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This is our 9th report on the US escape room industry… which (spoiler!) is in a good place.
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Saint Angelo’s Castle requires players to wear costumes… Is it good enough to pull it off? Location: Queens, New York Date played: September 12, 2015 Team size: 3-5; we recommend 3-4 Price: $30 per ticket Long Island City? For those who don’t know New York, Long Island City is nowhere near Long Island. It’s in Queens, just across the…
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A head-to-head competitive escape room that feels a lot like the video game “The Room.” Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Date played: September 5, 2015 Team size: up to 10 (5 versus 5); we recommend 4 or 6, definitely an even number Price: $28 per ticket Theme & story The setup for this game is a little out-there:…
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Update 7/4/23: If you enjoy 5 Wits we hope you’ll check out our interview with CEO Matthew DuPlessie on The Reality Escape Pod. Location: Syracuse, New York Date played: August 31, 2015 Team size: 2-15; we recommend 4-6 Duration: 30 minutes Price: $17.99 per ticket for one adventure, discounted if you play multiple adventures Theme & story “After no contact…
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“Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement.” Creativity and genius on display From the highly practical, to the completely inane, Maker Faire brings together all manner of talented people who make stuff… It’s everything from robotics, to 3D…
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[At the time of this review, The Crux Escape Rooms was called The Hour.] Yarrr… [insert generic pirate cliché]. Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Date played: August 30, 2015 Team size: up to 6; we recommend 3-5 Price: 20 CAD Theme & story Mutiny at the Hour was beautifully constructed to look and feel like the different areas of a pirate ship.…
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There were less than three minutes left in Mission Escape Game’s Nemesis when we unlocked a cabinet that revealed a jewelry box labeled “For Lisa”. I knew it couldn’t be a ring; David isn’t that predictable… But there wasn’t any time to think about that box, or even open it. We had to restore power…
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Escaping the post-drunken geekfest is a serious challenge. Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Date played: September 5, 2015 Team size: up to 6; we recommend 3-5 Price: $28 per ticket Story & theme After a wild night, you and your friends wake up hungover in a hotel room. You deduce that you must be in a seedy part of…
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[At the time of this review, The Crux Escape Rooms was called The Hour.] No one acknowledges that the punishment for escaping jail is generally worse than being in jail. Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Date played: August 30, 2015 Team size: up to 6; we recommend 3-4 Price: 20 CAD Theme & story You are wrongfully accused of a crime and…
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[Formerly known as Monkey Mayhem] An abstract, tongue-in-cheek game that packs humor and challenge. Brace yourself for the primate apocalypse! Location: New York, New York Date played: August 28, 2015 Team size: 4-10; we recommend 6-8 Price: $29 per ticket Theme and story Ten monkeys have escaped from the Central Park Zoo, and they are destroying Manhattan! You are the…
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Update 7/4/23: If you enjoy 5 Wits we hope you’ll check out our interview with CEO Matthew DuPlessie on The Reality Escape Pod. From start to finish, this is 5 Wits’ best creation. Location: Syracuse, New York Date played: August 31, 2015 Team size: 2-15; we recommend 4-6 Duration: 30 minutes Price: $17.99 per ticket for one adventure, discounted if…
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Location: Montclair, New Jersey Date played: August 27, 2015 Team size: 2-6; we recommend 4-6 Price: $30 per ticket Theme & story You’ve been poisoned by a mad scientist and you have one hour to find The Remedy. This game was in the style of Adventure Room’s The Swiss Original, but with a few enhancements. Most notably, it added a loose,…
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You’re building a room escape and you want future players to give you some up-front cash. Kickstarter may be a viable option, but you’re going to have to work for it. Many of these fail. 1. You’re not in a major metropolitan area If you aren’t located in a major metropolitan area, then you’re off…
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[At the time of this review, Last Minute Escape was called Exit Strategy.] With a new location, Exit Strategy’s sophomore effort is a massive improvement that isn’t without its faults. Location: Wayne, New Jersey Date played: August 22, 2015 Team size: up to 8; we recommend 6-8 Price: different weekday and weekend pricing structures Theme & story Within this speakeasy you…
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The best parts of this game are the parts I can’t write about. Location: New York, New York Date played: August 18, 2015 Team size: 6-12; we recommend 9-12 Price: weekday $33 per ticket, weekend $38 per ticket Theme & story You’re attempting to escape a prison that is also holding a famed serial killer. The set design is strong; it feels…
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My least favorite escape room cliche is when you tell someone about room escapes and they respond: “Umm… that sounds like Saw…” … With a shit-eating grin, clearly believing they are the most original, and snarkiest of conversation partners, and no one else in the world was clever enough to think up that gem.
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In an puzzle room that shall remain nameless, my team burned an incredible amount of time on a lock that none of us had ever seen before (which is a remarkable feat). The crook who stole our time was was the “Pacsafe Prosafe 750 TSA Accepted Key-Card Lock.” After asking folks in the escape room…
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A debonair room that should enjoy a shot of moonshine, and loosen up a bit. Location: New York, New York Date played: August 13, 2015 Team size: 2-10; we recommend 4-8 Price: $29 per ticket Theme & story You are visiting a speakeasy and the police are on their way. Quick – make your exit through the back door. This is…
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Location: Boston, Massachusetts Date played: August 9, 2015 Team size: up to 10; we recommend 7-9. It’s nice to have an odd number. Price: $28 per ticket Theme & story You and your friends wake up in a jail cell after a crazy night out in Boston. You think that you’ve been arrested, but soon discover that it’s not the…
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Scenario Your team rushes into the room and the organized chaos of a thorough room turn-down ensues. A few team members solve early puzzles easily; they’re off and running. One or two people start delegating (“hey word puzzle guy, you take this one!”). Others find puzzles that seem interesting and they dig in. After a…
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A nonsensical story, a tricky lock, and some meh puzzles wrapped in camouflage. Location: West Nyack, New York Date played: August 1, 2015 Team size: not specified; we recommend 3-4 Price: $20 per ticket for teams of 1-5, $18 per ticket for teams of over 6 Theme & Story The story behind this game went something like: “General Patton has…
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Buckle up sports fans; this is a rough one. Location: West Nyack, New York Date played: August 1, 2015 Team size: not specified; we recommend 4-6 Price: $20 per ticket for teams of 1-5, $18 per ticket for teams of over 6 Volume of Games This company rents a large chunk of real estate in West Nyack, New York’s Palisades…
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1. What a room escape is If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, you should start by checking out our “What is a room escape” post. It should answer all of your questions… and probably a few you didn’t think to ask. 2. They’re usually hard… You’ll probably lose Most of these games are really challenging.…
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What’s an escape room? Find an escape game near you Regional Recommendations Guides 15 things to know before playing an escape room Tips for players Tips for designers & owners Holiday Gift Guide For your convenience, here is a unique selection of gifts for the escape room players and other nerds in your life (or…
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Room escapes have made their way into reality television… That didn’t take long. Chris M. Dickson of Exit Games UK summed up the show succinctly: “Two teams of three strangers compete to escape identical rooms; the first team to escape within 60 minutes wins a cash prize. Escape within 20 minutes and win $25,000; take…
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