Category: Mount Pleasant, SC

Elite Escape Games – Area 51 (Review)

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Location: Mount Pleasant, SC

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 4-6)

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Beam us up!

Theme:

You’ve somehow managed to make your way into the highly classified Air Force base called Area 51 in search of the Truth you’ve heard is out there. Entering the bio-labs, the pneumatic door seals behind you and you’ve become trapped! Find out what secrets lie inside this shadowy facility and get out with the prize before the Men in Black return to wipe your memory with the flashy thing!

First Impressions:

Elite Escape Games is one of my absolute favorite businesses period. They have some of the best sets, highly original puzzles, and most innovative gameplay that I’ve ever seen, and with each new room, they continue to improve! Their staff is always top notch as well, and provide an amazing experience from start to finish. When I saw that their Area 51 room that I’d been anticipating for over a year was finally opening, I immediately began making plans to visit!

High Points:

When I am anticipating a room as much as I was this room, usually I find that I am let down in some way. This was absolutely not the case here. Area 51 is easily my new favorite in Charleston, eclipsing my previous number one, Undead Outbreak, which is saying something! The game is set up in a completely non-linear fashion, with successive levels of the facility to overcome, ensuring that even a larger group will have plenty to work on and explore. This was probably the first time I’d ever experienced a game that gave the group complete freedom to work on whatever they want from the beginning of the escape. Puzzles were very tactile and delivered highly satisfying feedback once they had been completed, and each clue was intuitive, providing extremely gratifying ah-ha moments throughout. Every time we moved to a new level of the room, I would spot new puzzles that instantly caught my eye and imagination, continually renewing my excitement to solve the next enigmas! Set design was perfect, and immersed us immediately, and each successive area was more exciting than the last! Elite Escape Games used a top of the line 3D printer to create custom props for this experience, and it truly allowed the room shine beyond any others I’d experienced in Charleston so far. The tactile nature of the room was a delight, and props included in each level of the adventure helped track our progress in a simple, but incredibly enjoyable way! The best part, however, is that Area 51 was my 153rd room, but it perfectly captured the absolute wonder and joy that accompanied my first escape room experience. Any escape room veteran can tell you that is no small feat, and I commend the crew at Elite for putting together such an awesome game! Special thanks to my girlfriend for putting up with the fact that I was physically unable to shut up about how crazy good this game was for days after.

Low Points:

After we had completed the game, we talked a while with the manager, Dan, and went over what we thought of the room. After running through the game a few times physically and in my head, I literally could not think of a moment that I did not enjoy during this adventure! Believe me, I tried to come up with some constructive feedback, but no matter what, I could not come up with any at all. For us, this experience was flawless!

Verdict:

Area 51 is the crown jewel of Elite Escape Games, truly a culmination of the best parts of their previous games. A challenging room without being obtuse, I cannot recommend this room enough! If you have time for one room in Charleston, absolutely make it this one. You can book your time in Area 51 here! Do it now!

10/10 (Phenomenal)

Full Disclosure: Elite Escape Games provided Media Discounted tickets for our game.

Elite Escape Games – Derailed (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 2 Comments

Location: Mount Pleasant, SC

Players: 2-8 (We recommend 5-6)

Price: $30 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Going off the rails on a Crazy Train!

Theme:

A typical subway ride has gone completely haywire, as the train is careening completely out of control! You have one hour before you reach the end of the line, and to make matters worse, there is a bomb hidden somewhere on board! Work together with your fellow commuters to defuse the bomb and stop the train or being late for work will be the least of your worries!

First Impressions:

We had been previously shown Derailed as a work in progress room during our last trip to Elite Escape Games, and it was an idea that we were very interested in seeing implemented. The promise of a room that functions like a real train car by using hydraulics and video seemed like an immersive and fun challenge. Upon our return to Charleston, this was the room that we were most excited to try!

High Points:

The promise of immersion that we had been given was delivered upon 100%! From the moment we entered our respective cares and the train started up, the outside world was gone. Hydraulic bumps and turns combined with seeing the outside world fly by from the front of the train, creating a unique escape room experience. Puzzles fit the theme and allowed for a good bit of tactile solving and team based brainstorming, leading to many ah ha moments. Interactions also felt very responsive, with touches here and there to make the room feel even more authentic. The climax delivers a great ending, making the players feel like they’ve saved the train, as well as being appropriate to the story.

Low Points:

The splitting of the teams was an interesting idea, and worked alright, but it was disappointing for those in my car because, as is usually the case, one car had much cooler puzzles than the other initially. There did not seem to be as much for our car to do, and some of my favorite puzzle types were locked away on the other side. Fortunately, we were able to link up soon, and combine our efforts again. There were a couple of small logical leaps, but they weren’t too egregious.

Verdict:

Derailed is another great experience from Elite Escape Games, with a fully immersive set and fantastic puzzle design. The movement of the room, great flow, and excellent technology and interactions make this the perfect choice for beginners and newcomers alike. Book your time on the runaway train here!

Full Disclosure: Epic Escape Games provided Media Discounted tickets for our game.

8.5/10 (Great)

Elite (Formerly ‘Epic’) Escape Games – Meltdown (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 1 Comment

Location: Mount Pleasant, SC

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 4-5)

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

“Why is there smoke coming out of it!?!”

Theme:

The nuclear power plant’s systems have malfunctioned, and it’s up to your team of engineers to stop the meltdown! Systems failure is rapidly approaching, and the reactor will hit critical levels in an hour unless you’re able to enter the manual override in time! The only problem is the many locks and puzzles in the way…

First Impressions:

The room was well themed, with button and keypad overload at points, adding to the high tech feel of the room. The reactor itself ominously glowed from behind a door, and spurred us toward action. Our timer began counting up to critical mass, and the race against the clock began!

High Points:

Elite continued to include very tactile and original interactions in Meltdown. Engaging props and bits of technology helped immerse us in the scientific feel of the room, and allowed for many different interactions we’d not seen before. The room at first felt very sparse, but as we solved puzzles, more and more of it opened up, sometimes in really surprising ways. Every part of the room is used, and seemingly innocuous parts end up playing a role throughout the game, leading to some great a-ha moments! The ongoing feedback from the intercom, as well as the reactor itself, keeps the sense of urgency and immersion up throughout the game.

Low Points:

Unfortunately, there are many similar code entries throughout the game, leading to a lot of trial and error entering of codes. At the very least, these entries do not lock out, so frustration on that part is low. Our team was a mixed bag of experienced and new players, and the new players were very much lost during more technological interactions, so the barrier to entry here feels higher than usual. One device for input was used twice in quick succession, but this was not made very clear in game, leading to a bit more fumbling about than felt necessary. One particular puzzle felt a little out of place due to its presentation, but plays a very minor part.

Verdict:

Meltdown is an enjoyable game, even with a few issues holding it back. It was a bit of overload for our new players, so I would suggest playing a couple of rooms before trying this one out, (especially the excellent Undead Outbreak game also at Elite!) but I think enthusiasts might have a better grasp on how the game itself works. Even though it feels as though there is a slight barrier to entry, Meltdown is a solid game, and I definitely recommend trying it out here!

Full Disclosure: Elite Escape Games provided Media Discounted tickets for our game.

7.5/10 (Good)

Elite (Formerly ‘Epic’) Escape Games – Undead Outbreak (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 5 Comments

Location: Mount Pleasant, SC

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 4)

Price: $28 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

The first rule of Zombieland is Cardio.

Theme:

You’ve been running from a horde of zombies for a while, and before they catch up to you, you see an abandoned cabin in the distance! You fight your way there and are able to take a breather for maybe an hour before the horde gets in. Luckily, it seems that someone who was here previously was working on a cure! If you’re able to piece together the clues this ill-fated survivor left, you might just be able to save the world and get out alive!

First Impressions:

Elite Escape Games has a fantastic lobby and a very personable and engaging staff, along with one of the most excellent post-game photo backdrops I’ve seen. Rather than using only the company logo on a blank wall like many others, they’ve worked into the mural every theme that they will have at their location. You can see it in all of its glory above! Customer service here is also a cut above, which is always a plus. (As a side note, if you’re lucky, little Bo man might be there. He is the owners dog, and is enormously cute.)

High Points:

Stepping into the room was fantastic. A beautifully dilapidated, run down cabin was filled with incredibly interesting props and puzzles to play with. As an added bonus, we could see and hear the zombies outside the boarded-up windows, spurring us into action. One of the best implementations of an escape room standby was installed on the ceiling, and was a lot of fun to work with. Several puzzles were very original, and required some entertaining physical interactions. The overarching puzzle was a great surprise and provided excellent feedback on our progress. Each new find was more surprising than the last, building the story one exciting step at a time as what first seemed like a simple zombie escape became something entirely more complex.

Low Points:

There were only a couple issues I found with this room, one regarding an unclued, fairly unintuitive input on one lock, and the other being a fairly small crawlspace that, though our group of 2 had no problems with, may present difficulties for handicapped or larger players.

Verdict:

Undead Outbreak has it all, great puzzles, immersive set, surprising and engaging story, and enjoyable interactions throughout. It is by far one of my favorite rooms, and has me excited to return to Charleston for their upcoming rooms! You can book your race for the cure here!

Full Disclosure: Elite Escape Games provided Media Discounted tickets for our game.

9.5/10 (Excellent)