Category: Winston-Salem, NC

Total Escape – Yacht Heist (Review)

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Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Price: $30 per person

Players: 2-10 (We recommend 4-6)

Time to Escape: 60 Minutes

Steal from the ultra rich and give to the poor. The poor being us.

Theme:

Your team owes a loan shark a lot of money, and in order to raise it in time, you look to your only skill set, thievery! You’ve identified a swanky yacht and have the inside scoop on a couple million dollars worth of crowns and coins hidden inside. You need to collect at least a million to get keep the knee breakers at bay, but anything beyond that will definitely make for a good nest egg! You’ve only got an hour, so get in, get the loot, and get out before the cops arrive!

First Impressions:

A few months ago, we’d tried out Total Escape’s two previous escape rooms, Temple of Tikal and Prison Break, which we had an amazing time escaping from. We just barely missed the opening of Yacht Heist the last time we came out, and couldn’t wait to return, as when they gave us a sneak peek of the build, we were absolutely floored at how awesome it already looked! To cap off our Charlotte area road trip, we visited on our way back home, and I can easily say that it was an awesome way to end our 11 room run!

High Points:

The finished set of Yacht Heist is absolutely beautiful, with an ever expanding, wonderfully spacious set of rooms that were filled to the brim with astoundingly good props, puzzles, and technical effects. Matching the great set is the excellent premise, which tasks players with stealing as much loot as they can within an hour, rather than simply escaping. One of my favorite introductions for any escape room is breaking in, rather than out, and the initial stages of the game have players doing just that, ensuring they feel like the master thieves the theme promises. As puzzles are solved and the money total ramps up, the sense of accomplishment and immersion into our roles was enormously satisfying. This room truly lived up to the hype I’d built up in my mind, and then some. We were told roughly how much loot was in the yacht from the start, and the way progression was marked was beautiful, giving us a tactile way to log our spoils, while at the same time ensuring we knew exactly where we were within the flow of the room itself. As far as the set, thematic design, and overall game mechanics go, this room was executed beautifully.

Puzzles did not disappoint either, with a non-linear run of interactions that kept our group fully engaged from start to finish. The multiple threads weave through the game fantastically, and branch off of the main path with what could be described as fun side missions as we investigated suspicious areas of the yacht and uncovered new and exciting items and loot! (and bottled water once, which was greatly appreciated.) Many of these interactions were housed within some fantastic tech, which were seamlessly implemented within the luxurious floating puzzle room and I don’t remember coming across a single basic lock! The difficulty curve works wonderfully, and delivers some easy wins on the way to some deviously clever puzzling. The gamut of challenges was also astoundingly varied, with something to appeal to all types of solvers! Our team split up and came together for various puzzles multiple times, finding conundrums that played to each of our strengths, and at no point did anyone experience any time standing around. By the time we triggered the climax of the room, we were jazzed at having solved this densely packed room, and amazed at what was certainly one of the best rooms in NC.

Low Points:

There is quite a bit to find within the titular yacht, but some of it boils down to aimless searching. As completionists, we wanted to make sure we found everything, and we did, but some of the more well hidden items were unclued. It would’ve been more interesting to have a clue or puzzle to point towards these, especially one hidden stash that seemed like it was in a place we were told would hold no secrets. This was really the only point where we hit a snag in the game flow, and luckily, we aren’t averse to taking hints when we need them, so it didn’t become overly frustrating. There is one piece of outside knowledge that wasn’t an issue for us, but the younger crowd might not know what’s being referenced.

Verdict:

Yacht Heist is my absolute favorite room at Total Escape, and that’s certainly saying something, as all of their rooms have been beautiful, top notch puzzling experiences. This business is absolutely one of those to keep an eye on, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Their rooms have evolved by leaps and bounds each time, and I highly recommend checking this, or any of their others out, as they’re some of the best around. Book your yacht heist here!

9.5/10 (Excellent)

Full disclosure: Total Escape provided media discounted tickets for our group.

Total Escape – Temple of Tikal (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 1 Comment

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Price: $30 per person

Players: 2-10 (We recommend 4-6)

Time to Escape: 60 Minutes

It (still!) belongs in a museum!

Theme:

The Temple of Tikal is a legendary Mayan temple, rumored to house an ancient and incredibly valuable treasure, hidden away by the Jaguar King behind a series of traps and puzzles designed to only give way to those who are worthy of possessing his most prized treasure. You and your friends have found a way into the temple, and have one hour before the temple’s mechanisms seal again, leaving you trapped inside! Work quickly, and become the true heir to the Jaguar King’s riches!

First Impressions:

Prison Break was Total Escape’s first escape room, and it was a great experience, taking a fairly common trope and executing it better than most other escape rooms have. Before our venture into the Temple of Tikal, we spoke with one of Total Escape’s owners, and she gave us a sneak peak of the then upcoming Yacht Heist, which was a huge, and incredibly sleek looking room. All of this had us jazzed to see what the designers had cooked up for the Temple!

We were also impressed that Total Escape added in subtitles to their intro video, which is a small touch, but very much appreciated.

High Points:

Temple of Tikal began with our fantastic game master giving us our back story and challenging us to begin our game by opening us the Temple itself with somewhat of a pre game challenge. I always enjoy when escapes begin “outside” the room itself, and this was an unexpectedly cool way to start off our game. Once we’d pieced together this appetizer puzzle, the Temple was ours to explore! The experience remains highly non-linear almost throughout, with capstone puzzles measuring progress splendidly, and providing intuitive solves to ensure that all players remain involved with solves and there aren’t many choke points to stymie progress. The game flow works extremely well, and many solves provide great moments of revelation and satisfying pay offs. This may be one of the most hands on rooms we’ve done lately as the set is absolutely littered with large scale puzzles and interactions, displaying some amazing and tactile set pieces to puzzle around with your team. This focus on large scale, teamwork based puzzling is a constant theme throughout the adventure, and there was something for everyone to work on for almost the entire game.

Technology in the game is incredibly responsive, and players always know when a solution has been accepted, as many times when a correct answer has been input, there’s instant feedback. This feedback takes inspiration from great adventure games, and we were wowed many times by the exciting moments our actions triggered. This was one of the few games in which I felt as though I was in the middle of one of the great puzzle moments during a Tomb Raider game. The intuitive nature of the game ensured that even during the more challenging parts of the room, we were never left to cast about wondering what came next, and the high energy journey through the Temple remained engaging through it’s appropriately exciting climax. Like Prison Break, the absence of a game timer really elevated the experience, ensuring that we remained focused on the game and immersed within the story. I lost all track of time in the best possible way, and this small exclusion helped keep outside distractions from encroaching on the game.

Low Points:

One particular puzzle is an interesting interaction to begin, but is somewhat arduous to complete, due to it’s nature. It boiled down to a guess and check interaction at its core, and until we’d found the right way to manipulate things, it felt like busy work. An additional puzzle or clue could easily skip a lot of the aimlessness of this one, preventing the novelty of the interaction from wearing off. Though the room is non-linear and provides a lot for larger groups to do, there is one particular choke point we arrived at that leads to some standing around as only two players could comfortably work on it before becoming a case of too many cooks. Overall, though, both of these instances were minor points during a run of great adventuring.

Verdict:

Temple of Tikal is an awesome leap forward from the already great Prison Break, and if our sneak peek of Yacht Heist is any indication, the sky is the limit for Total Escape! Boasting some excellent set design, cool interactions, and large scale teamwork based puzzling, Temple of Tikal is a must play for any enthusiast in the area, and new players will be astounded by the highly approachable, yet challenging gameplay as well. Uncover the buried secrets of the Jaguar King’s treasure here!

9/10 (Excellent)

Full disclosure: Total Escape provided media discounted tickets for our group.

Total Escape – Prison Break (Review)

~ EscapeAdventurer ~ 2 Comments

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Price: $30 per person

Players: 2-8 (We recommend 2-4)

Time to Escape: 60 Minutes

Let’s blow this popsicle stand!

Theme:

You and your partners in crime, for one reason or another, have found yourselves convicted and thrown into jail. But worry not! Your pal Donny knows a guy, (who knows a guy,) who busted out of this place before. Apparently, he left clues around about how to escape, and Donny previously followed them to obtain his freedom before you. Just stick to the clues, and you’ll be outta here in no time! But do it within an hour, because the diversion Donny set up for the guards is only going to hold for so long!

First Impressions:

Our game master, whose name I unfortunately did not get, was phenomenal! Delivering a light hearted introduction to our cells, and playing along with our pre-escape shenanigans, she really helped set a fun tone for our experience. I could tell from her interactions with us that not only would the room be a great experience, but the staff at Total Escape were having a good time as well. All of which boded well for our adventure!

High Points:

Prison Break initially split our team between two different cells, and most times, the execution of this sort of game mechanic leaves much to be desired. Total Escape, however, ensured there was no “Curse of the Less Interesting Cell” by making sure that both teams had plenty to do, and peppered this whole stage of the game with great teamwork puzzles that ensured that all of us were able to remain engaged with the game every step of the way. Even when there was one interaction that was reserved for one team, the rest of us felt involved with what was going on, and were never left to twiddle our thumbs waiting to be rescued from our cell. The game flow for the entire experience was incredibly smooth, climbing a steady difficulty curve and weaving clues, solutions, and inputs together well, leaving no room for uncertainty once we had solved any of the game’s myriad challenges. The puzzles were also very original for the most part, and were presented in a mostly non-linear fashion, keeping us immersed in the experience from lock-up to jail break!

Technology implemented within the room was fantastic, and really elevated the experience beyond many other prison themed rooms we’ve done before. Interacting with the set was a thrill, and in many cases, provided a clever clue to keep us on the right track. There are several excellently tactile puzzles scattered throughout the game, and one in particular was a great addition. I won’t spoil the surprise, but it was a small thing I think all of us have wanted to do in an escape room from time to time. This tiny addition to the game really adds to the experience, and it’s a willingness to do things like this that can make a good game really great and engaging. Progress is well measured, and it was always clear where we stood during the game, even without a timer present. In fact, the removal of a game timer added to the immersion greatly, and had us worrying less about how much time remained, allowing us to truly lose ourselves in the experience. Though we could ask for a time check at any time, we never thought to ask for one, the game was so immediately gripping.

Low Points:

The set and story are fairly simple, and the experience remains a standard prison break from start to finish, so escape veterans who’ve tired of the theme may not be as impressed. There’s some searching to be done, and while we didn’t have too much of a problem with it, another puzzle or two to find these rather small items would be generally more engaging overall. Enthusiasts might run through this game fairly quickly, (ours clocked in at around 26 minutes in room total,) and though it felt like a full experience to us, players looking for a longer challenge might want to try Temple of Tikal instead.

Verdict:

Prison Break was a great game, boasting an excellent game flow and some truly original puzzles. Though we were in and out fairly quickly, it certainly felt like a much longer experience in the best way possible, and for Total Escape’s first room, Prison Break is a lot of fun! Beginners will really love the intuitive adventure, and enthusiasts looking for an entertaining and engaging run of puzzles will not be disappointed. Book your time in the slammer here!

8/10 (Great)

Full disclosure: Total Escape provided media discounted tickets for our group.