Category: Wake Forest, NC

Wake Escape – Tornado Alley (Review)

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Location: Wake Forest, NC

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 2-8)

Price: $24 Mon-Thurs $26 Fri-Sun per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

This is an Alert from the National Weather Service

Theme:

From the Wake Escape website:

You and your friends are enjoying a quiet evening when suddenly, the skies grow dark and thunder begins to rumble. The weather broadcast predicts a tornado is heading for your area. Heading down to the basement, you find yourselves trapped! Luckily for you, the basement is rumored to house a hidden speakeasy with a secret exit built in by the owner, Sonny Schnapps. Is it all just a rumor or is there really a second exit?

First Impressions:

Our return to Wake Escape was triggered by my bachelor party. I needed a local place to travel with my groomsmen, friends, and Best Lady, and an escape room was definitely one of the spots we had to visit. I had enjoyed my last visit, but wasn’t able to make it back yet for their newest disaster themed room, so what better excuse to check it out? I was definitely not disappointed.

High Points:

Tornado Alley is one of those rare rooms where, due to this being my bachelor party, we brought the maximum number of players for the room. I had some reservations regarding this, but Tornado Alley’s non-linear gameplay and dense amount of puzzles rose to the challenge of keeping us all entertained. At no point during our game was anyone bored or casting about for something to do, which is quite the feat! There was also an excellent mix of puzzle types, with something to cater to every skill set and experience level of our group. 3 newer players and 5 enthusiasts banded together to take this one on, and every one of us left satisfied with the experience, all having contributed to our ultimate success!

The theme itself is highly original, mixing a disaster theme with a hidden speakeasy excellently. The transition from one part of the game to the next was convincing and thematically appropriate, and the room twisted around on itself in unexpected and entertaining ways. Props were thematically appropriate for both stages of the game, with the basement level containing the tchotchkes and storage containers you’d expect to see, while also promoting an air of mystery about the hidden speakeasy that awaited us. The speakeasy itself was a lot of fun as well, and props also shifted to establish the new theme. The game flow was extremely smooth, with very few lulls in the action, and branching puzzle paths that led to fantastic reveals and an ultimately engaging escape.

Low Points:

One puzzle malfunctioned, leaving us wondering what had happened after it was solved. Unfortunately, this puzzle would’ve had a really cool payoff, but it was a technical issue that cropped up while we were playing, so it was just bad luck that I’m sure has been cleared up since. There were a couple basic tier puzzles that do little to excite, but were a small part of the rather packed puzzling experience, so it’s a minor nitpick. The set design is minimalist, but gets the job done and fits the theme well enough that you don’t feel like you’re in a bare room.

Verdict:

Our previous visit to this business was fun, but Tornado Alley ups the game with even better puzzles and a fantastic game flow. Thank you to Wake Escape for getting my bachelor party started with a bang! I definitely recommend checking this room out for players of all experience levels, and can also recommend any group size for the first time! You can book your search for the speakeasy here!

8/10 (Great)

Wake Escape – Exit Protocol (Review)

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Location: Wake Forest, NC

Players:  2-8 (We recommend 4)

Price: $26 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

This room will self-destruct in 60 minutes.

Theme:

Your CIA safehouse has been compromised, and you have one hour to collect the sensitive information and shut down the secondary security protocols before they set off the self-destruct sequence!

First Impressions:

The room itself has some original set pieces and decorations that make the office room much more eye-catching. It was clear that there were many puzzles to solve based on the decorations around, and during our briefing, we were already looking around wondering what could be important. The story was fairly simple, and the room felt like more of a puzzle room than a storyline heavy experience, but that’s not always a bad thing.

High Points:

There are some really neat interactions that would seem out of place elsewhere, but make perfect sense when applying escape room logic to the problem. I enjoyed these, as they were fairly surprising and added a hint of mystery to the experience. The room itself was non-linear but each puzzles flowed directly into the next. Custom made props helped make puzzles fit more immersively, and added to the overall theme.  A nice blend of traditional locks and technological interactions was appreciated, as some otherwise banal props became extraordinary, fitting the spy theme well.

Low Points:

The initial room is just big enough for eight players, but I feel like it’d be a fairly cramped experience at maximum. Two puzzles required outside knowledge, though when commented on, the owner expressed that he was considering adding in clues to eliminate that issue. One interaction was fairly simple to determine, but the prop itself was finicky and required a staff member to enter the room and fix the problem, which was appreciated as it was fixed quickly, but it stalled the immersion. Some puzzles felt very out of place, as they did not fit the spy theme at all, and some clues in the room were unclear. One interaction was physical and we weren’t sure if we were supposed to open it in this way, but it turns out we weren’t cheating and that was truly the solution.

Verdict:

Exit Protocol is a good first room for the Wake Forest area, and while some experience with escape rooms will help, it feels very approachable for beginners as well. A few adjustments could take it from good to great, but it is a solid and competently built experience overall. Wake Escape itself is a fairly large business, so I’m looking forward to seeing more rooms from them. Book your exit here!

7/10 (Good)