RATING: 3 Keys          RESULT: Win           REMAINING: 6:47

Robbing banks is easy, especially with the outside help of a recon team!

We’ve robbed plenty of banks before, but never enjoyed the luxury of such detailed recon. This story-driven heist allows robbers to dive into the world of bank manager Lillie Stevens as they snoop around her office. She’s made it difficult to gain access to the vault… but why do bank managers always seem to program alarms on a 55 minute delay?

This particular heist attempt begins in the managers workspace. As such, we found ourselves in a very stereotypical office setting.

Mrs. Stevens has filing cabinets, a large desk, a Rolodex of her clients, and plenty of small details to convince us that we are actually in the administrative side of a bank.

Upon gaining entry into the vault, we were quite excited to be faced with authentic bank safety deposit boxes. This attention to scenic accuracy doesn’t go unnoticed.

Although the set in Bank Heist has some weaker areas, it successfully transported our team of thieves into the world of Valley Isle Bank. Labels on many of the locks (for speedy employee reset) and an advertisement to book another escape game on the exit door of the bank worked against the immersiveness here. However, the genuine deposit boxes, wall safe, and even some real money do help make this experience feel more like a legitimate bank robbery.

Expedition Escape’s take on a Bank Heist game employs a variety of challenges, all nicely tied into the storyworld of Valley Isle Bank.

Observational skills, some very light riddle solving, and throwing Canadian money at the wall, will all be needed for a successful robbery.

This is an older small town bank, so we weren’t tasked with outsmarting or disabling any fancy security systems. In fact, the entirety of Bank Heist is a rather low-tech establishment that utilizes several word and numeric locks to keep criminals from the valuables stored in the safe. To its benefit, the puzzles that lead to all of the lock solutions are quite creative and unique.

We really enjoyed the penultimate puzzle sequence that required us to open several safety deposit boxes. These safes were once used in an actual bank. This detail provided a level of authenticity that is often missing even from the more scenically robust games on the market.

Some basic math is utilized in a few of the puzzles, but a calculator is provided to make this a very approachable game even for arithmetic averse players.

The puzzles in Bank Heist were all very logical and intuitive. However, if robbers ever get stuck their recon team is at the ready to help out. At Expedition Escape, hints can be provided either as needed in the Game Masters opinion or when requested by the players. This system really helps nudge groups in the right direction if they get stuck on any one particular task.

Bank Heist was the first game ever built by the team at Expedition Escape, and it will be closed in the very near future to make room for a new experience. While some of the set design is less immersive compared to other games at this venue, Bank Heist plays very well. A constant flow of discovery and new puzzles kept us moving and engaged in this robbery.

We had the opportunity to take a sneak peak at some of the newer games at Expedition Escape as well as some of their future projects that are currently in the works. Bank Heist is the humble beginning to something really special. This game is more of a classic, yet very fun escape room. It easily earned its 3 Key “A Good Game” rating, but lacked the “WOW” factor needed to lift it higher. Having played one other game at this venue and knowing what the future holds for Expedition Escape, we are very excited to return for more adventures!

One unique and super customer friendly promotion is the “Expedition Escape Passport”. All players receive their own passport and get a game specific stamp upon completing any of the adventures at either the King of Prussia location or its sister venue in Montgomeryville, PA. Three stamps earned within a six month period can be traded in for one free item from their Expedition Gear merchandise shelf!

Venue: Expedition Escape

Location: King of Prussia, PA

Number of Games: 4

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 8 people

Group Type: Private  / You will not be paired with strangers. Must book at least 4 spots.

Cost: $27 + tax per person

We thank Expedition Escape for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.