Escape Hilo - Jungle Mystery Review (Hawaii)

Hi all

While on our Hawaii holiday in July 2023, we also checked out the Big Island of Hawaii for a week.  We found ourselves at Hilo on the 4^th of July and managed to get a last minute booking to check out Escape Hilo’s room called Jungle Mystery.  I had done some research ahead of our trip and had read a little about Escape Hilo, but I never received a response to my Facebook message so I had assumed that they might not have survived the pandemic. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw their sign and after calling the owner, we made our booking.

We were our team of usual 4 adults, together with our 2 daughters. Jungle Mystery was our 227^th escape room to date.  The summary of the room from their website is as follows:

Recover a lost family heirloom before your time expires. You have 60 minutes to solve your way out!

Before we played the room, we chatted with Ryan, the owner of Escape Hilo for a while. He explained that we could either play with hints, or without hints, the latter making us eligible for the leader board. After some discussions amongst the team, we decided to play without hints (which meant that no matter how stuck we might become, no hints were coming our way).

Here is what I thought of Jungle Mystery:

·        I would describe the theming as being pretty ‘gen 1’ quality – think astroturf and simple painted walls, which were fine but not at quite the same level that we see at most escape rooms these days;

·        the props were all good quality and made sense for the storyline;

·        there were a number of puzzles that our daughters were able to join in on, which was really nice.  Speaking of puzzles, they were quite varied and some were pretty challenging.  There was also some hunt and seek fun, which the girls in particular enjoyed;

·        there was a nice amount of tech used in Jungle Mystery – it was all well concealed and assisted with lifting the level of immersion; and

·        the experience was definitely family friendly – there were no dark elements or jump scares of any kind.

Our team really enjoyed Jungle Mystery.  We were all kept busy during our escape and adults and kids alike had plenty to do to escape.  I am glad to report that we made the right call in playing the ‘no hints’ version, as we didn’t need any.  We also found out we escaped in the second best time of any team that had ever played Jungle Mystery (by only a few seconds).  Ryan also told us that the team ahead of us had to play the room twice to get that time…

Where:                       Escape Hilo (Big Island, Hawaii)

Duration:                    60 minutes

Themes:                      1

Cost:                           $35USD per person

Overall Rating:           A fun, family-friendly adventure

More details:              https://escapehilo.com/  

 

 

Mystery Maui Escape Room - The Ramen Shop Review (Maui)

Hi all

In July 2023, my wife had a conference in Hawaii so we took our girls for a 2 week holiday.  Our first stop was a week on the island of Maui, which was beautiful.  It was our second time there, but the first time for our daughters.  They loved the resort and nearby Lahaina.  We were very lucky to have spent a little time in Lahaina while we there, as only a few weeks after we returned to Sydney it was decimated by bushfires. It was incredibly sad seeing footage of a place we had visited only weeks before completely gone.

After taking our girls to see the beautiful Mount Haleakala one morning, we checked out Mystery Maui Escape Rooms on the way back to our resort.  I had spent some time online researching the best rooms to play in Maui and their room called The Ramen Shop came out on top.  We were our team of usual 4 adults, together with our 2 daughters for this escape.

The Ramen Shop was our 226^th escape room to date.  The summary of the room from their website is as follows:

The dread pirate Captain Sam Bellamy has managed to obtain a booty unlike any ever seen by mortal men. But tonight, he and his men are ashore, celebrating their success and spending their ill-gotten gains. Any enterprising pirate, such as yourself, could sneak aboard and get your hands on Bellamy's Booty, if you're quick enough!

Here is what I thought of The Ramen Shop:

·        the standout part of this experience was the puzzles. There were a lot of puzzles to get through in just 60 minutes and there was a moment in the game where we thought we might not actually escape in time.  Luckily we were able to speed through the last few puzzles and managed to escape with a couple of minutes to spare;

·        the theming was nicely done and the space felt like an authentic Chinese restaurant.  The puzzles were varied and used interesting elements, all of which suited the theme and storyline well;

·        wall treatments were awesome, as were the props used throughout (which all made sense in the space and followed the backstory well);

·        compared to many other rooms that we have played, there was not a huge amount of tech in The Ramen Shop, but the tech that was used was well utilised and well concealed; and

·        the room was definitely family-friendly.  There was one element that was slightly confronting for younger kids, but it was managed well (and our 7 and 11yos had no issues).

We really enjoyed our time at Mystery Maui Escape Room.  The room was challenging and contained so many puzzles that for the first time in a long time, we came close to not escaping.  The adults and kids alike had a ball.

Where:                        Mystery Maui Escape Rooms

Duration:                    60 minutes

Themes:                      2

Cost:                           $40USD per person

Overall Rating:           Awesome, challenging puzzles – great fun!

More details:              https://www.mysterymaui.com/

 

60 Out - Orion's Ridiculous Revenge Review (Live Experience)

Hi all

In October 2020, I played Orion’s Ridiculous Revenge by 60 Out with some escape room enthusiast friends of mine.  Orion’s Ridiculous Revenge is an escape room business based in LA. 

Orion’s is a Live Experience room, meaning that whilst we did have to play at a designated time and we did have a host, there was no live avatar in the room.  Orion’s was my 159^th room to date and my 15^th virtual room.

The theme of the room is as follows:

Afraid of Miss Jezebel? Meet her crazy cat!

Orion, Miss Jezebel’s favorite feline, is on the mission to protect his home from threats, both foreign and domestic, and Miss Jezebel’s newest suitor is definitely the cat’s meow when it comes to evil plans. Will you be able to assist Orion in thwarting the dastardly actions of this bombastic beau?

For those of you who have played 60 Out’s Miss Jezebel room, this the sequel.  You can check out my review of Miss Jezebel here.

I enjoyed many aspects of Orion’s, the least of which is of course the crude humour throughout.  There were also a number of interesting puzzles and some questionable challengers that players needed to complete.

Overall, Orion’s unfortunately wasn’t half the game that Miss Jezebel was.  The reason for this is that the fundamental appeal of Jezebel is the interaction that players have with the Live Avatar, who was incredible.  The level of crude humour, fun and immersion of the original Jezebel was unlike anything else I have played.  Although Orion’s was fun, I think 60 Out made a big mistake in following up Miss Jezebel with a non-live avatar experience. 

Where                           Virtual room (online)

Virtual Room Type:      Live Experience

Duration:                      60 minutes

Themes:                        2 virtual games

Cost:                             $15USD per player

Overall Rating:             Fun but not a pinch on the original Miss Jezebel room

More details:                https://www.60out.com/

 

Level Games - The Menagerie Review (Formerly Live Avatar)

Hi all

Back in July, 2020, I played a virtual, live avatar escape room online with other enthusiasts.  The game was called "The Menagerie" and was run by Level Games in North Hollywood. 

I am very slowly working through my long backlog of escape room reviews and I left this one a little too late, given that Level Games appears to have closed down.  However, it looks like Trapped Escape Room Inland has adapted The Menagerie, which is now available in person only at their Upland location.

The plot of the room is that you are given an assignment to look into some people that have recently gone missing.  The Menagerie was my 11th virtual room and my 152nd room to date. 

The Menagerie was an interesting game with interesting puzzles.  The live avatar and inventory systems that were used worked well.  

I thought there were some really interesting puzzles used throughout the game.  As far as live-avatar virtual rooms go, I thought The Menagerie was a strong room.  It's a shame that it is no longer available virtually, but at least it has been resurrected and can be played in person for those traveling to California.

Where                           Previously virtual (now in person only in California)

Virtual Room Type:       Live Avatar (at the time we played)

Duration:                       60 minutes

Themes:                        4 games

Overall Rating:             Solid live avatar room with interesting puzzles

More details:                https://www.trappedescaperoominland.com/the-rooms/the-menagerie/

 

Mind Trap Escape Room - Gold Rush Review (Live Avatar)

 

Hi all

Back in July 2020, for my daughter's birthday I booked Gold Rush at Mind Trap, based in Temecula in California.  The year before my family went on a trip to California and Gold Rush almost made the cut, but we ended up running out of time.  One of the few benefits of the global pandemic is that some great rooms from around the world are now accessible online.  I had been told that Gold Rush is a great room for children and it did not disappoint.

Gold Rush was our 151st room to date.  The room summary is below:

Can you feel the fever?! El Dorado county is hiding the richest secrets of the country right below the surface. Kanaka Jack is rumored to know the location of a hidden mine – finding it will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams! This is an escape game with an explosive secret that will bring the whole family together. Raid Jack’s cabin, unlock the entrance to his hidden mine, and blast your way out!

My team (including our 2 daughters) really enjoyed Gold Rush.  I would not describe the room as an easy room - we were challenged the whole time and we only escaped with under 10 minutes left on the clock.  The puzzles were challenging, the game master/live avatar was excellent and the theming was up there with some of the best rooms we had played online. There was also a really nice mix of quite varied puzzles.  

Where                           Virtual room (online)

Virtual Room Type:     Live Avatar

Duration:                      60 minutes

Themes:                        2 virtual games

Cost:                             $60USD (for up to 2 connections)

Overall Rating:             Excellent theming, puzzles and game master

More details:                https://mindtrapescaperoom.com/

60 Out - Miss Jezebel Review (Live Avatar)

Hi all

Back in July 2020, my usual team of 4 played Miss Jezebel from 60 Out, based in Los Angeles.

I had heard so many great things about Jezebel that it had been on my to do list for some time.  Jezebel was our 150th room to date (and it did not disappoint!).

The room theme is as follows:

You are cordially invited to the residence of a killer, an assassin of men who’s showing no signs of stopping. Can you and your friends survive her ‘hospitality’ and collect all the evidence against her before this bizarre black widow traps you in her web for good? Come experience 60Out’s wildest, weirdest, and raunchiest adventure against the devious debutante herself at Miss Jezebel’s Tea Party!

The minimum age to play Jezebel is 18 and after having played, I agree this is not a room for children!

Whilst it is true that some of the fun with Jezebel comes from shock humour (I would bet that it really is unlike anything else you have seen in an escape room), it is much more than that.  The game master interaction is the best I have seen to date in a Live Avatar room.  Miss Jezebel is very skilled at drawing players in and ensuring that they are engaged and play their role accordingly. The jokes are crass but hilarious.  

Most impressive though is that the puzzles in Jezebel are truly fantastic.  There is a really nice mix of high tech and incredibly (laugh out loud) low tech puzzles in the mix.  The room design is very clever and allows for players to play with 3 separate characters.  

I really can't speak highly enough of Jezebel.  I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  The creators (and actors) are as good as it gets. 

Where                           Virtual room (online)

Virtual Room Type:     Live Avatar

Duration:                      60 minutes

Themes:                        2 virtual games

Cost:                             $190USD (for 4 players)

Overall Rating:             Incredibly immersive and laugh out loud fun!

More details:                https://www.60out.com/

 

Mad Genius - The Truth About Edith Review (Live Experience)

Hi all

Back in June 2020, I played The Truth About Edith from Mad Genius, who are based in Portland Oregon.  This was my 8th virtual room and my 149th room to date.

The Truth About Edith is a really interesting experience - part escape room experience, part online puzzle adventure and part live-acting experience.  The game relies heavily on telescape, which allows all players to work together to manipulate puzzles on their computer screens.  Whilst there is a small section of the experience that relies on a live actor, this is only a short period at the end.  I would therefore describe this experience as a Live Experience (ie not a Live Avatar room).

This was one of my first experiences playing with a telescape room.  It was fun and there were interesting puzzles that required all players to work as a team.  There is a strong storyline that is enjoyable and entertaining.

Overall I thought The Truth About Edith was enjoyable.  Unfortunately, I have come to really enjoy Live Avatar rooms much more than Live Experiences and these days, I typically only play Live Avatar rooms (and avoid Live Experiences and Non Live rooms).  But as far as Live Experiences go, The Truth About Edith was one of the better ones.

Where:                                   Virtual room (online)

Virtual Room Type:               Live Experience

Duration:                                60 minutes

Themes:                                 2 virtual games

Cost:                                      $25USD per player

Overall Rating:                      Fun and interesting game using telescape

More details:                         https://www.madgeniusescapes.com/