Escape Room Reviews: Testing Facility

Company: Escape Chronicles
Room: Testing Facility
Date Played: 4/9/17
Player Count: 2, but 3-4 would be ideal
Success:  Success!

Premise: You’re here to help the professor, and his helpful AI assistant. Except, there was one little tiny barely noticable glitch, and the AI is trying to kill you. So maybe fix that.

Immersion: Our setting is the company break room, which is a pretty easy look to set your sights on. Luckily, this room does a great job. There are several custom items that totally fit the room and are very fun interactions. The characters are pre-recorded, but in a really nice touch, it seems that the designers have recorded hints and reactions to common-but-wrong actions that the GM can trigger.  

Highlights: I can't explain why, but I really like it when there's a computer in an escape room. It's not super common. The aforementioned tech items were neat, but a lot of low tech puzzling is also present, as well as some easter egg kind of content. The whole thing seems to be designed with a little bit of Portal flavor, but never actually feels like it's ripping anything off. The end game is undoubtedly easier for more players but working around that little problem was fun.

Lowlights: This sounds a little bit silly when I abstract out all of the spoilers, but there was one part where I got the sense that the GM could see exactly what I was doing to solve something, and I felt surprisingly self-conscious. Like I didn't want to look like I was guessing or doing something dumb. I worry for the owners and future players about the durability of some of the props. We received one unsolicited hint that kind of wasted some of our time by directing our attention away from the puzzle we were working on.

And Finally: The Testing Facility had not been open long when we got to it, and I hope more people have discovered it since. Looking back over my diagram* I'm reminded that there was actually a lot of neat things going on in here. I might be in favor of a room providing a larger number of smaller tasks to create the feeling of forward progress. This room does that by breaking into non-linear chunks in between story beats, so your group can split up to take on various tasks that lead you all back together for the next burst of plot. Plus, it's great to have a functional plot in the game! It's taken me by surprise as I write this, but out of 21 games played, the Testing Facility comes in at #3!

How to book this room yourself: Visit https://www.escapechronicles.com/rooms/testing-facility/

*What, you don't have a drawing of the each room you've played in which you've labeled the points of interest and flow of events that you can refer to later on?

#2,334: Land of Mine

Green Room - ★★★½☆
I liked this a lot more than Blue Ruin. Can't wait to see what color they make next!

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - ★★½☆☆
What makes this movie feel weird is the scenes that are written, but not shot, like a comedy. That and and all the plot someone crammed into the third act.

La La Land - ★★★☆☆
Really put this one off for a while, even though I liked Whiplash, because all of the buzz was making it feel like homework. It's really showy. If we play the Oscar™ best = most game, I think this wins for Most Directing.

Land of Mine - ★★★★☆
A good name for this movie would be "Dane-gerous Mines"

(That's a terrific joke, for a terrific movie. My pick for the foreign film Oscar™.)

Escape Room Reviews: Déja Vu

Company: Escape Era San Diego
Room: Déja Vu
Date Played: 2/19/17
Player Count: 2, which was just right.
Success:  Success!

Premise: You’ve received a package telling you to be at a certain place at a certain time. And the package is from… you!

Immersion: Middle of the road. The room feels a little bit cluttered, with a lot of stuff packed into a small space, and it's in no danger of being confused for the "real thing."  All of the props looked good though, and one element half way through is especially effective at drawing you into the story.

Highlights: I came out of this one riding high because I caught a few good solves in a row. (Unfortunately, that's because some of the puzzles are fairly single-player affairs.) There are some puzzles I haven't seen anywhere else, one of which is especially delightful because you'd think it would be everywhere. But it's not. It's just here. Along with a fair mix of locks and tech objects.

Lowlights: HUGE sequence breaking is possible in this game. Almost a third of the game is a chain that culminates in a hint for a puzzle that is available and solvable early on. We just happened to backtrack a little in the name of exploration, which turned out to be a waste of time. Actually, there was kind of a lot of backtracking. 

And Finally:  We did this room and The Diner in one afternoon, on the drive back from San Diego to Los Angeles from a DDMTA screening. On the day, my attitude towards both rooms was influenced pretty heavily by my own performance. If you've only got time for one or the other, The Diner is the better bet, but I'm still looking forward to Escape Era opening their awesome-sounding Video Arcade room. Out of 20 games played, this one clocks in at #10.

How to book this room yourself: Visit http://www.escapeera.com

#2,330: Gods of Egypt

Assassin's Creed - ★☆☆☆☆
I'm happy for Michael Fassbender and his new boat. I thought this was reasonably well directed, in that I generally could tell what was happening on screen, but badly written, in as much as I never had any idea what was going on in the movie.

Silence - ★★★☆☆
It may well be the point, but this is a tough movie to love. It sure doesn't help that it's being sold as a kind of 'men on a (ahem) mission' adventure, but I guess no one's going to line up for 'a catalog of incessant cruelty!'

JFK - ★★★★☆
Welp, I'm convinced!

Costner is good in his role as the engine of the thin veneer of plot Oliver Stone wraps around all of the 'evidence' he wants to lay out. Also, I've heard the John Williams theme to JFK for years, but the film itself turns those snares into something sinister...

Gods of Egypt - ½☆☆☆☆
It seems like right now everyone is going nuts for Hidden Figures. And while Hidden Figures is fine, and I'm glad we found out about those women and their story, it's not a great movie. I mean, it's not a Great Movie. It's good, there's nothing wrong with it. I just think that the average person going crazy for it doesn't see that many movies.

Likewise, when someone says that Batman v Superman is the worst movie of the year, or decade, or whatever; certainly it isn't a Great Movie either. Maybe it's even not-that-great of a movie, but those people aren't seeing everything that comes out. They might be vaguely aware, at the time it was released, that Gods of Egypt IS a movie, but of course they didn't see it. They just don't know how wide the gamut is. That 7/10 is the best movie you've ever seen and that 4/10 is the worst, but listen: the scale is from 1 to 10. Movies get even better. And so, so much worse.

Escape Room Reviews: The Diner

Company: Quicksand Escape
Room: The Diner
Location: San Diego, CA
Date Played: 2/19/17
Player Count: 2, could easily be 4
Success:  Success!

Premise: You’re running with a wild crowd, baby, and if you’re gonna act like a mob goon, you’re gonna have to rob a place now and then.  A place like this diner!

Immersion: This diner looks great! Like a peppermint sundae. Like so many escape rooms, it's set in the past, and nothing weirdly anachronistic is going on here. There are dozens of locks, and by and large the puzzles lean more toward reasonable and real things that could be in this setting to secure items or pass messages, and away from games and puzzles included for their own sake or to make the room longer.

Highlights: I won't say more than this about it, but the end game is super fun and exciting. The puzzling was a good mix of the easily understood that just requires a little elbow grease, and the 'flash of insight' variety that are so satisfying when they click in.

Lowlights: I think when we first stepped out of this one, I was a little bit down about needing a couple of hints. Our most commonly received hint is 'keep going!' Especially in a room with a lot of Spot Hidden challenges like this one, and especially when playing with a very small group. (More eyes means faster finds!) One puzzle that I took point on, I took it in a totally wrong direction until a clue put us back on track. 

And Finally:  Pain is temporary! Those light wounds to the ego pale when I look back over everything The Diner has to offer and how well designed it is. Like a movie that doesn't waste a scene, where everything turns out to be important sooner or later. It's easy to see why this room is so highly ranked in the San Diego area.  Out of 19 games played, this one comes in at #4. 

How to book this room yourself: Visit http://www.quicksandescape.com/the-diner.html