RATING: 4 Keys          RESULT: Win          REMAINING: 4:24

This is not the first time I have escaped from Prison, but it’s the most fun I’ve had doing it.

There is a riot in the prison, and for some reason the Warden has moved you away from the other prisoners, to the abandoned end of the prison.  This end of the prison has been empty since 4 inmates disappeared from their cells sixteen years ago.  

There are several theories of what has happened to those inmates.  Some inmates believe that the guards took them and disposed of their bodies.  Some say they escaped and covered their tracks so well that that the guards never found out how.  The guards say the most bizarre of them all.  They say this end of the prison is haunted.  Whatever happened, the cells haven’t been touched since they disappeared.

We find ourselves again trapped behind bars, but this time we are in an abandoned section of the prison, which is convenient since we plan to escape during the ensuing riot. The story here is a little light, and there may be a few too many threads that do not pan out in the end. You have no idea why you are in prison, or why the Warden moved you away, or why there is a riot. The good news is that you do discover how the past inmates escaped, as you end up following in their footsteps.

And as a note, for those that tend to shy away from scary rooms, do not be frightened by the mention of the possible haunted prison, as that plays no element in this story. It is a straight up prison break, no supernatural elements to be found.

While the story might not be their strong point, everything else about this game is very enjoyable.

Prison rooms tend to get a pass on the scenic scale since they tend to be rather bland in real life, but that does not excuse some really bad rooms that exist out there. It is one thing to just throw some bars up in an office building and call it a prison, it is a completely other thing, to step into the room and feel like you are actually in a prison. This room makes you feel like you have found yourself in a two-celled jail. Every aspect of the room has an old and used feel to it, from the floors, to the walls, the bars, the bunk beds, and even the toilets. Yes, even the toilets look used, so, maybe don’t spend too long looking in there.

I don’t know about you, but when I first walk into a room, even as the Game Master is going over the rules, I spend those minutes mentally mapping out the room. Usually, I spot all the boxes and locks, and other hidden places to check out. This room doesn’t allow you to do that, as the room seems so lifelike to a real prison, that there are no obvious puzzles or lock boxes to be found. This was a wonderful experience for me and forced me to get lost in the atmosphere.

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I will leave it at, any other experience you may find also feels very on point and looks exactly what I imagine it looks like in real life. The designer of this room obviously has an eye for detail, and the structural knowhow to pull off that vision. I’ve played many rooms in Las Vegas, and too many of them feel like you are in an office building, so it is nice to see one in that town really step it up.

You start the game handcuffed to the bars, and there is a panic of not sure how to escape. You know it has to be something close by, and for me personally, it took longer than I care to admit before I figured out what needed to be done. Sometimes things are hidden in plain sight, and that was a good way to start the game, because that is indicative of nearly every puzzle in this game. With the exception of a couple of puzzles, the rest of them blend so seamlessly into the decorations that you never really feel like you are solving puzzles, but rather, actually escaping a prison.

Even those two puzzles that stand out as obvious puzzles that need to be solved to move on, still fit the narrative and there were reasons for them to exist in that world, which is such a refreshing thing to experience. Nothing takes me out of the story more than running into a puzzle that so obviously doesn’t belong in the world you are in; it truly does slam the brakes on the narrative you find yourself in. Thankfully, that never happens in this game.

This game is designed as a game that can be played with newcomers or experts alike, and as such, you will find a good balance of difficulty, but nothing is too hard to solve that would turn off people if this is their first room. I can also appreciate that every puzzle makes sense, and no leaps of logic were found.

From starting handcuffed and split up in two separate cells, to the ending I don’t want to spoil for you (though you may have seen a similar ending if you’ve played other prison breaks, but this one keeps it a secret, and so will I), this room is just plain fun. As a prisoner, you may not be a good person, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a good time, and that is found here.

This room (and their other room) might not be the most original in theme, and the story may be a little light and misleading, but overall, there are things to be found in this room that will be very exciting for first timers, and a good example of how to keep alive a used theme for those that have played multiple rooms.

Take a break from losing money in the casinos, and spend an hour or two at Rush to Escape, you will not be disappointed.

#JeremyForgotToTakeAPic

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Venue:  Rush to Escape

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Number of Games: 2

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 60 minutes

Capacity: 8 people

Group Type: Private  / You will not be paired with strangers.

Cost: $35 per person

We thank Rush to 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.