Review: Tampa Bay Escape Room

RATING: 2 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 3:24

A unique theme on paper, Music Producer does little to continue its story world beyond the marquee, leaving us in yet another office escape game.

Story

The story here is unique, and tries its best to put you the player into an active role. You’re the music producer. You’ve been hired by a new A-list band to represent them, but apparently it’s not that straight forward in the music industry.

See, your qualifications need to be tested before you officially get their contract. They’ve locked you in your own office, which, for some reason has a door that locks from the outside, not in. If you don’t get out of your own office in an hour, they’ll…. hire someone else? I guess?

The premise is a bit goofy – but here’s the thing – it’s certainly on the unique side. The fact of the matter is we likely would not have driven almost two hours from Orlando to play this game had it been another defuse the bomb or break out of prison theme.

Scenic

The scenic department is where Music Producer starts to go down hill. Aside from a few framed records on the wall and a small keyboard, nothing really speaks to this space being connected in any way to the music industry.

Though striving for a more unique theme, at its core this game essentially is just another office escape room. Desk, chair, bookshelf and a few drawers. Check, check, check and check.

The thing that struck me the most is the complete lack of background music during the game. Silence is always awkward in an attraction, but it’s significantly more noticeable when the MUSIC producer theme is completely devoid of MUSIC.

At the end of the day, had I not known the name or theme of this game before walking into the space, I’m not sure it would have been all too evident once inside of after playing the game.

Puzzles

Music Producer’s puzzles were a bit of a mixed bag. There were moments where the game tried to have some unique aspects. Others where it was just basic escape game fare.

There were even a few moments where a puzzle connected to the story world – through use of a musical instrument or component, for example. I appreciated those moments a lot.

The problem is, outside of those few moments was that basic fare; a lot of converting symbols, which can be tedious even to the most enthusiastic player, and a lot of math.

Say it with me folks: Math. Isn’t. Fun.

And I’m not sure how much math one really uses when producing music – but to be fair, although we did escape this game, I myself have no knowledge of the duties of a music producer, even after living in his world for an hour.

Overall

Music Producer, ultimately, was a middle of the road game for us. I didn’t dislike it at all – and it did the trick in hooking a close friend of mine in his first escape room experience. At the same time, it really didn’t stand out in the grand scheme of games I’ve played.

The staff here is enthusiastic and passionate, and the game was designed in-house. For those reasons alone, it makes me much more willing to look past some of Music Producer’s big picture short-comings, and look toward what the future could bring for this venue.

I admire Tampa Bay Escape Room from breaking from industry clichés and starting things off with a uniquely themed game. It’s a sign of creativity, and that’s not always easy to come by. We’ll definitely be back at some point to see how they’ve grown since our first visit!