Escape Reviewer

Puzzles: ✭✭✭✭✩ 3.8

     Challenge: 4.0

     Logic: 4.0

     Abstract: 3.5

The Toy Room Escape is AT Escape's entry level room. The theme is that you are a babysitter who has been locked in a room by the child you are supposed to be watching. The room is decorated exactly like a child's playroom with an overwhelming number of toys and items. Because of this, my group found it difficult to determine what was part of the game and what were giant red herrings. In fact, there were more red herrings in this room than in any other room escape I have ever done. For escape game establishments, there is a balancing act between a lack of décor and including too many small details that end up leading nowhere. Why is one owl in the picture winking? What word do these giant letters in the closet spell out? After completing The Bunker Evac room, I even took a moment to ask why certain items were placed in locked containers. The employee confirmed that they like to include items in the room just to throw us off. As with The Bunker Evac, you are solving puzzles in order to discover numbers. These numbers are then used to unlock a key to get out. However, there is something generally unsatisfying with solving a puzzle, only to discover a number written on a card, and a bin full of red herrings. Admittedly, our experience may have been negatively influenced by the fact that an important clue written on a chalkboard had been erased by a previous group, making one of the puzzles unsolvable.  For a 45-minute escape room, I appreciate the fact that this room had a slight twist, reminiscent of one of their larger 60-minute rooms. Overall, The Toy Room Escape had puzzles that were fairly straightforward and really lacked a sense of satisfaction. 

Reviewed by Chris on January 29, 2015