Servants of SleightThe Exit Games FLEscape roomIRLIncredible all around. Super original, impeccably atmospheric, wonderfully paced, and thoughtful engaging puzzles that are just difficult enough without being frustrating. This was only the second escape room I’ve ever done, and I guarantee it will almost spoil you and your expectations of other escape rooms you play after it. If there’s one you should absolutely play with people you love, pick this one. You’ll be sad you won’t be able to play it for the first time again after beating it. Servants of Sleight has it all, and many elements I have still haven’t seen in other escape rooms since playing. Don’t spoil yourself! Go in knowing nothing and you are guaranteed to have such a blast!
The Seventh RoomDare 2 EscapeEscape roomIRLWow, just wow. The Seventh Room was an incredible surprise. We knew nothing going in, and were absolutely blown away at what transpired within its wall. Atmosphere and set design is impeccable. The practical effects, sound, lighting and props are top notch. The mixture of haunted and paranormal is downright creepy and super effective. This game is FRIGHTENING. But most of all, fun! From a technical standpoint, The Seventh Room is an engineering marvel. We had a walkthrough of all its inner workings with our GM afterward and our jaws were on the floor at the sheer amount of brilliant work that went in to designing everything, and then on their side as GameMaster to make everything work seamlessly while we were playing it. I’ll reiterate, this room is intense and scary. Not stop your heart scary but, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. The level of physical activity you will be involved with at different stages is wild, inventive, and fittingly frightening and sometimes disturbing. You want a totally unique, crazy experience? The Seventh Room may very well be unmatched in the state of Florida.
Gold RushThe Escape GameEscape roomIRLWow! What a great surprise. Having never done an escape room before, we didn’t know what to expect from the experience, and were pleasantly aurprised just how fun, engaging and neat surprises there were! Game works simply enough, and is great for anyone that wants to familiarize themselves with the mechanics of escape rooms. Good story, fun atmosphere and engaging puzzles. I was a little miffed that some things were red herrings that wasted time, as we only found out afterward when asking the GM. A small pet peeve, but something to keep in mind. We finished this room with just 18 seconds to spare! We were glad we actually got to see and experience everything this escape room had to offer. Great way to start your escape room addiction!
Haunted MansionGame Over TampaEscape roomIRLIt’s a good time! Having played Game Over’s other room “Nightmare Hotel” at another location, we figured we’d try this out and see if it was up to the same level of atmosphere, creativity and scare factor. It’s got nice set design, decent puzzles and pacing, and some very solid and creative jump scares. Maybe I’m just desensitized, but I didn’t think it was too scary and actually felt it was tamer and more predictable than “Nightmare Hotel”, despite having more total scares. The spaces are well decorated and the puzzles are actually relatively minimalist and not overwhelming at all, which makes it great for beginners and groups who like a less intense challenge. However, there are a few vague, hard to figure out puzzles that I would say are nigh impossible without a hint because they flat out don’t make sense. The GM even commented on this and agreed that basically everyone never gets it without help (herself included when she said she played it her first time). Overall, this is a solid room and you’ll probably enjoy playing it, especially with a group of friends who want to get scared and have a laugh. It’s not terribly challenging, but its accessible enough for players of any skill level and engaging all the way through.
Nightmare HotelGame Over Escape Rooms - ClearwaterEscape roomIRLSuper atmospheric, very beautifully designed and best of all, scary! This room is a great, well produced experience that has very clever puzzles and the right amount of spookiness without relying on blood and guts. There are some great surprises and one truly amazing illusion that you have to see to believe! The puzzles aren’t too hard, which is perfect because you’ll be spending most of your time slowly moving through the game bracing your next scare! Inspired, original and very creative. This room was a great surprise. The GMs even said they host a scarier version late night, we might have to go again!
Buried AliveIntense Escape - Tampa LocationEscape roomIRLYowza. What an experience. I’ll start off by saying if you are claustrophobic, don’t like confinement or being in pitch darkness for any period of time, you may want to check this off your list. However, I honestly didn’t think it was too scary or frightening. Once you overcome the initial shock of realizing you’re horizontal, in a small space, in complete darkness (and relative silence) for the next hour or less, it’s actually really fun and peaceful. Call me weird! But it really is a game of mind over matter. I had maybe about 3 seconds of genuine panic and dread set in as the box shut and the primal survival part of the brain took over. Then I calmed down and got right to it. You need to communicate very calmly, clearly and descriptively with your partner to beat this. I don’t want to spoil anything further. It is a clever, fun, unique twist on escape rooms. And, it can be genuinely, mentally terrifying if you let it be. It’s not terribly difficult IF you are very observant and communicate well. Most of the time will be spent communicating and figuring out how describe things to work together. This is a really great test to see how you both operate under stress and pressure! Totally unique, and totally recommended if you’re looking for something different and intense!
Lost City Of AtlantisGame Over TampaEscape roomIRLJeez…I really don’t like giving a negative rating if I can avoid it. The initial reveal when entering the room is quite neat, and upon first glance the space LOOKS cool and well put together. Unfortunately, both the gameplay and the story lacked any sense of cohesion, motivation or urgency and sucked all the fun out of the experience. Let me explain. I really commend the creators for trying to seamlessly implement puzzles into a theme and not rely on old tropes like locks and boxes (as it wouldn’t fit the theme). However it unfortunately relies on too many puzzles that are more frustrating than fun. The puzzles aren’t even hard, they’re just needlessly sluggish and not very engaging. They serve as a way to artificially eat up your time (aka time sinks) instead of being well thought out, and don’t keep the game well paced. As for the design and theming, the entire ensemble looks quite nice, but the longer you’re in the room, it also begins to feel strangely scarce, repetitive and not as well realized/thought out as some of Game Over’s other offerings. This is only underscored by the strangely bare bones story that doesn’t create any real sense of momentum to accomplish the goal. And we, a group of two, beat the room with a lot of time to spare, about 20 minutes in fact. Given the price and how competitive the escape room market is, I would wager your time and money could be spent better elsewhere (even in the same building). This room is perhaps better for a group that hasn’t done an escape room yet, but it also might put them off from wanting to play any others afterward. Its boring, and feels like its pretending to be more than it is. I honestly wouldn’t recommend it.
Wild WestEscape ThrillEscape roomIRLA simple, novel, focused, but very fun and engaging escape room. The room surprisingly had more than met the eye, and there were some very cool surprises in places that didn’t seem like there would be any. Some of the puzzles are quite ingenious and unique. The story really helps sell the room and gives some urgency to the puzzles. This is a simple, straightforward “escape the room” scenario, but it’s done so with pretty good theming and pacing. I’m a sucker for all things Wild West and this is worth a gander if you are too partner 🤠
Deekins RiftMind Trapped Escape RoomEscape roomIRLWow, what a nice surprise. A very unique take on the “haunted cabin” trope. The story takes some unique turns and twists, and there are several very cool reveals during the gameplay. The props, atmosphere and set design are all top notch, with a surprisingly great attention to detail. We were surprised at how relatively realistic the distressing of the environment, even floorboards that creak as you walk across them like a real cabin. This is a lot of fun with friends, especially those that love puzzle solving, slightly spooky themes and a good challenge. Highly recommended!
Cabin In The WoodsTampa Bay Escape RoomEscape roomIRLAlways love a moody, cozy, spooky escape room. The game itself is fun, the puzzles “just” challenging enough, but not too difficult, and the overall design engaging, but very focused and limited to just one space. It’s an especially great room for beginners to get their bearings of how escape rooms function, while throwing some fun, unique challenges and a variety of puzzles their way. Great for a small group, as it’s a very small space. Anymore than three and it would feel very cramped, which might hamper enjoyment and make it more of burden to play. The use of tech is inspired, albeit some may think it’s a bit hokey and dated. Overall, they struck the right tone by mixing the “darkness” of the story with a bit of levity and humor. Always appreciate that kind of awareness, leaving you with a “fun” feeling by the end and not a relief it’s over. This one’s a safe bet for a good time!
