Month: November 2017

The Sweet Taste of Victory – Room: The Chocolate Factory – September 9, 2017

~ Mike K. ~ 2 Comments

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is one of your favorite movies.

Avoid if… you’re lactose intolerant, diabetic, or prone to cavities.

THE BASICS

Get a Clue Games:

Address: 8019 Corporate Dr Suite J, Nottingham, MD 21236 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 410-931-0580
[email protected]
https://www.getacluegames.com

The Room – The Chocolate Factory:

Description (from the company website): The old Chocolate Master wasn’t feeling so good. This was the first time in years when he missed an order of his famous chocolate treats. Soon after, the newspaper announced his passing. The great Chocolate Factory closed its doors forever. However, a year later there was an odd rumor that the Master was on the lookout for a successor and left behind clues on how to open the unbreakable doors. In the factory, he hid his greatest recipe. You have one hour to get into the factory, find the recipe and replicate it to become the next Chocolate Master and own the factory. Will you be able to find the clues that the old Chocolate Master left behind before time runs out?

Difficulty (1-10): n/a

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $28 (+ tax per person)

Identifier: R1

Party Size: Up to 10

Staging Area: Small lobby area with space for photos; conference room where room briefings are done.

Metro Access/Parking: This is over by White Marsh in a strip mall. Plenty of parking, but no metro access.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took before we entered the room:

This is the video we took just after we completed the room:

Logistics:

Description of the room: You start off in a small room slightly reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s factory.

Understanding of the Mission: In order to take ownership of the factory, you need to find get into the lab, find the recipe and all ingredients, then learn how to replicate it.

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: 2:05

Our Suggested Party Size: 6-8

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Eric, Heather, Ress, Devon

Meet the new masters of the Chocolate Factory, team Disturbed Friends (Devon, Jason, Mike, Heather, and Eric)

Worth the time and money? Yes

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

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Walker? I Barely Knew Her! Room: The Rising Dead – August 9, 2017 – PLAY-TESTED

~ Mike K. ~ 1 Comment

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you love The Walking Dead.

Avoid if… you have a fear of hospitals… or zombies… or hospitals with zombies in them.

THE BASICS

Laurel’s House of Horror and Escape Rooms:

Address: 935 Fairlawn Ave, Laurel, MD 20707 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 240-278-4545
http://www.laurelhaunt.com

The Room – The Rising Horror:

Description (from the company website): “The Rising Dead” is inspired by the hit zombie TV series, with hints of the hospital scene from the first season. This new game is one of our scariest yet, with the added pressure and motivation of a live-actor zombie. Can you get out of the quarantine room into the hospital lab? Bring your friends — you’ll need all the help you can get!

Formerly “Resident Horror”, this escape room experience has re-launched as “The Rising Dead” starting in August. A live actor is part of the experience* (incidental, but not intentional, touching may occur due to unpredictable activities of the dead).

Difficulty (1-10): 3/5 (medium difficulty)

Time Limit: 45 minutes

Cost: $30

Identifier: R2 (revamped from Resident Horror)

Party Size: up to 8 people

Staging Area: It’s in an old movie theater that is supposedly haunted, so pretty damn creepy.

Metro Access/Parking: Not metro accessible at all. The theater is in a strip mall so there is plenty of parking.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took before we entered the room:

This is the video we took just after we completed the room:

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this room for free, with the understanding that we would continue to provide an honest review and follow the same process we’ve used on all of our other ratings.

Logistics:

Description of the room: You start off in a hospital room that is connected to a hallway… and another room with a heavy lock on the door.

Understanding of the Mission: Make our way through the hospital, get to the lab, find the medicine, and escape before the zombies get us!

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: 13 minutes

Our Suggested Party Size: We’d recommend 6 if you all have escape room experience; 8 if you have some newbies or ERVs (Escape Room Virgins) with you.

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Mark, Eric, Shannon and three of the employees from Laurel’s House of Horror.

Team Disturbed Friends (Eric, Jason, Mike, Mark, and Shannon) found the cure and escaped the hospital of The Rising Dead! Zombie Heather photobombed us.

Worth the time and money? Yes

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After: It’s in a shopping center in Laurel. Lots of places to eat. We had Five Guys before doing one of the previous rooms.

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Interview with Clue Carré (in Metairie, Louisiana) – October 30, 2017

Video ~ ~ Mike K.

ESCAPE ROOM INTERVIEW:

Check out our interview with Megan, one of the owners, from Clue Carré while we were in New Orleans on vacation for Halloween. We’ll have reviews of The Voodoo Room and French Quarter House of Curiosities up soon.

And CONGRATULATIONS to Clue Carré on their grand opening at their Metairie, LA location on Friday, November 17. Check back tomorrow for our review of the Game Museum: Evolution of Games room!

The Games People Play… Room: The Game Museum: Evolution of Gaming – October 30, 2017 – PLAY-TESTED

~ Jason ~ 1 Comment

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you’ve been gaming your entire life. Or a part of it. Or you just like games.

Avoid if… you think board games are for kids, or are so competitive at Monopoly that your friends/family won’t play with you anymore (remember: Escape Rooms are cooperative experiences).

THE BASICS

Clue Carré: Metairie Location:

Address: 2712 Athania Parkway, Metarie, LA 70002 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 504-667-2583
https://www.cluecarre.com

Room – The Game Museum:

Description (from the company website): Welcome to the Evolution of Games exhibit at the Clue Carré Musuem of Games. As humanity has evolved over the centuries, so has our ability to fulfill possibly our most primal need: to play games. From thousand-year old games like Go and Mancala through today’s video and virtual-reality simulations, we have filled our free time with cards, boards, dice, and all manner of monsters to defeat. This time, the monsters are the games themselves. Can you play through the millennia of game history in under an hour, or will you be left staring at the two most dreaded words in history: GAME OVER?

Difficulty (1-10): N/A

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $28

Identifier: R1

Party Size: Up to 8

Staging Area: The location is on a residential street, so look for the sign. The seating area is comfortably set with couches and chairs. We are told that a private room for parties is in the works as well if you want to book your corporate event there.

Metro Access/Parking: You’ll need to Lyft/Uber unless you are local and have a car. Street parking may be limited.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took just after we completed the room:

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this room for free, with the understanding that we would continue to provide an honest review and follow the same process we’ve used on all of our other ratings.

Logistics:

Description of the room: It literally looks like a museum exhibit. As you scan the room, there are games posted to the walls with descriptions of each, along with a logical timeline from Stone Age dice all the way up to the present.

Understanding of the Mission: We’ve entered the museum exhibit and have to play all the games and beat the room within our hour-long tour before the next group gets its opportunity.

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: 6:15

Our Suggested Party Size: 4-6 is perfect. This room *can* be done with 1, but it would be very time consuming and you likely wouldn’t finish in time (there is a LOT to do in this room).

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): None

The ERG got to play test this really cool room down in Metairie, LA (while we were on vacation in New Orleans for Halloween).

Worth the time and money? Yes

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

  • We’re not local, so we suggest Google. There is a shopping center nearby, so there are likely lots of places to chow down and get some drinks.

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