Review: Escape Woods

RATING: 4 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 3:46

A ground-breaking idea for escape rooms: a bunker that is actually in the ground.

Story

During the summer of 1952 an alien spacecraft crash landed in a corn field in a small town in western Georgia. The crash landing was covered up and kept secret by a small group of generals, scientists, and government officials. Over the next several years this covert group experimented on these alien beings under the top secret project name Project Omega. Over the past several decades we at The Alien Truth Project have searched for the proof of alien life and we have finally identified the location of at least one alien specimen in a top secret military underground bunker. We need you to recover and escape with the alien specimen.

Our mission is to trespass into a bunker to retrieve proof of alien life. However, this is not just any bunker. This is a top secret, underground facility that for years has been the site of experiments on alien lifeforms. What lies inside this structure is protected by government officials, scientists and military personnel that will do anything to keep its secrets safe.

Rather than showing the wounded aliens some good old-fashioned Southern hospitality and inviting them to do the local corn maze, the nearest representatives of humankind took them captive and began conducting experiments on them, all the while keeping their very existence under wraps. Decades later, a specimen is all that remains as proof of the lifeforms that arrived so long ago. We must make it past the security measures in place, obtain this specimen, and escape completely undetected. If we are caught, the consequence could be the same as if we never existed either.

This venue has taken full immersion to a whole other level. Sub-level, that is. This bunker game will likely be one of the few that takes the room theme so literally that you actually go underground and become part of the subterranean storyworld until you collect the extraterrestrial sample and escape with it in hand.

Scenic

True to the storyline and unlike many of the office space bunkers out there, we literally descend into an in-ground shelter via a small set of steps and a half-door that will make even the non-claustrophobic player pause before proceeding. Everything we discover inside the underground chambers below serves to illustrate the setting of the story. At times, taller players will need to duck and crouch, which only adds to the authenticity of the space.

There are remnants of scientific work throughout, suggested by various items of garb meant to safe-guard one from exposure to any potentially hazardous or foreign contagions introduced by alien contact.

Throughout the dimly lit, underground expanse are utilitarian items and scenic props that truly belong in the space. Even if we didn’t already know we were actually underground, the environment surrounding us is realistic enough to make us believe it. There is no frou-frou here; the digs are barren, and everything we see and find has a function and purpose for being there.

One last scenic morsel to feast upon is the fact that fans of The Hunger Games will delight in seeing and journeying through some set pieces actually used in the movies.

Puzzles

The puzzles used in this room are mostly lock-based and fairly low-tech, but are as one would expect in a facility that dates back to the 1950s. Advancing through the gameplay requires that players keep their eagle eyes sharp to locate codes or find the necessary elements needed to decipher codes. This venue is very good at hiding items, so you’ll need to look in every nook and cranny and leave no stone unturned.

As with the environment, the puzzles also stay true to the story. Each step leads you closer to discovery and closer to ascending back above ground, but only if and when you have proof in hand.

Overall

For those of you who are claustrophobic and therefore possibly a bit hesitant, this is a fun adventure not to be missed. If need be, bring along someone to grab onto in case you feel a little panicky. Just keep in mind how famous you’ll be for discovering proof of alien existence, and you’ll soon forget that you’re in a confined underground space. There’s actually a lot more space to move around than one might think.

This venue also features something pretty cool that not many others can claim. If you are a fan of the Netflix series Stranger Things, a lot of Season 2 was filmed on the Sleepy Hollow Farm, home to Escape Woods. When visiting this venue, fans will definitely recognize scenes and filming locations seen in the much-loved series. How does this relate to The Bunker, you ask? Get ready… Wait for it… As it turns out, the venue has now re-themed The Bunker room into an underground Hawkins lab where you enter the Upside Down in order to bring back a specimen of the creatures found there.

Needless to say, we will be heading back over the river and through the woods to play the new version of the room, as we, like many others, are huge fans of the show. It should be noted that this venue works very closely with and has ties with the TV and film industry. Given this, they are aware of copyright laws and licensing permissions and know what they can and can’t use to prevent any infringement.

Lastly, be aware that this venue is extremely popular and busier at certain times of year (i.e. Fall Season, Halloween and Christmas). We visited during the incredibly busy haunt season, and it took us quite a while to get to the escape room parking lot once we arrived at the venue entrance. In addition, there is the Atlanta area traffic to contend with. Those things, compounded with the Stranger Things tie-in and filming locations to go gaga over, could mean larger crowds and longer traffic delays than usual. Make sure you allow an extra hour – maybe two – to get there, just to be safe. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!