Overall we really enjoyed our time inside the colosseum, the theming was clever and the lengths that they went to perfect the atmosphere was top notch. The biggest killer was how many puzzle pieces were broken within the separate rooms, their mix system was also not the best, so asking for clues was basically useless.
I would definitely return to play with the Great Escape again, but my hope would be that so many integral pieces are not malfunctioning.
The gameplay was fun! My team and I loved playing puzzle-based rooms that focus more on scavenging than lock-picking.
The atmosphere was good as well, though the low lighting was cumbersome at times, it loaned itself to making you feel like you were moving your way through a real Roman colosseum.
The entire staff at Great Escape were absolutely fantastic.
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
We had never played a room like this one before.
Even though this is considered one of their harder rooms, slotting you two hours of completion time, it actually wasn’t that difficult once you got into the groove of things.
The biggest problem we ran into is how many puzzle aspects of the room were broken.
There were lots of trigger mechanisms that furthered your progress.
I would say four is a pretty ideal number, although this is one of their bigger rooms and would be accommodating for a larger group.
There is a part where you remove a severed head from a box and some violent aspects that go hand-in-hand with the time period and probably would not be suitable for little kids.
There were lots of things that had malfunctioned in rooms 2 and 4- the locker boxes in room 2, the codex cylinder that you’re provided with when you enter, and the bathhouse pay box outside of the door to the third room.
In the final room, the crypt. There was a delay in the stone crypt box opening so that we could retrieve our next puzzle, and the final door that lets you out of the room also was not working and we had to be let out manually by an employee.
There wasn’t anything technically broken in the third room, but the pipes that are used for the puzzle wall were severely chipped at the ends which made some of them harder to insert in order to complete the puzzle.
Physically active
Somewhat
There is a tunnel that you have to crawl through in order to reach the crypt.
Accessibility
If you are visually impaired, the low lighting will not be your friend. And if you have any mobility issues, the tunnel may pose a problem, but there is a work around!
Sort of, we found it eventually, but it was in a weird part of downtown tampa, with not a very big sign to designate it. You also have to use a call box to be rung up into the building- be mindful that the elevator that takes you up to the actual lobby is VERY small, 6 passengers max at a time.
Parking in downtown tampa will never not be limited- the best method, park at the Poe garage across from the Straz and get your steps in and just walk there.
