Escape Room Review: Escape From the Magic Show

Company: Real Escape Game / SCRAP
Room: Escape from the Magic Show
Date Played: 4/23/16
Player Count: 5 (2 + 3 strangers)

Success:  No, failure!

Premise: You're at a magic show, but then there's a magic bomb and you're tied to a bunch of strangers. So defuse the bomb, or you're doomed to live in the El Rey theater forever!

Immersion: Well, it was kind of a magic show, in that there was someone doing magic tricks on stage at the beginning and end of the event. And the group of strangers that we were paired with claimed that they thought they were there to attend a real magic show and that they didn't know there was a game, which is just what someone would say if it had been a real magic show. So I guess that was pretty realistic.

Highlights: The scant few physical things there were to do, like unlocking a couple of locks. 

Lowlights: Most of the puzzles had to fit on a small cocktail table and be replicated for two dozen groups, which means most of them were like doing an activity workbook for kids. The event cost more than going to a regular escape room. The random strangers we met were kind of a drag. Plus they blew up our bomb, so now we have to live in the El Rey forever.

And Finally:   We were pretty excited about the idea of one of this company's other games, The Time Travel Lab, until we actually played this one, which was pretty disappointing. I've heard they're doing Escape the Bank Vault in Long Beach later this year, but I think we'll skip it.

Out of 3 escape rooms played, Escape From the Magic Show is a distant #3. 

How to book this room yourself: You probably can't. This was a limited engagement event. It's for the best. But you could visit http://realescapegame.com for permanent games and upcoming special events.