Escape Games, by their very nature, act as a vehicle to bring people together. While most unquestionably cater their difficulty levels towards teens and adults, some set out to redefine the notion of family entertainment. Today we celebrate those brands whose games, while still satisfying for more experienced players, aim to offer an attainable challenge for the young and young at heart.
Escape Authority is honored to announce our 2020 Keys To Greatness – Best Family Brand winners:
Looking Glass Adventures
Looking Glass Adventures is, perhaps, the Toronto market’s most beloved mom & pop venue, so it should come as no surprise that its games appeal to the entire family. Once inside, guests will find a location jam-packed with game themes that appeal to all ages – each balanced perfectly with puzzles still completely fun for experienced players, but entirely attainable for the young and young at heart. Beyond their whimsically delightful escape games, Looking Glass Adventures also operates as a hometown board game shop, even offering free personal delivery around the greater Toronto area! It’s clear from top to bottom that Looking Glass Adventures prides itself on not just hospitality, but fostering a passion that will inspire the next generation of escape game enthusiasts.
Our full reviews of of Looking Glass Adventures three family-friendly games will be posting soon.
Improbable Escapes
Situated partway between Toronto and Montreal, Canada, Improbable Escapes might be a bit off the beaten trail for many of us – but their impeccable quality and attention to detail should make them an immediate destination attraction for any fan of the escape game genre. With multiple locations, it is their Wonderland venue that truly puts them on the Family Brand map. From its lobby full of hundreds of board games, free to play during your visit’s allotted time window, to some of the most whimsical and fantastical fairy tale based escape games we’ve ever seen, Improbable Escapes Wonderland is simply an escape game must-see. Uniquely iconic, recognizable themes, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Alice in wonderland and Peter Pan leap off the pages and quite literally come to life, executed so impressively through both their scenic and storytelling, made even better through their original, outside the box puzzle flows. Improbable Escapes Wonderland will appeal to the young and young at heart- with games guaranteed to provide even the most experienced of players with their Happily Ever After.
Click Here to read our full review of Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission.
5 Wits
(Foxboro, MA / West Nyack, NY / Albany, NY / Syracuse, NY / Buffalo, NY / Plymouth Meeting, PA / Arlington, VA)
There’s perhaps no better way to explain 5 Wits to a new player than saying “this is what it might be like if Disney created an escape game.” Simply put, without question, there’s no bigger honor in the entertainment world than drawing that comparison. 5 Wits is the ultimate Family brand in Escape Game (like) activities – full of themes that appeal to all ages, and puzzles attainable to any given skill set. Their experiences, from story to scenic and incredible-quality effects, have maximum “wow!” factor sure to impress experienced players, but are programmed in such a way to help guide those newer to the escape game world. Through the combination of such high quality production value and achievable challenges, there’s no doubt that in the many years since 5 Wits essentially invented the escape game genre in 2004, they’ve inspired many of us to seek out more of these types of attractions, creating countless dedicated fans in the process.When it comes to Family Brands, 5 Wits is the standard-bearer.
Be sure to read our full reviews of Drago’s Castle, Espionage, 20,000 Leagues, Deep Space and Tomb.
Congratulations to our winners of the first ever Keys To Greatness – Best Family Brand award!
With more than 1,000 games played across the site, being picked as one of the best three in the country is a well-earned honor to truly be proud of!
With so many deserving games worthy of recognition, our goal is to ensure these Keys To Greatness awards are attainable to all – not just those with blockbuster budgets that might be otherwise out of reach. As such, it’s important to note that we have, as much as possible, limited games to winning a single category – but every game will still be qualified to win the coveted Keys to Greatness – Best Game award, as well as the Keys to Greatness – Remote Play awards.
*Although the games I’ve personally designed are consistently very highly rated by both enthusiasts and newer players alike, I cannot in good conscience nominate an attraction I created. As such, those games and the venues that call them home have been intentionally omitted from consideration for any Keys To Greatness award.
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