Month: February 2019

Secret Agent Men… – Adventure: Espionage – January 21, 2019

~ Mike K. ~ 4 Comments

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you love the James Bond (or Austin Powers) franchise.

Avoid if… you waffle on making important decisions in a timely manner.

THE BASICS

5 Wits Adventures – Arlington:

Address: Ballston Quarter Mall, 3rd Floor, 4238 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 703-997-9694
https://5-wits.com/arlington/

The Room – Espionage:

Description (from the company website):

Espionage is a covert spy thriller, placing you in the role of a secret agent.

The evil CABAL Corporation is threatening to launch a false flag event, inciting worldwide chaos… unless your team of agents can stop them! Your mission: dodge lasers, crawl through real air ducts, hack their computer system, and put a stop to their nefarious plan; and think before you act — with several possible endings to your mission, your mistakes could have global consequences.

Difficulty (1-10): none given

Time Limit: 30 minutes

Cost: is based on how many adventures you purchase:

    • 3 adventures: $39.99 per person (can use over different days/doesn’t expire)
    • 2 adventures: $36.99 per person
    • 1 adventure: $29.99 per person

Identifier: R1

Party Size: Minimum of 2; maximum of 12

Staging Area: There is a very large lobby where you can check out previous groups’ scores and buy some merchandise. Additionally, they have party rooms for corporate/private events.

Metro Access/Parking: It’s in Ballston Quarter Mall so you can take the metro to the Ballston-MU Station, or drive and park in the parking lot (or on the street).

OUR EXPERIENCE

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

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

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

Logistics:

Description of the room: You start off outside in an alleyway with graffiti on the walls. You need to find your way into the experience, and then have your choice of entrances for the first room.

Understanding of the Mission: Infiltrate the safe house, find a way to disarm the missiles, and escape the safe house without being captured.

Did We Escape: Yes, in multiple ways (and multiple times)

Scores: 93%, 96% and 97% (our best score to date)

Our Suggested Party Size: 6 is good

Did the adventure challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Heather, Brittany, Tara, and Chris

Worth the time and money? Yes

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

  • Punch Bowl Social – it’s less than a 30 second walk from 5 Wits and has good food and drinks and more games, if you haven’t had enough

Continue reading →

Interview with Sly Fox Escapes (Colorado Springs, CO) – February 18, 2019

Video ~ ~ Jason

ESCAPE ROOM INTERVIEW:

Closing out our long weekend in Colorado, we wanted to check out one final escape room location. We contacted Sly Fox Escapes and they invited us in to  play the room they recommend for enthusiasts, C’thulu Awakens, and to set up a video interview.

After playing the room, we got to sit down with Richard, the owner and our Game Master, to hear more about how Sly Fox designs their rooms, offers a choice of difficulty levels (on the fly), and what advice they have for other escape room owners.

Richard also provided our readers with a discount code to use when booking a room at his location. Use ERG15 to take 15% off your tickets through May 2019.

Check out the video interview below:

Have you done any of the rooms at this location? What was your experience like? You can add your comments to this post.

Stay tuned for our review of C’thulu Awakens. Check out and follow our social media channels below to be notified when new postings and interviews are published.

Are there locations or rooms you’d like us to scout out?

Email us at [email protected] and let us know!

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Interview with Time to Escape (Lakewood, CO) – February 17, 2019

Video ~ ~ Mike K.

ESCAPE ROOM INTERVIEW:

In preparation for enjoying a nice long, holiday weekend out in Colorado (mostly in Colorado Springs), we were recommended by the owner of another escape room company to check out Time to Escape on our way back from Denver. So, we reached out to Arianna, who invited us to check out her location in Lakewood, and we stopped in to see what Time to Escape was all about.

While we were there, we played throughThe Burning Castle, a theme that involved time travel and the infamous Vlad Tepes (a.k.a. Dracula), himself. Afterwards, we sat down with Arianna and found out how she came up with the inspiration for the rooms themselves.

Additionally, she’s offered our readers a $5 discount on tickets when using the code ERG5D ($5 off per ticket) when booking the rooms.

Check out the video interview below [and apologies for the audio; Jason forgot his recording equipment on this trip]:

Have you done any of the rooms at this location? What was your experience like? You can add your comments to this post.

Stay tuned for our review of the Burning Castle. Check out and follow our social media channels below to be notified when new postings and interviews are published.

Are there locations or rooms you’d like us to scout out?

Email us at [email protected] and let us know!

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Interview with Puzzah! (Denver, CO) – February 17, 2019

Video ~ ~ Mike K.

ESCAPE ROOM INTERVIEW:

A few months ago, we had planned a nice long, holiday weekend out in Colorado, mostly in Colorado Springs. We’d been chatting with Ryan, the co-owner and co-founder of Puzzah!, who invited us up to check out his location in Denver. So, we took one of our days to head back North to see what Puzzah! was all about.

We elected to do their Kazam room, since we were intrigued by this option of getting to do bonus puzzles (or “buzzles” – a new term [accidentally] coined by Mike). After the room, we were able to chat in-depth with Ryan and his lead designer, Nick, as to what makes doing a room at Puzzah! a unique experience.

Additionally, they’ve offered our readers a 10% discount on tickets when using the code ERG10 when booking the rooms.

Check out the video interview below [and apologies for the audio; Jason forgot his recording equipment on this trip]:

Have you done any of the rooms at this location? What was your experience like? You can add your comments to this post.

Stay tuned for our review of Kazam. Check out and follow our social media channels below to be notified when new postings and interviews are published.

Are there locations or rooms you’d like us to scout out?

Email us at [email protected] and let us know!

Follow us on our social media channels:

Interview with Rush Hour Live Escape Games (Fredericksburg, VA) – February 1, 2019

Video ~ ~ Mike K. ~ 1 Comment

ESCAPE ROOM INTERVIEW:

When the opportunity came up to try out a few new rooms at a location we hadn’t done before, we – of course – jumped at the opportunity.

We braved the traffic going South on I-95 from Alexandria, VA on a Friday night to Fredericksburg, VA to visit Rush Hour Live Escape Games. We completed two of their rooms, Something Wicked and Tomb of the Red Queen, and had the opportunity to chat with Paul, one of the owners, about his location, rooms, and how they create great experiences for their customers.

Check out the video interview below:

Have you done any of the adventures at this location? What was your experience like? You can add your comments to this post.

Stay tuned for our reviews of Something Wicked and Tomb of the Red Queen. Check out and follow our social media channels below to be notified when new postings and interviews are published.

Are there locations or rooms you’d like us to scout out?

Email us at [email protected] and let us know!

Follow us on our social media channels:

Interview with 5 Wits Adventures Arlington (Arlington, VA) – January 24, 2019

Video ~ ~ Mike K.

ESCAPE ROOM INTERVIEW:

As part of our due diligence of keeping track of all the escape rooms in the metro DC area, Jason started a conversation with Zephyr, the Sales and Marketing manager at 5 Wits Adventures in Arlington, VA. He wanted to check on their timetable for the grand opening of their new location in Ballston Quarter. After a few months, Zephyr confirmed that they were ready to do a soft opening and invited us in to check out some of their experiences.

While we were there, Jason was also able to spend some time with Dawn, their Operations Manager, and find out what makes an experience at 5 Wits Adventures a bit different from your typical escape room, and how they came up with their design philosophy.

Check out the video interview below:

Please note that 5 Wits Adventures prefers not to be listed as Escape Rooms, but Adventures (they are a very different breed of interactive experience), but for purposes of consistency within our blog, this is tagged as an Escape Room Interview.

Have you done any of the adventures at this location? What was your experience like? You can add your comments to this post.

Stay tuned for our review of Espionage and the other adventures after we get a chance to do them. Check out and follow our social media channels below to be notified when new postings and interviews are published.

Are there locations or rooms you’d like us to scout out?

Email us at [email protected] and let us know!

Follow us on our social media channels: