bring a large enough team to play with at least 4 puzzle tracks. The 4th track was great.
- There is street parking.
- We enjoyed Earth Bean Coffee.
Book your hour with The Laboratory, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: The Laboratory provided media discounted tickets for this game.
