The name “Isis” has been seriously ruined.
Location: New Braunfels, TX
Date played: January 7, 2017
Team size: 6-12; we recommend 2-8 (depending upon experience level)
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $25 per ticket, $20 per ticket if booking for 5 or more players
Story & setting
A renowned egyptologist had made a key discovery and was promptly abducted by individuals who wanted to keep his discovery a secret. We had an hour to piece his work back together in order to learn his discovery before those who had captured him reached his office and destroyed his work.
If the Egypt section of a children’s history museum had a baby with a Franklin Mint store, it would be Egyptian Mysteries. Made up of display cases of artifacts, a massive wall mural, and a Sphinx that was larger than the smallest escape room I’ve ever played, Egyptian Mysteries was vibrant, inviting, and academic yet playful.
Puzzles
Egyptian Mysteries was a large game that was designed for player friendliness. There were a ton of straightforward puzzles to solve. None of them were particularly challenging nor did they overstay their welcome.
This was Escape Haus’ style for their large games: Everything was eminently solvable, so long as we observed the room carefully and kept organized.
Standouts
The mural and sphinx were pretty damn cool.
The puzzling was fun and uncomplicated.
Everything was thoughtfully designed.
The Escape Haus facilities and staff were caring and friendly.
Shortcomings
Egyptian Mysteries felt a little heavy on boxes. It would have been great to see more of the game built into the set.
Similarly, a lot of the puzzles felt small and disconnected. A few more puzzle interactions involving the large set pieces would have gone a long way.
The story lacked gravity and had nearly no impact on the game.
Should I play Escape Haus’ Egyptian Mysteries?
Escape Haus was located between Austin and San Antonio, Texas. We had to go out of our way to visit them, 50 minutes in each direction from Austin. Amanda Harris (who played her 400th escape room on this trip to Texas) and I did it twice because we wanted to go back to Escape Haus for more.
Egyptian Mysteries was simple, but we left the game feeling joyful and energized. Everything from the waiting room, to their games, to the staff felt welcoming.
I am legitimately not sure how many people would make an ideal team size for Egyptian Mysteries. Amanda and I plowed through everything in approximately 40 minutes, but this wasn’t a company designed to accommodate seasoned room escapers.
It was, however, an exceptional game for newbies. On the drive back to Austin, I told Amanda, “It wasn’t hard, and I wouldn’t recommend someone fly across the country to play it… but I would be happy if that was everyone’s first game. It would be good for the industry.” New Braunfels, Texas. Who knew?
Book your hour with Escape Haus’ Egyptian Mysteries, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Full disclosure: Escape Haus comped our tickets for this game.