Escape Room Game

These are escape room games that you buy and play at home. They require manipulation of physical elements to play. They may come in some sort of box, or have a digital component (like an app or a website). You play these whenever you wish.

Do not confuse these with games you play through another company where you buy a time slot in which to have your experience.

Uncovering the Family Jewels – Game: Legacy Episode 2: Hellas – July 19, 2020

~ Jason

ESCAPE GAME REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you’ve always wondered if your family had a secret stash.

Avoid if… you don’t take advantage of local pamphlets and brochures while on vacation.

THE BASICS

Argyx Games

Developer Website: https://www.argyxgames.com/

The Game: Legacy: Quest for a Family Treasure – Episode 2: Hellas

Description (from the company website): Marseille, Fall 2019. You receive the letter of a notary that comes with a mysterious black box. In his last will, your estranged father reveals the existence of a family treasure, hidden somewhere in Europe. To find it, he leaves you objects and documents that belonged to him as well as to your ancestor. You have to shed light on the past in order to be able to claim your inheritance… (see their video below)

Difficulty (1-10): N/A

Time Limit: None, but typically completed in 60-90 minutes on average

Cost: $56 to $119, depending on which package you back on Kickstarter

Identifier: R1

Party Size: 2-4 people

OUR EXPERIENCE

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this game 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 game: We’re not going to go into detail here as it’s basically a surprise for you. Our promotional game, however, came in a blue paper envelope from Argyx in Paris. Your game will come in the black box shown on the KickStarter page.

Understanding of the Mission: First, keep in mind that Hellas is game 2 in this set. Its story continues the one you complete in Eiffel 1889 (which is also a slightly longer game than Hellas). In Eiffel 1889, you were trying to find the identity of a lost ancestor. In Hellas, you need to take what you learned and discover the location of said ancestors buried fortune. There are 5 distinct tasks for you to complete to do so.

How Much Space is Needed: 4-6 sq.ft. is sufficient for the materials, plus space for a laptop or tablet.

Age Appropriate: It’s rated 14+. There’s nothing inappropriate in Hellas.

Did We “Escape”: Yep!

Time Remaining: We finished in about 1:15 (it should take you 60-90 minute on average). Yay, we’re average!

Our Suggested Party Size: 2-4 for sure

Did the room challenge the entire team? Mostly

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Steph D, Heather

Worth the time and money? This is a loaded question. The price is pretty steep for a take home game ($57/€47), BUT that gets you 2 games (Eiffel 1889 and Hellas (this one)) and all the stretch goals of the campaign (which includes, at the time of this writing, 1 additional document for Eiffel 1889 and one for Hellas (which is another puzzle)). That comes out to roughly 2-3 hours of total game time.

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There is an Art to Capturing Criminal Masterminds – Game: The Escape Game Unlocked: The Heist (Volume 1) – May 27, 2019

~ Jason ~ 1 Comment

ESCAPE GAME REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you prefer to stay indoors, want to be a detective, and are technologically inclined.

Avoid if… you don’t like art and don’t really care about justice.

THE BASICS

The Escape Game:

Developer Information: The Escape Game: Unlocked

The Game: The Heist – Volume 1: Chasing Hahn

Description (from the company website): IN THIS EDITION, YOU’LL CONTINUE YOUR MISSION FROM “THE HEIST” AS A SECRET AGENT IN AN EFFORT TO THWART THE INFAMOUS ART CURATOR, VINCENT HAHN.

With the help of your Intelligence Agent, you’ll uncover The Curator’s true identity, connect him to a crime, and work with the International Police to finally exact justice.

ERG Note: You do not have to have played the previous room of the same name to follow the story.

Difficulty (1-10): Unrated

Time Limit: No time limit

Cost: $20

Identifier: R1

Party Size: 1 to 4 players

OUR EXPERIENCE

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this game 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 game: There are postcards, evidence photos, a brochure, and some props used in the game.

Understanding of the Mission: We were tasked by law enforcement to track down Vincent Hahn, a notorious art thief, by figuring out what he was going to steal next and from where.

How Much Space is Needed: We played on a table that was 3′ x 6′ and there was still room left for our snacks and drinks.

Age Appropriate: The theme is appropriate for all ages, but the puzzles are listed as 12 and up.

Did We “Escape”: Yes!

Time Remaining: There’s no limit, but we finished in about 84 minutes.

Our Suggested Party Size: The game is recommended for 1-4 players and our 6…got a little bored at times. 4 is definitely right.

Did the game challenge the entire team? At times.

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Steph, Corey, Eric, and Brittany

Worth the time and money? $20 is a steal for this.

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Dispatch by Breakout Games: On the Run, Box 2 – Game Review – May 15, 2018

Video ~ ~ Mike K.

ESCAPE GAME REVIEW:

Dispatch by Breakout Games – Game Subscription

On the Run – Box 2

Cost: Varies. Monthly payment options and box sets available on the website.

So, this review is based on Box 2 of a series that explores the continuing saga of your childhood friend, James, who is on the run after being accused of the murder of his wife, the heiress of a powerful family, during their honeymoon. James has been reaching out to you through a series of boxes sent to your address, which evolves the mystery. This is a pretty cool premise because while this isn’t an actual escape room, the mere method of tying in the delivery of the boxes to you starts the immersive experience.

We liked the second box as much as the first one. It required a lot of reading (like the first) and solving a lot of different clues using items in the box as well as your phones.

This one took us about 35-40 minutes, and was done by the same group of us (Mike, Jason, and our Escaptern Mark)

Watch our video review and comment on this post.

Are you playing this subscription? What do you think?

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

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

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Dispatch by Breakout Games: On the Run, Box 1 – Game Review – May 8, 2018

Video ~ ~ Mike K.

ESCAPE GAME REVIEW:

Dispatch by Breakout Games – Game Subscription

On the Run – Box 1 (see promo video below)

Cost: Varies. Monthly payment options and box sets available on the website.

So, we are expanding our reviews to include games, and we decided to do a video overview of our experience playing box 1 of the On the Run series from Dispatch at Breakout Games.

Watch our video review and comment on this post. Are you playing this subscription? What do you think?

Also, do you like the video review, or do you prefer our standard format with the different sections rated by both Jason and Mike?

Let us know!

Are there games, 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:

Who Knew Zombies Liked Pizza? – Game: Escape Room Z – April 2, 2018

~ Mike K. ~ 2 Comments

ESCAPE GAME REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you need a new and unique activity for Board Game Night.

Avoid if… you aren’t good with arts and crafts.

THE BASICS

Lock Paper Scissors:

Website: www.lockpaperscissors.co

The Game: Escape Room Z

Description (from the company website): Zombies are everywhere! And they’re hungry … hungry for … PIZZA!

Trapped in an apartment on the 28th floor, can you rescue the pizza, get the gun, unlock the door, and defeat the zombies?

But how? By solving lots and lots of interesting, fun puzzles!

Welcome to Escape Room Z, an hour-long puzzling adventure for you and your crew.

Difficulty (1-10): none given

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $19.99 + supplies (if you download and print yourself)

Party Size: no more than 8 recommended

Staging Area: Your room should be a comfortable size for however many people are in your party to get up and move around.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took before we played the game:

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

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this game 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: We used our Community Room in our condo building (Jason and I live in the same building, but you’d know that already if you watched the pre-room video). We had 6 people, and that was a good size (although maybe our room was a bit too large for the number of pieces of the game).

Understanding of the Mission: Essentially, save the pizza that is baking in an oven on the 28th floor from a horde of hungry zombies.

Did We Escape: Yes (we saved the pizza LOL)

Time Remaining: about 19:30

Our Suggested Party Size: 6 is probably good if people have done games like this before or are regular “escapees” (escape room enthusiasts/addicts).

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Eric, Heather, Corey, Brittany and Katheryn (who served as our Game Master)

The ERG and their Disturbed Friends (Eric, Mike, Heather, Corey, Brittany, Katheryn, and Jason) turned their ordinary game night into an “escape the zombies” night!

Worth the time and money? Yes, even though it’s a once-and-done game (but all of them are anyway)

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

  • It’s your own location. Serve whatever snacks and drinks you want… maybe go with pizza to fit the theme?

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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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