Recently our team went to an escape room for a team building event. If you are like me, you’ve heard about escape rooms but don’t really know what they are, haven’t experienced one and have a frozen perception that they aren’t for you. This review should help you answer the question, “Mom, I want to do an escape room with my friends, can I?”
When I was a middle-schooler or high-schooler I loved the games 7th Guest and 11th Hour. They are puzzle games where you have to solve certain things to get out of the room to progress. Find the key to put in the chest to read the clue, etc… If I am going to be immersed in a game I prefer a puzzle game. I also have a low threshold for creepy. So, generally speaking I find games that aren’t super creepy. I wasn’t sure where Escape Rooms would fare for someone like me.
We went to Hourglass Escapes in Seattle and they had two specific game options: Tales of the Ghostly Galleon and Rise of the Mad Pharaoh. I was part of the team that chose Rise of the Mad Pharaoh. While some of the themes of both could be seen as creepy, you are so busy solving puzzles you really aren’t thinking about any of that.
Here’s how it goes:
- First we watched a video to set the stage for what we were about to do. We learned the rules and got into character. You can play your character up as much or as little as you want. We didn’t really get into the characters too much in our group.
- After you have the basics you are led into the game room. The name “Escape Room” had me thinking we would be locked in the room and have to find a way out. The goal was solving the puzzles for the story and not escaping the room itself.
- Once the game started we were in the room working together to solve puzzles. Each puzzle led to another until finally we won or lost the challenge. You have 1 hour to complete the puzzle. I really enjoyed working together on the puzzles with my team. I’d say that in some games a smaller team may be more effective than a larger team because there are lots of voices yelling ideas on solving the mystery!
- There is an actor with you in the room that can be of assistance.
- After the puzzle solving you take a few fun pictures and talk about how much fun it was!
Bottom line, I would definitely do an escape room again. You can even make it a family event. Kids as young as 12 can attend. Each escape room has different themes so use your discretion on what is right for your family. They told us there were some more intense escape rooms that involve actors, more sound effects and the point is to make it a more creepy, real-life experience.
If you want to check out a local Escape Room in Seattle, I would recommend Hourglass Escapes in Seattle. You can enter to win tickets for you and 3 friends! We had a great time! (Note: I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.)
Have you ever done an Escape Room? What did you think?
If you aren’t located in Seattle, I suggest looking for an escape room near you. Try Yelp or Trip Advisor! They generally even do birthday parties.
