Whatever Happened To The Garretts?
Overwhelmingly positive (587 ratings)
- Escape room
- IRL
Mark as done to rate
The year was 1984. Allan and Ann Garrett and their son, Matthew, disappeared without a trace. Now, nearly four decades later, the family is still missing and the case has gone cold. You must enter their old abandoned house, search for clues, and hopefully unravel the mystery to; Whatever happened to the Garretts?
- 2-8
- 60 mins
- Medium
- Not scary
All (587)
Overwhelmingly positive
Gameplay
Overwhelmingly positive
Atmosphere
Overwhelmingly positive
Customer service
Overwhelmingly positive
Reviews
taylorelizabeth
19 escape rooms
A solid room with a great set. The puzzles were fun and not too challenging. The story was fun and I’m happy to know what happened to the Garretts!
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Story
richardherrera
83 escape rooms
Great!..... mostly. This room has some serious wear and tear, despite not being that old of a room. Upon entering the room, we found 2 compartments already open, thereby negating 2 puzzles. And some props were broken or breaking. That said, it's a very fun, creative room. One of our favorite themes. Some extremely clever puzzles (would have been nice to do them all). Loved the diversity of spaces within. With the entrance and lobby were more professional and welcoming. Could have used more puzzles. Without really trying, we finished with more than 20 minutes remaining. I don't mean to be too negative, this was a very fun room.
Gameplay
Good! A couple broken puzzles. We wasted time doing things that were already "solved" because they were broken. But overall, it was a clever flow.
Atmosphere
Great! Despite some worn props, and kind of a sad looking entrance, it was a good production designed room.
Customer service
The staff was very friendly. Seems like they were kind of overwhelmed because they missed a couple things in the reset and told us to do things in the room that we'd already done. but otherwise, good!
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
The theme and experience went to place we weren't expecting! Very cool
Story
Good! I like all the unfolding rooms, even if it was pretty unclear what it actually meant or who these characters were.
Difficulty
Medium
Some of the puzzles were properly challenging, but despite being slow in certain areas, we still finished the experience with more than 20 minutes to spare. So.... I'd say they could do with a few more puzzles.
Game tech
High tech
huge range here, but there were a couple VERY high tech puzzles that were extremely cool.
Ideal number of players
4
Scary
Not scary
Minimum age
10
Was anything broken?
Yes
A couple of lights compartments were not closed when we came in, and even though we tried to close them to reset and even though the game master told us to try closing them as well, they would not close. It basically spoiled a couple of different puzzles. Some other props were a little worn down. Definitely seems like the room has taken a beating
Live actors
No
Physically active
Somewhat
A couple of times you had to move space to space. but overall the puzzles were pretty stationary.
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Easy
mark53
2 escape rooms
The gameplay was exquisitely complex but great in details as the room was so amazing to be in. I love the nostalgia of it. 80’s based with a hint of mystery at the end. Very unexpected. I highly recommend this escape room to everyone. Best one so far for me.
Gameplay
michaelyoung
132 escape rooms
Few rooms manage to have the trifecta of elegant puzzle design, intriguing story, and immersive set design like “Whatever Happened to the Garretts?” The room is completely devoid of red herrings. Everything uses real-world logic in a satisfying way. The solves are clean and thoughtful. The story is dynamic and engaging without relying on text or tremendous amounts of monologue. The set opens up in surprising and delightful ways. This room has mastered the balance between struggle and satisfaction. It’s a masterclass in design. Play this immediately!
Gameplay
While a small amount of traditional locks exists in the room (I think just 2?), the vast majority uses tech, object manipulation, and making connections to solve puzzles. No two puzzles are the same. Despite being in a fully-decorated house with a decent amount of decor, there are NO RED HERRINGS! Everything is pure logic and using contact clues. This is puzzle design excellence on display. Despite some puzzles having text, this really could be a language-independent game: That’s how clean these puzzles solve! Even saying the variety of puzzles you’ll encounter feels like a spoiler. Just know it’s all very in-world and fair! That said, this is a fairly linear room, so for experienced groups, you’ll want to do this as a couple to be involved in as many puzzles as you can.
Atmosphere
It feels like a weathered and old house, even though it’s very clean and shows no signs of repeated use. The set reveals are so great in the little and big ways it surprises you. Big Meow Wolf vibes!
Customer service
Andy was so friendly! We talked to him for quite a while before and after the room. Maze is lucky to have him! :) Even though we didn’t use any clues, Andy let us know how much time we had left and assured us we were right on pace. He even offered us a couple extra minutes if we could answer some trivia (felt very appropriate and was a fun break).
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
The third act took this game from an above-average story with brilliant puzzles to a game that deserves to be TERPECA rated. It’s THAT good, THAT different, and THAT interesting.
Story
A brief intro sets the stage, and we slowly discover whatever happened to the Garretts through environmental clues and some audio/text late-game. It’s surprising and engaging throughout.
Difficulty
Medium
This was my 100th room. I’ve seen a lot of puzzles. This tossed classic packed at us in new ways, and it asked for us to do many novel interactions. There’s a little struggle, but it’s all solvable without guessing or outside information!
Game tech
High tech
Lots of making connections to use objects. The RFID/magnet sensors are always invisible, so it just feels like magic as you solve things!
Ideal number of players
2
2 experienced people. Maybe no more than 4 casual players.
Scary
Not scary
Don’t be fooled by the game’s description! There’s nothing scary here. The idea of them disappearing is weird, but the game isn’t ever going to even creep you out. Promise.
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
No
Physically active
Somewhat
One puzzle requires some dexterity.
Accessibility
There’s one puzzle that uses color in a slightly dim area, but it’s easy enough to move to the light and see the colors clearly.
Easy to find location
Yes
It’s right above the coffee shop in the shopping center. :)
Parking
Limited
We did a ride share, but it seems like parking might be slim pickin’s.
ashleywilliams
11 escape rooms
This room was one of the first I did over at maze rooms and all I can say is if you are interested in playing this one don’t wait, definitely recommend playing.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
laurawilliams
69 escape rooms
Really really loved the story and the flow of the game , would have be even better if some of the tech didn’t fail and slow us down. Lots of fun and can’t wait for what this game creator comes up with next.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Fun and different puzzles.
Story
Really liked the story , it had an interesting twist and a fun ending .
Difficulty
Medium
Game tech
High tech
Ideal number of players
3
We did it with 2 but 3 would have been ideal.
Scary
Not scary
Minimum age
14
Was anything broken?
Tech issues but we got a clue and got through it
Live actors
No
Physically active
Somewhat
Accessibility
Color blindness would be an issue, and some bit of physical activity is required.
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Easy
jessica34
136 escape rooms
Whatever Happened To The Garrett’s is a very fun room, with great thematic and story integration. The room contains a surprise twist, and while the twist itself isn’t too uncommon in escape rooms, this was probably the best use of it I’ve seen, the set, puzzles, illusion of choice and more during the twist were all fantastic. The room suffers by being very linear, which, with a group of 6 consisting of myself, my boss and my fellow Game Master coworkers, it meant there was a decent amount of just standing and waiting. They did try and fix this problem though, by having a decent amount of group linear puzzles, but there were an equal number of soloable puzzles. TLDR: Fantastic set and story, fun puzzles, but very linear, so if you have a bigger group, keep that in mind.
Gameplay
Very linear room, with 6 the flow felt a bit stuttery for lack of a better word, but all in all still good fun
Atmosphere
Great atmosphere, all spaces felt completely in theme and were very well done.
Customer service
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Story
One of the best incorporations of a fairly common twist I’ve seen.
Difficulty
Medium
Game tech
High tech
Ideal number of players
3
Scary
Not scary
Minimum age
6
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
No
Physically active
Somewhat
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Medium
jessicahenry
98 escape rooms
Great room design, great flow, loved the period references. Had a great time doing both this and their other room Tombstone back to back. The GM was also really nice to us as we were waiting on our room and between rooms.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Our game master was super nice and actually introduced us to Morty after hearing that we were escape room fans
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
Story
Supposedly based on a real-life unsolved mystery. That mystery carries you through the room as you aim to discover the answer to the titular question.
Difficulty
Medium
Game tech
High tech
Ideal number of players
5
Not very spacious
Scary
Spooky
Minimum age
10
Was anything broken?
No
Live actors
No
Physically active
Not at all
Accessibility
There is a puzzle that requires hearing
Easy to find location
Yes
Parking
Medium
It's upstairs in a plaza. You'll be fighting for parking with the other businesses.
kristi09
17 escape rooms
My boyfriend and I are avid escape room enthusiasts. This by far was one of the best escape rooms I have done in Los Angeles. There are many twists and turns with the plot and although linear, it is dynamic with an incredible set. Alexa our game master was super super sweet and we couldn’t of had a better night this is the best maze room I have done
Gameplay
Linear but super innovative and immersive
Atmosphere
Customer service
Alexa was the best
Scary
Not scary
clinton09
10 escape rooms
This was an all time favorite room. The design is stunning - really well done. The room is linear, so there aren’t any red herrings. Better for a smaller group for this reason. We did with a group of 4 and got out with 10 mins to spare.
Gameplay
Atmosphere
Customer service
Ideal number of players
5
Editorial
“Whatever Happened to the Garretts is one of the best games in Los Angeles.“
Room Escape Artist
“ From the moment you walk in through the front door, you really feel like you're inside a house.“
60 Second Escape Room Reviews