2021 TERPECA: Top Escape Rooms Project Enthusiasts' Choice Award

If you were ever wondering what the top escape rooms in the world were, TERPECA does a pretty good job at aggregating ratings across trusted enthusiasts across the globe. In my opinion, this is vastly superior in comparison to sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google Reviews and even the Facebook Escape Room Enthusiast group. For TERPECA, only enthusiasts who have played +200 escape rooms can nominate rooms and those who have played +50 can stack rank the games they have played. Note that only games that can be played in English are eligible. From TERPECA's site:

"...each stack rank was used to create all possible pairwise comparisons between rooms (or companies) in a given stack rank, and then those were used to create a matrix of scores between rooms using all the direct comparisons from any of the participants".

I have played 10 of the top 50 rooms which are listed below (links for reviews). These are all great games and I would say that there are many other rooms that did not make the list that are just as fun as the below. Anything with a 5 stars in my ratings are all top notch and must play escape rooms.

Top Escape Rooms

11. Strange Bird - The Man From Beyond (Houston, TX, USA)

13. Cutthroat Cavern - 13th Gate (Baton Rouge, LA, USA)

21. Ghost Patrol - Trivium Games (Emeryville, CA, USA)

25. The Lost Island Of The Voodoo Queen - Escaparium (Montreal, Canada)

28. Servant Of Sleight - The Exit Game FL (Clearwater, FL, USA)

31. Evil Robots - The Nemesis Club (Phoenix, AZ, USA)

32. The Edison Room - Palace Games (San Francisco, CA, USA)

35. Mogollon Monster - The Nemesis Club (Phoenix, AZ, USA)

37. The Attraction - Palace Games (San Francisco, CA, USA)

45. Lab Rat - Hatch Escapes (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

2021 was a tough year to travel and play escape rooms so hoping that 2022 will be a better year!

District 3: Haunted (Regina, SK)

 

We have not heard of many rooms from the Province of Saskatchewan (Canada) so when District 3 reached out to us, we were excited to see what they had to offer.  From their site:

"The family of this home is searching for a good trustworthy group of people to housesit their manor for the Winter. During your time there, you learn about the caretaker and the family, the manor's secrets, and that maybe this isn't the dream stay you were after.

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

Haunted was a physical escape room that was adapted for online play. The set that the game took place in was ordinary but the host was extraordinary! He was comedic and quick on his feet, all while holding the webcam and opening locks for us. We particularly liked how the game was set up and the little touches that moved the story along. The puzzles themselves were standard and consisted of quite a few padlocks. The telescape technology, which we have started to become accustomed to, allowed us to examine clues at our leisure via a web browser and we also used it to enter some codes to solve puzzles. There was also an intricate story line that drove the story but as usual, I personally find it difficult to follow when trying to solve things. 

Memorable Moments 

I have a sweet spot for when actors in a game try to be funny or dramatic. It's almost an extra bonus to see someone playing a fun role in a game and this was definitely the most memorable part of the experience.  

Room For Improvement

There were a few instances where we had to listen to audio clues that, if taken out of order, made things complicated. 

Overall Thoughts

A great gamemaster/actor really made the difference in this game. If you are looking for a somewhat creepy (but not really), puzzly experience you should try out Haunted!

• Set design: Average
• Difficulty: Average
• Price: +$19/player
• Number of players: +2, (we recommend 2-4), private
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★

See their website here: http://www.district3.ca/

Disclosure: District 3 comped the tickets for this game

Sauve Qui Peut: Wrath Of Poseidon (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada)

"Reussite = Success!"

Located about 40km (25 miles) from downtown Montreal, Sauve Qui Peut was a hidden gem in an otherwise remote and small town. There were quite a lot of games to choose from (nine) and we played "Underground Bar" (18+ theme with a lot of laughs) and, what many say was their best game, "Wrath of Poseidon". The review will focus on latter. From their website:

"The God Poseidon, powerful and undisputable king of the seas and oceans, deplores that for several decades now, humans have been heading towards disaster. They are all the same, unable to take care of the planet, they plunder forests, depopulate and pollute the seas. They jeopardize the survival of all species.

Poseidon is angry and now wants his revenge on humans who have betrayed future generations. He threatens to flood all lands to end the painful weakening of the planet. Your mission steal? Collect Poseidon’s trident before it’s too late…"

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

The set design was good with a lot of attention to detail. The start of the game took place in a submarine and was pretty standard as it involved opening quite a few padlocks. The later parts of the escape room integrated more unique puzzles with really clean game flow. There was a fun change of scenery towards the end that we appreciated and it connected well with the overall theme.

There were some sections in the submarine that seemed like a massive red herring but thankfully we were told from the start that they were purely for decor. One thing to note was that the physical space was tight so less players would be the ideal number, otherwise there would be a lot of running into people when navigating the room.

The overall quality of this game was far superior compared to many other small towns that we have played in.

Memorable Moments 

The final stage of the game tied extremely well with the overall theme. It was unique and something we have never seen before. We actually struggled a lot at this point when a child would have probably solved it rather quickly.

Room For Improvement

The start of the game was slow and ordinary. One of two padlocks are usually ok but when you have double or triple that amount in one room, it ends up being a lot. Also, the puzzles felt a bit forced, unlike the last stage where the puzzles felt more thematic.

Overall Thoughts

We had a fun time playing Wrath of Poseidon and highly recommend it if you are in the area. Work through the first part knowing that there is more to come and keep you numbers low in order to have the best experience.

• Set design: Good
• Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
• Price: $30 CAD/person, private
• Number of players: up to 3-8 (recommend 3)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

See their website here: https://www.sauvequipeut.ca/

Action 500: Kidnapping (Montreal, QC)

This post was written by Melanie and Jason, the latest contributors to EscapeRumors.com! This duo will rock your world with their reviews and help you find which rooms suit you best!

Melanie is an architect and became an escape room enthusiast this year! Having an eye for creativity,  details, and construction, she offers a very interesting perspective on the quality that each room offers.

Jason is a chartered accountant and his skills with numbers and puzzles allows him to explore and analyze rooms with a different point of view.

It is important to mention that all the escape rooms in the Action 500 Montréal location are constructed from storage containers. The games are either half the size of a container or the full size. Either way, the physical space of the rooms are SMALL. They also have air conditioning units hooked up in the rooms because it can get pretty hot inside!

When we played the games, there were no camera in the rooms so hints were given by the GM who basically popped in to see how we were doing every 15 minutes. It was not thaaaat bad, but it took a bit away from the immersive quality of the experience - just imagine a guy with their Action 500 uniform popping in every few minutes asking if you need hints.

Kidnapping was one of the newer themes (horror) that opened in the Montréal location. Here is a description and video from their website:

"It’s 1989 and finally time for your big camping party with your friends to a cabin in the woods. As soon as you arrive, you find out a legendary mass murderer has  escaped from prison and turned your vacation spot into his forest of death.

With a killer outside your cabin and stranded without cellphone service, you and your friends must solve clues and riddles and get outsmart a serial killer.

Can you survive the night and reach the police before the killer reaches you?"

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

The decoration in the room related well to the theme, and we definitely got a creepy vibe. The puzzles were actually pretty good and flowed well. I would say it was a low to medium difficulty and people with less experience will probably be able to get through it. It was mostly lock-based, but there were some other simple mechanisms as well. The big issue was that when we finished the game, the thing that was supposed to appear didn't, so we were not 100% sure if we actually escaped! We later found out that there was an electrical issue that they have to fix. A little bit disappointing and hopefully it will be fixed soon!

Memorable Moments 

There was a scare component in the room that was incredibly memorable!

Room For Improvement

The ending of the game would have been more obvious if there was no electrical issue. We all wait for that big climax and unfortunately we didn't get it this time around because the video screen was not fully functional.

Overall Thoughts

The room was pretty good, we liked it. Story was creepy and puzzles were decent. We played the game with 6 people, which was way too many. For the physical size of the room and the puzzles involved, 2-4 people is better. I would say that it is a very good room for beginners, but still a fun flowing game for mid-level experienced players.

• Set design: Fine, but small
• Difficulty:  Easy-Medium, good for beginners
• Price: $24 CAD
• Number of players: 6 max, (recommend 2-4), public
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★½

See their website here: https://www.x-cape.ca/en/ (renamed to Action 500)

RevoEscape: The Lab Lockdown & AI Martyrdom (Toronto, ON)

RevoEscape opened their doors in early 2019 and we got to play both their games in June. Their escape rooms are designed to be as authentic as possible (see the Escape Room Divas podcast on "mimesis") in that you can use whatever is around you to escape the room without, of course, destroying things. If you think about it, it doesn't make sense to solve riddles to open a cell unless the theme was a serial killer toying with you. There was no searching for a key in a secret location or random texts on the wall to decipher a secret code, everything was meant to be solved as if it were a real life situation. You could imagine how stumped we were when were started out in our jail cells in our first room. From their site:

The Lab: Lockdown
"I've been here for...I don't know how long it's been. There are no clocks and no windows in my small room. I'm alone in my cell, but not the only captive here. We speak to each other through the walls. None of us knows why we're here, but our last memories before waking up here are the same: we were interviewing for a job, gas filled the room we were waiting in, and then...we woke up here. 

All I know is they've been testing something on us. I have needle punctures and suture scars all over my body...Security ran in as Steven escaped from his cell. The guard opened fire but Steven was an unleashed beast and smashed the guard's head against the wall and fled...I was shocked trying to figure out what happened...the alarm went off. "Code red, code red, all personel evacuate from your labs immediately, the research center will self-destruct in 75 minutes."

After calming down, I now realise this is it: our only chance of getting out of here. Or die."

AI Martyrdom
"You and your friends were camping in a remote forest to enjoy the quiet of being away from civilization. One evening while you were chatting after supper you got a radio broadcast message thru your walkie-talkie.

You responded to the call and started a conversation with the woman and was told that they were looking for volunteers in the area to assist them to resolve the issue, which should be as easy as turning off a switch.

You also figured that the coordinate of the station was just a few kilometers away. You arrived at the coordinate and realized that it's apparently not a transformation station but a military base.

The woman in the radio said she lied to you and this building is indeed a military base, a nuclear missile launch facility to be more specific. However, one thing was true, that is they were in trouble, big trouble."

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

The Lab: Lockdown
The environment took place in a realistic prison setting and everyday tech was utilized in order to maintain the feeling of a "real" life scenario. There were no weird gizmos or placing objects to reveal secret doors in this game, which was hard to believe for an escape room!

The "puzzle" highlights were when we had to think of physical solutions in a way we never had to in previous games. There were a few instances where I thought "I could really get hurt if I did this" which of course was because I was thinking of doing something stupid. Also note that people with limited mobility would not be able to fully enjoy this game and we're not even sure if they would be allowed to play

We played the game on a high difficulty (we usually don't) as one of our teammates was gung ho about it so we played along. There were some game elements that can be modified to increase the difficulty in two ways: By solving things in a smarter physical way (cool) or by adding tedium to elements. One example of the latter would make transversing the space, back and forth, significantly more time consuming.

There was one solution in particular where our idea would have worked for a lower difficulty, but not on a higher one, which is interesting because you essentially have a completely different solution to what is basically the same task. There was also a scoring system which rates how well your team performs.

AI Martyrdom
Similarly to The Lab: Lockdown, the game was built to be as realistic as possible. This was quite a difficult game, possibly because we were tired after the first experience. The story line was rather complex and hard to follow but nonetheless interesting after learning about it in the walkthrough.

The set was also extremely detailed and well done. The physical puzzles varied from tough but fair, to some which seemed unfair. Unlike the Lab, where we didn't have the right concept on how to solve something on a higher difficulty level, there was an instance where we knew what to do but a timer constraint made it almost impossible to accomplish. After struggling for what felt to be quite a while, the GM lowered the difficulty to something more achievable.

Memorable Moments 

The Lab: Lockdown
The physical nature in the latter part of the experience was awesome! I realized that there was a slight spoiler on their website but we had no idea about this element going in.

AI Martyrdom
Another challenge which required physical interaction between teammates that you never see in other rooms.

Room For Improvement

The Lab: Lockdown
The hint delivery system (walkie-talkie) was the only thing that was out of character. If it were to be integrated such as an outside contact helping you, that would help make it more in theme.

AI Martyrdom
A challenge that becomes tedious because of a time constraint really sucks the energy out of a team, especially when it last over 10 minutes. Introducing a lower starting difficulty, or lowering the level more quickly would be ideal.

Overall Thoughts

The Lab: Lockdown was a standout in the Toronto market and a must play. We are happy to award it the highest rating of 5 gold stars! The game stayed true to being realistic and had some novel physical game mechanics that we want to see more of. My uncle joined us for the game and I will forever see him in a different light. Although he is not a big man, I learned he has the strength and agility of Spiderman.

• Set design: Great!
• Difficulty: Very Difficult
• Price: $30-$40 person
• Number of players: 4-8, (we recommend 4+), private
• Duration: 75 minutes
• Overall Rating: The Lab: Lockdown ★★★★★, AI Martyrdom ★★★★

See their website here: https://www.revoescape.com

Disclosure: RevoEscape comped the tickets for this game.

Secret City Casa Loma: Escape The Tower & Station M (Toronto, ON)

So you're staying near downtown Toronto and ask around about what escape room you should do. What does everyone say? Casa Loma! This Gothic Revival style house is a landmark and similar to "The Secret of Station House No. 4" in that the actual location the game takes place in was film worthy even before escape rooms were invented. I don't know how companies are able to partner up with landmarks but the setting and environment are absolutely perfect.

Toronto is known for having large format rooms and I signed up as a solo player in Escape the Tower and Station M. The exterior of Casa Loma is magnificent and I was hoping for the game play to be great as well.

Escape Games Canada: Crossroads & Syndicate (Toronto, ON)

Premier escape room facility in North America

Escape Games Canada was another Toronto escape room company that was highly recommended by escape room enthusiasts. There are two locations somewhat far away from the downtown core: one in Mississauga and one in North York. I was lucky enough to be staying close to their North York location (40 minutes north of downtown) where they have six, soon to be seven, escape rooms. I was expecting to have a great time with a bunch first timers by playing "Crossroads" and Syndicate: Relic Heist.

Secret City Adventures: The Secret of Station House No. 4 (Toronto, ON)

The Secret of Station House No. 4, one of Toronto's finest escape rooms

Secret City Adventures runs a couple of different escape rooms series ranging from the familiar franchised Real Escape Games rooms (Time Travel Lab) to what I presume to be their own creations, the Casa Loma Escape Series and The Murdoch Mysteries Escape Series.

I heard through word of mouth that the "The Secret of Station House No. 4" was a top escape room in Toronto so I bought my ticket and flew out to the land of hockey and maple syrup. One thing that I noticed was that a LOT of the top rooms in Toronto are geared towards large groups so it makes it difficult for travelers to plan ahead. From their site:

"Solve the Secret of Station House No. 4
Detective Murdoch is missing and as Toronto’s newest constables you’ve been called into action, but the clock is ticking! You only have 60 minutes to save Murdoch. Discover the clues, piece together the evidence, crack the case, and unravel the Secret of Station House No. 4!

Step into a world of intrigue and wonder as Secret City Adventures & Shaftesbury bring the global hit television show Murdoch Mysteries to real life in the Murdoch Mysteries Escape Series, immersive escape games for all ages."

Although I had no idea what the Murdoch Mysteries TV show was all about, that didn't quite matter as the story was self contained and communicated by the actors in game.