Location: Charlotte, NC

Players: 2-6 (We recommend 3-4)

Price: $27 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

Just a friendly visit from the neighbors!

Theme:

Usually I type my own interpretation of the theme, but The Box has a perfect write-up for their room. Per The Box’s website: Enter the House of Vincent and Margaret Harden, the newest residents of the neighborhood. Explore through their house and follow along the story. But beware, if you uncover the truth you may just find the not so happy ending.

First Impressions:

Stepping into The Box is an always immersive experience, and our second visit for Cold Case Killer was no different. (You can read about our first visit with the Ventriloquist here!) After a quick sign in, Andy gathered us around and gave us our excellent introduction to the story, then led us to our room. The Box continues to do a fantastic job of ensuring that story and puzzles come first from the very start, and the care they put into doing so shows.

High Points:

First and foremost, Cold Case Killer tells an riveting story that our group could not stop talking about hours later. Small things we did during our experience added to our revelations, and it really blew our minds. I won’t spoil anything here, but as usual, it adds a lot to the experience to read the case files provided on The Box’s website. We began the room in a non-traditional way, which was a very enjoyable touch. All puzzles were well clued and the connections set up in the room directed us towards where we needed to be in intuitive ways. There were a couple points of confusion, but they were not frustrating and added to the story, which may not make sense now, but will once you’ve played the room. The overall atmosphere and theming of the room feels very 1950’s, and everything belongs. The staff is really great and personable, but also stay in character in order to keep an immersive feel going.

Low Points:

The ending felt slightly abrupt, and I feel like there was room for more puzzling, but everything already in the room works very well as is, so it’s a minor nitpick. I feel like any more than 4 players may be too many cooks, especially towards the latter half, but our group of 4 felt just right.

Verdict:

With one of the most excellently crafted stories I’ve ever experienced in an escape room, The Box delivers a finely tuned Escape Experience that I highly recommend to anyone visiting the Charlotte area. Beginners and Enthusiasts alike will find something to enjoy about Cold Case Killer, just make sure to read your case files beforehand to get the full experience! We are looking forward to our next escape at The Box, whatever mind bending adventure that may be!  Book your time with the Hardens here!

Full Disclosure: The Box provided our group with Media Discounted tickets.

9/10 (Excellent)