Category Archives: California

Hatch Escapes: Lab Rat

Los Angeles, Nov 2018

Some escape room themes promise quality before you know anything else about the game. Lab Rat’s premise has the kind of originality that suggests something special, and it more than delivers.

You are the test subjects of Ratkenstein, rodent would-be… (more)

ESCapades LA: It’s a Doggy Dog World

Los Angeles, Nov 2018

Not only is It’s a Doggy Dog World named for my all time favourite misheard proverb, it has a distinctive and irresistibly cute theme: you are dogs, and your job is to get back your favourite red ball from the mailman before your owner returns. Doing… (more)

Maze Rooms: Magic Kingdom

Los Angeles, Nov 2018

Maze Room’s Magic Kingdom is a fantasy adventure where you must brew an elixir to heal the Heart of the Forest, with the aid of a variety of magical creatures. You could describe the setting as a distant cousin of Narnia with visuals from a children’… (more)

Escapade Games: Zoe

Anaheim, Nov 2018

Zoe has the reputation of being the scariest game in Los Angeles. I haven’t played enough horror games in the city to say whether that’s the case or not, but I can say this: if you’re not fond of jump scares, this is not the game for you. I’ve played… (more)

Quest Room: Red Giant

Los Angeles, Nov 2018

Before playing Red Giant both I and my teammates kept assuming that it would be a space game; however, the name refers not to a type of star but to the fabled gem for which you’re searching, somewhere deep inside an Egyptian pyramid, making this one … (more)

Stash House

Los Angeles, Nov 2018

Stash House’s focus on immersion is clear from before you enter the venue, with the entrance being an nondescript door free of any sign that this is an escape room. This is a crime story, with you as new recruits for a drug gang run by a smooth unsav… (more)

Escape Room LA: The Alchemist

Los Angeles, Nov 2018

Of the five games available at Escape Room LA when we visited, The Alchemist was the other one I’d had strong recommendations for. The venue operates on a public booking basis but here again we managed to get the room to ourselves by playing daytime … (more)

Escape Room LA: The Pyramid

Los Angeles, Nov 2018

I probably shouldn’t admit that I only realised The Pyramid was Mayan themed not Egyptian during the game’s briefing – I went straight from recommendation to booking page without actually stopping to read anything about the game along the way. But ei… (more)

Quest Room: Bloody Elbow

Los Angeles, Feb 2018

It is the 14th century, and everyone is ruled by Holy Inquisition. You have been accused of witchcraft and incarcerated to await your awful death by the hands of a executioner nicknamed “Bloody Elbow”. He is famous for his love of disgusting tortures… (more)

Quest Room: Da Vinci’s Challenge

Los Angeles, Feb 2018

This room needs at least 4 people. I say this because at the start you are split into two groups; we only had 3, and one person was stuck on a puzzle which prevented us joining up (effectively she was stuck on her own).

Like the other Da Vinci room … (more)