Tag: Masterpiece Escapes

Masterpiece Escapes – Framed! The Art Heist (Review)

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Location: Indian Trail, NC

Players: 2-8 (We recommend 4-6)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 Minutes

Borrowing with an Indefinite Return Date

Theme:

The Paper Street Gallery is set to receive an amazing new piece worth millions, and by sheer luck, the security detail isn’t currently in place due to a shipping error! There’s only a lone security guard there now, and he’s all that stands in the way between you and the prize of a lifetime! Figure out how to outwit him, find the artifact, and bust out of there before the police arrive and you’ll be set for life!

First Impressions:

One of the most interesting things about Framed! is that the room itself is filled with original art by a local artist, which is a great touch! Most art themed rooms I’ve done have had prints of classical artists or basic, nonspecific framed prints, but Masterpiece Escapes has gone above and beyond to make sure that this room stands out above all others! We were excited to see the usual level of polish by Masterpiece as we entered the room and met our friend the Security Guard.

High Points:

The Security Guard is a live actor within the room, and adds to the room and the puzzles in a fantastic, highly interactive way! In fact, the guard is quite the puzzle himself, which makes figuring out the early game even more engaging. As usual, the riddles in this room were greatly tactile, perfectly on theme, and intuitive to solve. The room was built from the ground up with pride, and it shows by how smoothly everything works together, and how well each new surprise is hidden until it is time for it to be found. A specific puzzle we’d seen once before and were unimpressed with was implemented in this room in a much better fashion, taking something we once thought of as a poor addition to a room and showing us that it can be done incredibly well! One other Masterpiece favorite that can be found here is the optional puzzle that unlocks a treat for the team, which is always a welcome pick-me-up during puzzling!

Low Points:

The Security Guard was a great character and fun puzzle, but there is one period in particular where the interaction feels slightly awkward. The room itself feels less complex than usual with the late game seeming a bit plainer and rougher around the edges.

Verdict:

Masterpiece escapes is one of the most consistently excellent escape room businesses in Charlotte, with four amazing rooms to choose from, I can’t recommend them enough! If you want a room with original and interactive puzzles, with extremely immersive stories, Framed! will definitely fit the bill. You can get your heist started here!

8/10 (Great)

Full Disclosure: Masterpiece Escapes provided media discounted tickets for our team.

Masterpiece Escapes – Missing (Review)

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Location: Indian Trail, NC

Players: 2-8 (We recommend 4-6)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 Minutes

Killer Real Estate

Theme:

Twenty years ago in Harper’s Ferry, young Malachi Taylor went missing and he was followed by another 13 people who disappeared over a two month period. It was always suspected that the hermit Eugene Dutton was to blame, but nothing was ever proven. Now, decades later, people have started to vanish again, and it’s up to you to investigate Eugene’s house and figure out what’s been going on before you too go missing!

First Impressions:

As a unabashed fan of horror themed escape rooms, I was excited to hear that Masterpiece Escapes was building their own take on the ubiquitous serial killer theme. Having experienced their other rooms, full of well designed secrets and twists, I knew that this one would be special! After walking inside, I was sure that I wasn’t wrong on that point!

High Points:

Masterpiece Escapes continues to surprise our veteran group with even more cleverly hidden secrets, original puzzles and a room that turns some of the usual serial killer escape room tropes on their head. The introduction to the room was again delivered in an exciting way by a live actor, and set up the mystery in an interactive way. Meticulously decorated set design helps drive the tense narrative towards the big reveal and beyond! Puzzles were intuitive without being simple, and were integrated into the theme well. Also, the hand-crafted nature of Masterpiece’s puzzles lent this room a more authentic feel, tying together the 70s inspired house and decor in a convincing way. Technology is peppered throughout the room to give the experience a spooky feel, and mounting horror it instills adds to the thrill of this adventure!

Low Points:

One of the focal points of the late game is initially overwhelming, but proves to be manageable. However, it still requires a fair amount of guess and check due to several repeat types of lock entry. After a large and exciting buildup, the climax doesn’t quite deliver a big payoff, but the room as a whole doesn’t suffer from this.

Verdict:

With Missing, Masterpiece Escapes takes a common escape room theme and weaves it into a unique and exciting adventure! I always go into their rooms expecting to be amazed, and this room is no exception. I highly recommend escape room fans and lovers of all things spooky to give this one a shot! You can book your investigation into the old Sutton house here!

9/10 (Excellent)

Full Disclosure: Masterpiece Escapes provided media discounted tickets for our team.

Masterpiece Escapes – The Deadwood Saloon (Review)

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Location: Indian Trail, NC

Players: 2-8 (We recommend 4-6)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 Minutes

There’s gold in them thar hills!

Theme:

A developer is getting ready to knock down an old west saloon in order to build some high rises, but they’ve found a vault inside that they haven’t been able to get open. Rumors abound about what could be inside, but the most prevalent of them is that it is full of gold due to the original owner’s status as a prospector! Your team has been called on to crack the safe, but the developer is getting tired of waiting around, so get it done within the hour, or they’re going to blow the saloon and the vault to smithereens!

First Impressions:

Masterpiece does a great job with their sets, building really immersive, high-quality rooms that draw you into the adventure, and The Deadwood Saloon is no exception. Small touches here and there really sell the saloon, as well as entertain you with humorous and subtle jokes. As always with their rooms, we were excited as we stepped in and were ready to puzzle, even though it was our 5th room on the day!

High Points:

Along with the amazing set, there were fun connections to Masterpiece’s other rooms, which was fun as veteran players of their rooms! Props were all very high quality, and were excellent fun to play with. The inclusion of an optional puzzle that provides a fun treat is present here, as in all Masterpiece’s rooms, and is just as rewarding the fourth time as it was the first. Puzzle flow is great, and a non-linear approach allows players to jump between puzzle types and find what they enjoy solving. Our entire team of five were fully engaged throughout this, Masterpiece’s most challenging, but in no way unfair, room. Masterpiece really knows how to surprise veteran players as well, subverting our expectations and opening up new spots without our having the slightest idea that it was going to happen. The climax to the room was excellent and provided a great payoff! Also, special thanks to Uriah and his team for helping us say farewell to our teammate Cathy by hiding a special escape gift in the room for us! We will miss you Cathy!

Low Points:

Some puzzles were a little sticky, taking a bit more finagling than usual and making the solving more frustrating at times. A puzzle nearer to the end was a bit difficult to make out at times and felt a little out of place due to it’s interior location.

Verdict:

The Deadwood Saloon is another great effort from the folks at Masterpiece Escapes, continuing their tradition of extremely creative puzzles and rooms! They’ve once again blown our minds with their cleverly hidden surprises and I recommend anyone near Indian Trail look them up! You can book your time in The Deadwood Saloon here!

8.5/10 (Great)

Full Disclosure: Masterpiece Escapes provided media discounted tickets for our team.

Masterpiece Escapes – Metro Mayhem (Review)

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Location: Indian Trail, NC

Players: 2-8 (We recommend 4-5)

Price: $25 per person

Time to Escape: 60 minutes

We’re superheroes. We save the world. It’s what we do.

Theme:

Doctor Devastation has finally been nabbed by the Good Guys! The supervillain was picked up just today for jaywalking, but can only be held for so long before his team of lawyers bail him out. You’ve been called in to infiltrate his office, and find out what evil machinations he’s been up to. Work quickly through his traps and puzzles, and shut down his nefarious plans once and for all, but make sure not to trigger any deadly security measures! 

First Impressions:

We found ourselves with a large gap in our escape schedule during our last trip to Charlotte and were looking to fill it with another room, (because what else is there, really?), leading us to seek out a business we’d not been to before. Masterpiece Escapes had a few interesting themes, and when we reached out, they were more than welcoming, so we decided to give them a shot! Most rooms that we passed were decorated to fit their theme, which is always one of my favorite touches, so I had high hopes!

High Points:

Metro Mayhem accomplished something that has become rarer as I have escaped more and more rooms, which is provide me with a genuine surprise! I can’t elaborate too much without spoiling anything, but there were three separate occasions in which something triggered that I absolutely did not expect. The room expertly ratchets up in intensity as the game moves forward, subverting initial expectations and delivering a challenging puzzling experience throughout. Several original, hand-built props and large scale puzzles are a lot of fun to interact with, bringing the whole team together to overcome obstacles. The climax is appropriately exciting and well integrated with the theme of the room.

Low Points:

There were a couple of points in which technology had failed, so we did not get to experience the full potential of these sections of the game, but workarounds were provided so as not to get in the way of the flow of the puzzles. One of the penultimate puzzles was an interesting idea, but the excitement of that particular interaction wore off as it took quite a while to fully complete.

Verdict:

Metro Mayhem, which I was surprised to hear is Masterpiece Escape’s first room, is a skillfully crafted escape experience that provides entertaining  surprises throughout. Beginners and enthusiasts alike will enjoy this superhero adventure, and I very much look forward to visiting again to take on their other rooms! Book your showdown with Doctor Devastation here!

8/10 (Great)

Full Disclosure: Masterpiece Escapes provided media discounted tickets for our group.