Escape Room LA: Atlantis (Los Angeles, CA)

Escape Room LA is known for having some pretty great puzzle content in a really beautiful space. The first game that we played there a few years back was "The Alchemist" and the parallel puzzle tracks kept the four of us busy until the end. Last year we played "The Pyramid", which had a much more elaborate environment and once again we were busy puzzling right up until the end. I'm glad to say that the progression from their oldest to their newest room has continued to improve as both the immersion and puzzles were fantastic for Atlantis. The one thing that could vary your experience is the fact that these are public rooms. From their website:

"An invitation from an eccentric professor leads you through a secret portal into the fabled lost city of Atlantis. As you search among the ruins, you’ll solve mysterious clues and puzzles, while discovering the long-lost pieces of Poseidon’s fabled trident. Find all of the pieces and escape before your air supply runs out! Set out on the adventure of a lifetime as you explore the spectacular underwater world of Atlantis!"

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles

The game started off in an ordinary study but the escape room is called Atlantis so it's not really a spoiler to say that your journey will become much more exciting. As we delved into Atlantis, it was apparent that the creators had some great ideas on how to create a convincing "underwater" environment in a rather large footprint. Like other Escape Room LA games, there were parallel puzzle tracks so if you play with strangers (we were lucky no one else booked) you might not know what went on for a good chunk of the game. The puzzles consisted of a lot of symbol matching and were thematic with the storyline.

Memorable Moments 

Walking into Atlantis was such a joy!

Room For Improvement

The first act of the room is extremely ordinary. While this can make the latter part of the game much more exiting, it would be nice to have the start of the game to be as impressive as the rest of the game.

Overall Thoughts

Once again Escape Room LA has created a really fun experience with some solid puzzling in a great environment. If you can book an early slot with your own group, you will have a great time with the variety of puzzles and the cool theme.

• Set design: The second half stands out a lot
• Difficulty: Above average
• Price: $29-$39/person, public
• Number of players: 4-8 (recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

See their website here: https://www.escaperoomla.com/atlantis

Disclosure: Escape Room LA graciously provided complimentary tickets

Breaking Point Escape Games: Whitmore Estate and Patient 17 (Rancho Cucamongo, CA)

Breaking Point Escape Rooms was the new guy in town when we played their adventures. Not many enthusiasts had played any of their rooms and we decided to try them out despite being quite out of the way in Rancho Cucamonga (+40 miles from LA). The focus of this review will be on "The Secret At Whitmore Escape" and some comments on "Patient 17". From their website:

"The Secret At Whitmore Escape
An award winning crime novelist inherits his family's mansion after their untimely demise. Soon after, he is reported missing. Residents throughout the local community are on edge as they witness strange events on the property. Can you uncover the secret at Whitmore Estate?

Patient 17
An undercover agent is working for a doctor who has ties to missing women. A disturbing series of video updates reveals that her cover may have been blown. Do you have what it takes to save her? Or will you become the doctor's next patient?"

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles

The Secret At Whitmore Escape
The set takes place in house which was a really common theme and something we have seen many times before. While an appealing environment is key to having a great room, what sets this game apart from the others was the impeccable execution. The game flow was smooth and everything was polished to the point where you can't help but appreciate the effort that went into the entire game. I dare to say that the level of polish rivaled some Disney sets but homemade by only two talented individuals. There were no red herrings, no heavy searching and a good variety of puzzles. The rooms were bright and clean which often isn't the case for games that take place in an old mansion. There were also large physical contraptions that made inputting numbers fun!

Patient 17
The clean style game play was also evident in the first room that Breaking Point released. While not as intricate as Whitmore, this game still provided some great puzzles and clever use of spaces.

Memorable Moments 

The Secret At Whitmore Escape 
There was one moment that made some of us jump...just a little bit :)

Patient 17
Some great "aha" moments make this room really fun!

Room For Improvement

I'll be nit-picky and say that I wish the themes were more unique.

Overall Thoughts

The Secret At Whitmore Escape was an exemplary room in that it had a great aesthetics that were matched by some clean game flow and some clever puzzles. It's quite rare to see all these aspects come together, especially for newcomers in the space and we highly recommend this room for all levels of players!

• Set design: Spot on
• Difficulty: Average
• Price: $35/person for public, more for private
• Number of players: 2-10 (recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: The Secret At Whitmore Estate: ★★★★½, Patient 17 ★★★★

See their website here: https://breakingpointescaperooms.com/

Disclosure: Breaking Point graciously provided complimentary games

The Perfect Escape: Mr. Wong's Chinese Restaurant & O'Bannion's Safe (Arlington, TX)

On a recent trip to Dallas, I only had time to play at one location and landed on "The Perfect Escape" based on some enthusiast recommendations. I played two rooms with a few new faces who were also first timers and they turned out to be cool teammates! Mr. Wong's Chinese Restaurant was The Perfect Escape's top room and O'Bannion's Safe was their first endeavor. From their website:

"Mr. Wong's Chinese Restaurant
The kitchen is buzzing! Celebrity chef Mitchell Nom is coming tonight to film and episode of his famous Food Escapes TV show and review Mr. Wong’s famous dumplings on camera. But Mr. Wong had a family emergency and had to quickly fly back to China.

After years of learning under Mr. Wong, it’s now up to you and your co-workers to make the perfect dumplings and save Mr. Wong’s chances of winning the coveted Mitchell N Star!

O'Bannion's Safe
We’ve lost contact with several agents trying to put away known local thug Franky “Sawed-Off” O’Bannion. Our informant has tipped us off that a large amount of evidence that could put O’Bannion behind bars for good is being held in a safe nearby. The issue? The safe is located in one of O’Bannion’s illegal storefronts that is participating in money laundering. Travel back to the 1920’s in this escape room experience! Find the clues to crack the code, open the safe, and put O’Bannion away before his goons come snooping."

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles 

Mr. Wong's Chinese Restaurant
At first I thought the set design was rather basic, but then I thought "this is exactly what a Mom and Pop Chinese restaurant looks like!". It looked like the real deal because of one good reason: The creator's parents actually owned a restaurant and the equipment was repurposed for this escape room. The dining area and the kitchen felt genuine and it was quite an impressive feat for a couple of people to build out on their own. There is always a hint of charm when you enter a room that has been crafted by someone with passion and in this case, their actual childhood surroundings.

The puzzles were varied and were for the most part thematic throughout the experience. The game served up a menu of puzzles that often had some funny nods to Chinese restaurants. The fun heated up as we entered the kitchen with quite a few challenging puzzles. There were some elements that could be tricky to solve if a team doesn't stumble upon some hints that were cleverly hidden.

O'Bannion's Safe
This game starts off in a barber's shop with some standard fare puzzling. Similarly to Wong's Chinese Restaurant, the second part of the game built up to a more unique scenery. The physical footprint of both games were large and unexpected which is always a pleasure. There are some cool elements that were mixed into the finale that made for a good time!

Memorable Moments 

Walking into a Chinese Restaurant and seeing the...oops no spoilers. :) O'Bannion's Safe had a great transition between acts.

Room For Improvement

For Mr. Wong's, there were a few puzzles that seemed to rely on unguided searching, which is always tricky because you don't know if you are missing something or if you already have everything you need. O'Bannion's had a lot of padlocks but it was understandable for a older room.

Overall Thoughts

If you are in the Dallas area, the Perfect Escape will definitely keep you entertained and wanting to come back for more. If you have time for only one location, you should try out Mr. Wong's Chinese Restaurant and O'Bannions Safe!

• Set design: Good
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: $30/person, public
• Number of players: up to 8-10 (recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

See their website here: https://perfectescaperoom.com/

Disclosure: The Perfect Escape graciously comped these games

Kuma Escape: Detention (Santa Clara, CA)

Michael (second from the right) was a bad boy in detention

Kuma Escape's "stage 3" room, Detention, opened in May 2016 and even though it touted the highest escape rate (20%) out of their three rooms, it was actually the most difficult one. Keep in mind that "stage" simply means room and you don't have to do "stage" one or two to play the third one. It seemed that a lot of enthusiasts played this room and given that the record was only 45min, it was no surprise that this was a challenge. We were six people in the group with two people who were new to escape rooms.

Escape Sacramento: The Seance (Sacramento, CA)

Escape Sacramento is located close to downtown and has easily accessible street parking (surprise!). The building looked like a house and it seemed like a friendly neighborhood escape room! We opted to play "Seance" which we were told was a "Gen-1" room meaning a first generation room without any fancy bells and whistles. We played this room with another random group of four and they were proud, self-proclaimed nerds straight out of "The Big Bang Theory".

Enchambered: Whispering Halls & Containment Breach (Sacramento, CA)

Enchambered is often hailed as the best escape room in Sacramento. We did both rooms here and as most reviewers have said, the production value was top notch. The puzzles were solid and the themes, although common, worked out well. All the rooms are open to the public, so everyone who books the same timeslot will be mixed together. The physical spacing of the rooms relative to the number of people was a downside which should not be overlooked.

Quandary: Runaway Train & Locked In Dead (Roseville, CA)

Runaway Train (left) & The Locked In Dead (right)

[Updated June 2017] Their new "Runaway Train" room was awesome and there were a lot of great puzzles that were new to us. The physical space was fine for two and I feel it would be cramped if there were any more than four people in the room, let alone eight. The co-founder, Ryan, explained how we solved the room the way he originally intended for it to be solved in terms of team communication. The room was simplified to accommodate the general public. If you ever play the room, you will understand :).

Future Technology Escape Room: Reason, San Francisco (CA)

A bunch of weirdos

Reason, the room that promises high tech gadgets, but does it live up to the hype? We were conflicted when rating this room as people had very contrasting opinions. The technology was cool, you get to use a 3D printer, a drone and a VR kit and some riddles were clever. Mike, the founder and moderator was chill and we liked him a lot. There was also a story line communicated through videos but if you aren't there when it's revealed, it's impossible to follow.

Resident Evil Escape Experience, Capcom & iam8bit, San Francisco (CA)

"Gurghhhhhhaaaa..."

The Resident Evil Escape Experience was dark, creepy and...underwhelming. The set design was cool but when the only things to open are padlocks, it gets old fast. The actors hired played the part of Umbrella Corp technicians and they were pretty creepy which played well with the theme. The music at the end puts you into panic mode and given it's only 45 minutes, it does get your adrenaline running. We escaped with the fastest time of the day at 39mins.

Palace Games: Roosevelt Room, San Francisco (CA)

Team Commonwealth
The Roosevelt Escape Room at Palace Games is one of the highest rated rooms on most review sites. While it is one of the greatest rooms, the cost is pretty steep and a few puzzles are repetitive. In the final room, a few of us had to sit out and wait in another previously explored room as there was no space for us and nothing for us to contribute. Nonetheless, expect some great "eureka!" moments and exceptional grand reveals.

Omescape: Pandemic, San Jose (CA)

20 minutes to spare with no hints!

Omescape Pandemic deals with a virus breakout in the sewers and the story gives a slight nod to the 1990's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cartoon.  It was one of the most enjoyable room due to the quality of the room designs and seamless automation of reveals. The production value for this room was exceptional and it was also very spacious, probably only second to the Palace Games rooms which are already ridiculously large.

Paradox Escape Rooms: Wonderland, San Jose (CA)

Follow the white rabbit...

The Paradox Escape Room in San Jose only has one room: Wonderland with the obvious theme of Alice in Wonderland. We went as a birthday celebration with a group of people who had a few games under their belts. While there aren't any big reveals or much tech at all, the decor and puzzles were fun and creative.

Limitless Escape Games: Bank Heist Diamond of Destiny, Livermore (CA)

We brought two total noobs to Limitless Escape!

This brand new room opened to the public a few weeks ago and we were excited to see what Limitless Escape Games had to bring to the table. We played the Bank Heist room two weeks after it opened (fits up to 10 people). We decided to bring along some friends who had never played an escape room before.