ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY
Play if… you’ve always wanted to re-enact that scene with Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment (get your mind out of the gutter… THIS scene… well, on second though… maybe not ALL the way out of the gutter).
Avoid if… you are claustrophobic or get freaked out by Russian criminal masterminds.
THE BASICS
Brain Storm Adventure: – LOCATION CLOSED
Address: 312 Victory Drive, Herndon, VA 20170 (click address for Google Map)
Contact and Website: 571-375-1123
email: [email protected]
www.brainstormadventure.com
The Room – The Heist: RETIRED
Description (from the company website): An extremely dangerous, criminal mastermind and his crew have stolen Johnny’s – my top client – very valuable diamonds, gold, and more. Johnny has given us the information necessary for you and your team to complete this operation…
Dimitri Chechenkov:
- Wanted by all International Security Agencies
- Considered Extremely Dangerous
- Professional Thief/Assassin:
- Historic Art & Jewelry
- Precious stones, diamonds, and gold
- Classified Documents
- Beware:
- Travels with highly trained bodyguards
- Many connections
- Security on Premises
WARNING! THERE HAVE BEEN MANY AGENTS BEFORE YOU THAT HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL. ALL HAVE FAILED THE OPERATION TO RETRIEVE MY CLIENT’S STOLEN ITEMS.
Protocol:
- Assemble your team
- Report to location
BE PREPARED • BE DILIGENT • BE FOCUSED
Be ready:
- Find the clues
- Solve the puzzles
- Search all rooms
- COMPLETE EACH TASK AS DIRECTED!
- Don’t set off the silent alarm
- Find all stolen items
- Follow THE directions
- Be careful of the lasers
Difficulty (1-10): not listed, but no one (to date) has ever successfully escaped with all 10 items
Time Limit: 55 minutes
Cost: $30 per person up to 4, and slight price breaks after that. We paid $26.88 each for 8 people. If you pay full price, you are eligible for the prize money if your team is the first to complete the room. Otherwise, you can search their website for a hidden code that will give you a discount off the price when booking the room (and, no, we didn’t find the code, but we didn’t really look, either). [Update: Jason found the code right after completing his part of the review.]
Identifier: R1 (but this room has the clues and puzzles reset every week, allowing you to come back and try again)
Party Size: up to 10 (max), but at least 6 is suggested
Staging Area: This is located in an indoor game room facility (indoor golf simulator, anyone?), and has plenty of seating on couches and chairs. Restroom is right next to the seating area. Food and libations are also available in the Bar-n-Lounge area.
Metro Access/Parking: Not metro-accessible, but it’s out near Dulles Airport and easy access from the Dulles Toll Road.
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 in your mission briefing area outside of Dimitri’s house with your handler (handlers for this mission, not Game Masters). After your briefing, you enter the first room…
Understanding of the Mission: Go through Dimitri’s house and accomplish the objectives for each room, solve the tasks assigned, avoid security, make your way to the safe room, and find and escape with all 10 of your boss’ stolen items within 55 minutes. If your time runs out, you get captured and executed (even if you have found some items). Otherwise, you can abort your mission and escape with what you recovered.
Did We Escape: Well, we escaped (aborted said mission) with two items, so we didn’t exactly fail, but were told that the client was pissed that we didn’t recover everything. However, we did make the leader board in recovering 20% of the stolen items and escaped with those.
Time Remaining: 10 seconds
Our Suggested Party Size: We had 8, but we’d probably recommend 6 since it got a little crowded (and loud) at points.
Did the room challenge the entire team? Hell, f#$&ing yeah!
Members of our team (other than the ERG): Tasha, Tara, Mark, Eric, Matt, and Steph
Worth the time and money? Absolutely
Where to Eat/Drink Before/After: Try Google. We headed back to Alexandria (our home base for most of the Disturbed Friends) for drinks at Portner Brewhouse.