Category: Review

River City Escape Room  – Manhattan (Review)

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By: Johnathan Byerly

Location: Richmond, VA

Players: 2-7 (We recommend 3-4)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Theme:

To grandmothers house we go! But wait, oh no, the ground rumbles and shakes, could it be thunder? For goodness sake! For it is 1940, and the Manhattan project awaits! Not all may make it out alive, what will be your fates? A bomb is dropping and safety you must find! Before the radiation leaves you all behind…

First Impressions

River City is a long-time favorite of ours, so returning felt comfortable. All new faces, but the same comfortable waiting room and staff. Plus all the Halloween candy we could eat! We were excited to try their newest room, having played all of their previous experiences when possible.

High Points

What a beautiful experience! The set design immediately makes you feel like you’re in grandma’s home, and there are lots of set and prop details that both put you in the location and the time. Props were durable and mostly intuitive to use.

The room is almost entirely linear, but the puzzles are designed well for group work, so not a lot of people crowding around a single item in a scramble of hands and thoughts to figure out a solution. The use of locks and tech felt natural, so this isn’t a room just covered in different types of locks for no apparent reason.

There are a few clever reveals that were both tactile and pleasantly unexpected, opening up the experience as we progressed through the puzzles.

Low Points

As beautiful as the set was, it was also easily the room’s largest pain point (literally). Including multiple levels in the standard office space of about 10 ft vertical made for a lot of stooping, bending, and accidentally banging your head. As someone just over 6ft tall, it was not a comfortable experience.

Take their warning of the room being physically active seriously. If anyone in your group couldn’t navigate the average child’s play space at a fast food restaurant or arcade, they’re not going to be able to fully participate. 

There is a transition between rooms that feels outright dangerous and a few of us didn’t feel comfortable using it more than the 1 time required to move to the next space. This room really needs another 3-5 feet of vertical space for comfort and safety. Lack of lighting in the second space amplifies this sense of danger, as well as makes some of the puzzles unnecessarily difficult.

It was also felt that a number of puzzles had been removed or deactivated. Perhaps the initial test runs had proven too difficult? Sadly, the room hasn’t been reconfigured to remove these elements and you’re left feeling like you’re skipping puzzles at some points.

Although the props were spot-on for their era and purpose, it was an odd mix of some that were used and some that weren’t, and not always with the best cluing between function and decoration. At least once we “solved” a puzzle in our first interaction with a prop, not fully understanding what it did. Also, the dreaded “black light for no reason” made a return, but this time with some added physical difficulty of locating the writing.

The biggest letdown was that the final puzzle didn’t have an automated ‘win’ declaration. You feel certain you’ve done the correct thing (and don’t know what else to do), but have an easy 30 seconds of dead air while the GM rushes to the room to manually trigger the last experience. It felt wildly out-of-place for a business with a history of well-hidden and immersive tech.

Verdict

We can’t recommend this room in its current state, especially with their Alice room being right next to it and easily one of our favorites. Save this one for the completionists and go for the other experiences first.

You can book your experience by clicking here.

4.5 out of 10

Full Disclosure: We received a media discount on our ticket purchases

A-Escape  – Mystery Lodge (Review)

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By: Cassandra Smith

Location: Asheville, NC

Players: 2-6 (We recommend 2-4)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Theme:

Great Uncle Lou’s Mystery Lodge is full of all sorts of wondrous and bizarre collections! UFOs? Bigfoot? Ghosts? You name it! When a greedy businessman hatches a plot to tear down the Mystery Lodge and open a car wash, it’s up to you and your friends to solve the riddles within the Lodge and save the day! Work through cryptids, magic DVDs, and mesmerizing puzzles in this fun-filled room!

First Impressions

I’d been to A-Escape back in 2017, and had an absolute blast in their Selachi Research Lab room, long before I started reviewing rooms. Despite having a more “home-made” feel, it was a brilliant little room, with loads of interesting interactions and a mysterious vibe that stuck in my head five years later upon my return to Asheville on a couple’s retreat with my wife. I was excited to return, and I loved the idea of a room based on a cryptid “museum” of sorts. At first, we were only going to play Diner 51 (which the wonderful Johnathan Byerly reviewed here,) because there were no other time slots available, but we contacted the folks at A-Escape on a lark, hoping for a miracle, and they were more than happy to have Mystery Lodge ready for us to play as well!

High Points

The Mystery Lodge promises a wide array of cryptids and supernatural enigmas to explore, and it absolutely delivers! The decor of the room is on point, and I really loved the strange and wonderful exhibits that really seemed to take time and care to create. From jackalopes to my personal favorite, Mothman, this little lodge has it all. But what is a cute theme and well decorated room without puzzles? Luckily, this lodge is filled to the brim with them! The room was semi non linear, and despite our experience in escape rooms we found that we were given an appropriate challenge to conquer, and never felt like anything was too elementary or overly obtuse. In fact, the only hint we needed was in order to overcome our Achilles heel of finding items left out in the open. We really need a remedial class on “spotting things hidden in plain sight.” Several of the interactions in the room resulted in some interesting results, and one in particular is really well done, producing a magical result we certainly weren’t expecting! All of the puzzles in the room have some sort of way to tie the clues together, with icons or similar motifs allowing us to make connections between the plethora of clues we had at any given moment, which was a nice touch. Despite the room being full of crazy props and exhibits, there weren’t any items that stood out to us as extraneous, or as red herrings, and the game flowed very smoothly from point to point. One of the focal points of the room is the hint system, which is well delivered, and a really fun, integrated way to dole out hints without detracting from the immersion. All in all, I’m very glad we added this room on to our trip, and had an amazing time saving Great Uncle Lou’s Mystery Lodge!

Low Points

One of the items we needed in order to solve the room was broken. Luckily, it could be worked around, but it always stinks to miss out on part of the room, despite this not being 100% the fault of the business. It would probably be a good idea, however, to have some duplicate props on hand for future unfortunate events. Some parts of the room felt a little worn, and despite the theme, this wasn’t the kind of worn that looks as excellent in an escape game. There is one particular part of the room that looks really cool, keeping something truly mysterious under lock and key, but feels like a missed opportunity once it is revealed. It’s not all that bad by any stretch, but we were really hoping for more.

Verdict

We had an awesome time in what is now my favorite room at A-Escape! I loved the theming and the inclusion of loads of interesting cryptid and supernatural exhibits housed within the Mystery Lodge, not to mention the slate of excellent puzzles to solve. I absolutely recommend checking this one out, and you can book your time in the Lodge here!

8 out of 10 (Great)

Webscapade – Season 0: Welcome to Argenia! (Review)

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Location: Your Home!

Players:  We recommend 1-4

Price: $25 per team

Theme:

From Webscapade website:

You receive a strange letter from your Uncle Rory asking for your help. But what starts out as a simple task for a quick payday suddenly turns into a mission filled with danger and intrigue. Can you foil the plot and save the day before it’s too late? Will you be the hero that Argenia longs for? Can this be yet another rhetorical question?

IMage

High Points:

I had a LOT of fun with this game. It felt very much like an escape room, but within the constraints of an online, self led experience. It required having a lot of tabs up, but they were set up similarly to an Unlock! game, so it wasn’t much of an issue, and the game specifically denotes when a tab can be removed, ensuring that you’re never overloaded with useless information. There was a beautiful variety of puzzles, and I really enjoyed how well designed the game flow and individual interactions were. I also thought how Webscapade approached searching the rooms was well done, even though it is a smaller part of the experience. Each stage of the game is a big puzzle, with various pieces sprinkled about, and I absolutely adored how so many clues led to fantastic ah ha moments! This was an involved, multi-level challenge, excellent for a intermediate or expert solver, but hints were always available, so new players will also have a great time working through the mysteries of Argenia. I solved this one solo, and it was a great time, but Webscapade includes ways for multiple players to tackle this one together, and they all seem to work reasonably well. As a heads up, my particular style of solving required me to copy, paste, and print a few things, which isn’t necessary for some, but definitely was in my case.

Low Points:

One particular puzzle required an answer to be highly specific, and even though other answers were still correct, they did not work. This led to a few “wrong” answers and frustrations that slowed the game down to a halt. Luckily, the creator was very open to changing the entry to allow for variations of the correct answer. Another puzzle involved some symbols, and a couple were very similar when implemented the way the game required, making it a little more difficult to ascertain what was happening.

Verdict:

Webscapade’s initial entry into their intended series of Argenian adventures is amazing, and their interesting methods of cluing, as well as an exciting story and intriguing scoring system make for a brilliant time! I highly recommend giving this one a shot asap. Plan your trip to Argenia here!

9/10 (Excellent)

Full Disclosure: Webscapade provided a complementary play.

The Deadbolt Mystery Society – Conspiracy (Review)

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Location: Your Home!

Players:  We recommend 1-4

Price: $24.99 per box, plus $4.99 shipping

Theme:

From The Deadbolt Mystery Society website:

A hidden message in The Valley Falls Observer leads to the conclusion that all is not what it seems. Is the message simply the result of a typo, a practical joke, or mere coincidence? Or is there a deeper conspiracy working behind the scenes of Valley Falls?

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High Points:

Conspiracy was one of those experiences that starts off very strong, and keeps that energy all the way to the finish line! The introduction to the game featured a fantastic, non-linear puzzling prop that some other companies would provide as the entire game, but for Deadbolt, this is only the beginning! I really loved that this prop is provided twice in duplicate so that multiple players can peruse and solve, while also allowing players to avoid the flipping back and forth that plagues this sort of interaction. This was easily my favorite part of the game, and fit into the “conspiracy” theme so beautifully. Honestly, this stage of the game is one of the best openings, mechanically and puzzle-wise, that I have seen in an at home game of this style! Once this part of the game is complete, there is still so much to do! Conspiracy is packed with enigmas, and will keep most players busy for a couple hours, if not more, and while each level of the game is self contained, they are non-linear and give a lot of room to work without choke points if players become stuck at any point. The ah ha moments are plentiful, and I feel that the entire experience is fully intuitive, with well designed bread crumbs available to lead detectives towards each satisfying solve. While the game is almost entirely paper based, it is polished and beautifully designed, including excellent online components while eschewing extraneous props. The story lives up to the promise of the theme as well, providing a myriad of setting and suspects to work through while trying to figure out what is really going on! You are never really sure what’s real or not, and once you’re sure you’ve figured out the reason behind it all, the game throws you for a loop, turning everything you thought you knew on its head! This, combined with fantastic integration into Valley Falls, with callbacks and references to real world conspiracies, makes Conspiracy an instant classic in our book!

Low Points:

There were a few puzzle types we weren’t thrilled with, generally banal interactions, but these were easily overshadowed and quickly over, so it wasn’t the worst offender. Otherwise, this was a pretty fantastic box!

Verdict:

Conspiracy is a great mystery that weaves some brilliant puzzling together with a twisty, turn-y story that will keep players on their toes! Including an intermediate level of difficulty that will challenge veteran and novice players, this box is a great choice for anyone interested in puzzling their way through a mystery. Join the Deadbolt Mystery Society here! Right now, you can get 30% off your first box with the Promo Code ESCAPE30! You can also see the rest of our Deadbolt Mystery Society reviews here!

9/10 (Excellent)

Full Disclosure: The Deadbolt Mystery Society provided a complementary box.

Sultans of Solve – The Clock Winder (Review)

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Location: Your Home!

Players:  We recommend 1-4

Price: $39

Theme:

From the Sultans of Solve website:

The clock is ticking and The Clock Winder has promised to murder 7 victims. Can you stop his evil game before it is too late?

Solve puzzles, decode messages, figure out riddles. Put the pieces together to find the fiend who is murdering in Oaks Hollow as part of some sick game. Requires an internet connection, something to scan QR codes, and pen and paper. An online, progressive hint system is available in case you get stuck. This game is single play and intended for teens and adults.

High Points:

The Clock Winder is the first puzzle box from Sultans of Solve, and presents a great, introductory experience for new players. The box itself is filled with a large amount of varied puzzles, perfect for a small group or a solo puzzler that’s looking for a fun couple of hours. In terms of puzzle types, I’d say The Clock Winder collects many of the usual tropes from these sorts of subscriptions, and puts them together to form a fun and intuitive experience that would be amazing for anyone looking to get into the hobby! The experience is linear, allowing the story to develop at the intended pace, and ensures that things remain focused on the task at hand, making this a perfect choice for those who enjoy a more guided experience. The puzzles are still a fun challenge, however, and become increasingly complex as the mystery progresses. Story-wise, we liked how each step marked progression with new story bits and settings, and the search for The Clock Winder themself felt exciting and “in the moment,” rather than passive. I loved how the conclusion set up further stories while still presenting players with a satisfying conclusion, as well as a cute little souvenir! The whole experience is made up of paper based puzzles, and is easy to reset for other players if you’re careful. Though presented through a series of envelopes and paper clues, the experience was not lessened for the presentation. One favorite puzzle included pop culture references, and a highly original solve that was incredibly entertaining to piece together. There were also a few tactile interactions that we always have a great time with.

Low Points:

One late stage puzzle was interesting, but vague. The intended items were difficult to read, and though we knew what we needed to do with them, it was made unintentionally more frustrating than it should have been. Overall, this adventure is on the simpler side, and includes several basic style puzzles that will be great for new players, but might not excite veteran solvers quite as much. A few puzzles include searching for outside knowledge, which isn’t our cup of tea, but is overall fine for an at home, self guided experience. There was a particular inclusion at the end that felt a little out of place, with a somewhat crude joke that might not be for everyone.

Verdict:

The Clock Winder is a great starter box, and a fun first entry into the Sultans of Solve line. I definitely look forward to seeing how they evolve, and where the story might go next! I absolutely recommend this box to new players and veteran solvers who’d like to introduce friends to their hobby, as it is very accessible and does an excellent job of introducing the type of puzzles these subscription boxes are known for. Start your investigation into The Clock Winder here!

7/10 (Good)

Full Disclosure: Sultans of Solve provided a complementary box.