Anaheim Archives - Room Escape Artist

Scenario Escape Room – The Mad Rapper [Review]

15 May 202215 May 2022 by David Spira, posted in Anaheim, Orange County, Reviews

I got my mind on my puzzles and my puzzles on my mind.

Location: Brea, CA

Date Played: March 5, 2022

Team size: 2-8; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $35 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: There are toy guns in this game.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Peih-Gee Law, my lovely podcast co-host, regularly says how much she wishes that there were more escape rooms with an urban appeal. The risk that’s associated with that is that someone does it poorly… or in a way that feels disconnected or dishonest. That was not the case in The Mad Rapper.

Scenario Escape Room made a hip hop themed escape room that felt authentic and uniquely Los Angeles.

A recording studio featuring a massive mixing board, a large speaker, a guitar, and a bass.

The Mad Rapper was a classic-style escape room done right. What stood out most to me in the gameplay was the variety of challenge types. There was a lot to take in and do, but it was all approachable and creatively produced.

It’s exciting to find an escape game that has a unique story and feels like it was crafted with love. There wasn’t anything mind-blowing in the The Mad Rapper, but it all felt great. I wholeheartedly recommend checking out The Mad Rapper if you’re in the area and seeking a classic game built around a different concept. I truly enjoyed it.

On a more personal note, it was a rare pleasure for me to find a grill in an escape room…

My brother designs 🤯 grillz for a living (and to clarify, no part of this a joke)… and seeing a grill in an escape room made me smile.

Who is this for?

Old school hip hop fans
Puzzle lovers
Any experience level

Why play?

Unusual and compelling theme/ story
Strong and varied puzzles and challenges

Story

The artist known only as “The Mad Rapper” had become the biggest name in the game. He’d opened auditions looking for new talent, but dealings with The Mad Rapper carried risk and consequences.

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Cross Roads Escape Games – The Trust Experiment [Review]

12 May 202219 May 2022 by Lisa Spira, posted in Anaheim, Closed Game, Cross Roads Escape Games, Orange County, Reviews

Formerly known as “Psych Ward”

Location: Anaheim, CA

Date Played: March 6, 2022

Team size: 5-8; we recommend 5-8

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $38 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

The Trust Experiment was a personal victory for me. This game was made for the Davids and Peih-Gees of the world (and go at it, they did!). I would have preferred a backseat role. But luck was not on my side (or maybe it was) because I drew the role I was afraid to draw and even though I lost, I felt like I’d won.

The Trust Experiment wasn’t an escape room. It was a social deduction game with puzzles as a game mechanic. The good guys wanted all the points… and the bad guys wanted to steal those points. If we solved a lot of puzzles we would win (or steal) a lot of points.

Cross Roads Escape Games’ exceptional onboarding gave me confidence. Our orderly (gamemaster) gave me opportunity (and added exceptional character to the game!) And my husband and his podcast co-host diverted attention… most of the time. So I played the game. I took some risks. And I had a lot of fun.

Two patients in a small padded room, viewed through a hole in the door.

The Trust Experiment blended puzzle gameplay with social deduction. It was unusual, and it worked brilliantly. If this sounds like your thing, bring the right group of friends (and the group matters a lot), and check this out while you can. Sadly, it is closing soon. We haven’t played anything else quite like it.

Who is this for?

Social deduction game fans
Story seekers
Puzzle lovers
Scenery snobs
Any experience level
Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

An interesting take on Werewolf/ Mafia-style social deduction games
A very cool set
A fantastic actor

Story

Dr. Griffin put our cohort of patients into a psychological experiment. Under observation, were were made to solve puzzles, complete tasks, and determine whom we could trust among us, while some secretly tried to undermine the group.

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Not Another Escape Room – Battleship [Review]

10 May 202210 May 2022 by Matthew Stein, posted in Anaheim, Not Another Escape Room, Orange County, Reviews

💥 BOOM! 💥

Location: Brea, CA

Date Played: March 7, 2022

Team Size: 2-8; we recommend 4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $36-50 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Battleship brought a classic board game to life as an escape room. Players split into two teams and competed in a free-for-all puzzle fest, attempting to earn as many cannonballs as possible. Each cannonball then turned into an extra guess while playing an oversized game of Battleship. As in the real tabletop game, the first team to sink all their opponents’ ships won.

Following in the footsteps of Time Machine, Not Another Escape Room once again strongly demonstrated their ability to reimagine what an escape room can be with Battleship. Though overtly themed around pirates, Battleship felt unlike other pirate-themed escape rooms with its Battleship game-oriented structure. Gameplay was almost fully nonlinear, and each puzzle’s trailhead and input were clearly associated. The game was presented as a competition, but it’s only as chaotic as you choose to make it. The set was simple yet attractive, almost fully tech-free — except for a large interactive set piece that was smoothly constructed and coded.

Battleship was a game for competitive puzzle lovers. If you’re looking for a more story-, discovery-, or set- driven escape room, this might not be the game for you. That said, there were a wide variety of puzzle types that would appeal to many different types of solvers, and plenty of flexibility for players to hop from puzzle to puzzle.

A room with walls covered in different pirate flags, in the middle is a table with a digital display that reads, "SHIP."

If you are in Southern California, Not Another Escape Room is well worth a visit. Time Machine is a sprawling narrative-driven adventure filled with unexpected “wow” moments, whereas Battleship is a more self-contained, puzzle-packed competition. If you have the time, I highly recommend giving both rooms a play.

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Exit Game – 13th Basement [Review]

9 May 20229 May 2022 by David Spira, posted in Anaheim, Orange County, Reviews

The killing joke

Location: Anaheim, CA

Date Played: March 6, 2022

Team size: 2-8; we recommend 4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $35 per player ($105 for teams of 2 on Friday-Sunday)

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: wheelchair-friendly game

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

13th Basement marks an interesting milestone for escape rooms. It’s the second satirical escape room that we’ve encountered (following The Experiment from Get the F Out). As the name implies, it was having a bit of fun with horror escape rooms, which are abundant in Southern California.

This all begs a few questions:

Is it good? Yes
Is it funny? Yup
Is it scary? A tiny bit…more goofing on horror than being horror
How much do I have to know about escape rooms to enjoy this game? It’s enjoyable in a vacuum, but overwhelmingly more entertaining if you’ve experienced horror escape room tropes enough to roll your eyes at the common ones.

This is the first game made by longtime escape room blogger/ vlogger Christine Barger and her partner. Throughout 13th Basement their experience and awareness truly shine. This was most evident in some of the unusual structural decisions that they made to both the flow of the game (which I shall not spoil)… and the way that they treat players.

They allow players to freely take selfies and shoot video, simply asking that we don’t spoil puzzles (which would be a legitimately hard to do without really trying to):

Peih-Gee Law with her head in an elaborate metal torture device. The wall behind her is blood spattered.

A satirical escape room only works if enough players “get it.” I don’t know how many regions throughout the US have a density of quality escape rooms as well as a large enough repeat player audience to pull this off, but Southern California is the most logical location for satirical escape rooms to emerge. It’s a sign of maturity that anyone can even dream about pulling this off. And while The Experiment isn’t around anymore, I like 13th Basement’s chances.

Beyond the meta analysis, 13th Basement was a really strong escape game. It had a great assortment of puzzles, and its creators leaned heavily into their strengths, using video brilliantly… while using tech more sparingly. It’s a classic example of leaning into what you’re good at to create an excellent experience.

Southern California has an abundance of fantastic escape rooms, and 13th Basement comfortably joins that list. If you’re an escape room fan in the region, check it out… and take a few selfies.

Who is this for?

Escape room fans
Dark comedy fans
Adventure seekers
Puzzle lovers
Scenery snobs
Best for players with at least some experience

Why play?

Legitimately funny, especially if you get escape room humor
Innovative gameplay and structure
The video content is fantastic
You’re free to take selfies in the game, and there are some great places to do so

Story

Abducted by a serial killer and hobbyist escape room designer, we had 60 minutes to solve his puzzles or die brutal deaths.

SAW-like escape room with dingy tiles and a toilet.

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Not Another Escape Room – Time Machine [Review]

18 February 202230 April 2022 by Matthew Stein, posted in 2022 Golden Lock, Anaheim, Not Another Escape Room, Orange County, Reviews

Escape the 2020s

Location: Brea, CA

Date Played: December 17, 2021

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

Duration: 75 minutes

Price: $40-45 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

2022 Golden Lock Award Ribbon — 2022 Golden Lock Award Winner

REA Reaction

Not Another Escape Room’s Time Machine was something special. It embodied the sort of fantastical whimsy one can concoct with a fairly low-budget set, boundless creativity, and some wonderfully impractical ideas brought to life. This game lived up to the company’s namesake and was indeed not just another escape room.

I’ll admit, my confidence in the experience wavered at the start. The time machine felt like what some children might build while playing make-believe as time travelers — a sort of tin foil-coated-cardboard-box-meets-conspiracy theorist’s lair — and it was initially unclear whether this aesthetic was an intentional choice or not.

Yet this ultimately provided effective contrast for what was to come. I was soon met with moment after moment of childlike wonder as the room continuously unfolded in unexpected ways.

Overall, I found Time Machine to be charming, clever, and quite memorable. If you’re looking for a Hollywood-level set, this may not be the game for you. But if you’re open to a unique and lovingly homemade adventure, Not Another Escape Room’s Time Machine was a delight.