Asian Fusion
Location: Orlando, FL
Date Played: November 17, 2019
Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $32 per player
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Escape Artist’s NINJA was a bit of a roller coaster. Some portions were attractive, engaging, and funny. Others were finicky, underdeveloped, and tedious. It could change from one moment to the next.
Overall, it was pleasant to experience an atypical escape room scenario, but the great parts left us really wishing that everything was more cleanly executed.
If you’re in the area and are looking for a mixture of puzzles, pop culture references, and an assortment of pan-Asian concepts, NINJA is anything but expected.
Who is this for?
- Nerds – so many references – so many
- Puzzle lovers
- Players with at least some experience
- Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle
Why play?
- It’s really different in look and play
- Some of the set pieces are beautiful
- The references were as outlandish as they were funny
Story
An evil ninja had been hired to assassinate and sabotage our town. We needed to defeat this ninja and bring proof of our victory to our Shogun.
Setting
NINJA had a mostly Japanese – and occasionally pan-Asian – aesthetic. The Japanese architecture and faux cherry blossoms were quite striking.
Every room of NINJA was loaded with nerdy sight gags, some subtle, some overt. These were the highlight of the game for half of our team.
Over the course of the game, it became clear that the set design was incredibly uneven with some sections clearly receiving a lot of love and investment. Other sections felt like an afterthought.
Gameplay
Escape Artists’ NINJA was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and puzzling.
Analysis
➕ NINJA was goofy. It pulled from all different “ninja” associations, creating an amalgamation of loosely associated themes. The tone was lighthearted and some of the props were especially amusing to read or interact with.
➖ Some of these NINJA associations seemed only vaguely relevant. It was almost as if anything Asian was also somehow “ninja.”
➕ There was a lot of puzzle content, in different styles, which we enjoyed.
➖ Some of the more traditional escape room-style puzzles lacked clarity. There were opportunities to refine the cluing, which was at times ambiguous.
➕ NINJA shined in its physical interactions. We tackled many unusual dexterity challenges. We enjoyed being the ninjas – shooting, punching, tossing, and throwing our way to puzzle solves.
➖ The engineering in NINJA was sloppy. The tolerances on the tech were too tight, which made everything feel finicky. We frequently solved puzzles correctly, but did not receive feedback from the solve.
➕/➖ Parts of the set looked great. In these places, Escape Artists minded the details and added finish. Parts of the set looked hacked together, messy, and unrefined. Even in the low lighting, we could see the seams.
➖ The last gamespace felt especially underdesigned, as if Escape Artists had run out of time or budget.
➕ Escape Artists crafted some most excellent doors within NINJA. We’re always fans of unusual doors; we greatly enjoyed this reveal.
➕ There was one written passage that when read out loud made our jaws drop… before the laughter set in.
Tips For Visiting
- There is street parking nearby.
- NINJA is located at Escape Artists’ Orlando location, not their Sanford location.
- Be advised that NINJA takes place in low light.
Book your hour with Escape Artists’ NINJA, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Escape Artists comped our tickets for this game.
