Escape Reviewer

Escape Manor is Ottawa's first room escape game company located in the heart of the downtown core. They're home to three 45-minute escape rooms. It's a little difficult to find from the outside with only some small signs directing you up to the fourth floor. Though I have to say, the sign on the main floor asking patrons to choose either the "endless staircase" or the "haunted elevator" was a nice touch. Once in the lobby, there are several tables and couches with some nice decor for people to wait at before playing. The decor, music and lighting was top notch! A couple of brain teasers and classic board games are available free of charge in the waiting area. The staff were friendly, but they were unsurprisingly busy. Being the only room escape company in Ottawa, their rooms are usually booked solid for at least three months! Unlike many other similar companies, they don't have lockers or a place to store belongings. Everything either has to be kept on a coat rack in the waiting area where anyone can access it, or be brought into the room with you. This led to some people bringing in purses or heavy objects that mildly disrupted the experience. Also unlike most other escape companies, they only take pictures of the groups that escape, not the losers. This may be just another motivating factor to try and win, however, it would be nice for everyone to get some kind of fun picture to take home, even if that means holding up silly "loser" instead of "winner" signs. The washrooms were another issue that slightly took away from the experience as they are located right next to the room entrances, and several people kept flushing and going in and out while we were being given our briefing.

Edited by Mitch on June 9, 2015