Escape the Room DC

Reviews 3

LI

Linda Blank

While we didn’t originally book a room at Escape the Room DC, on 5/30/17 we found ourselves with some extra time and called around. Escape the Room DC has their Mission Control room available so we booked it and was told we would pay upon arrival. Mission Control was our 57th escape room. When my family discusses escapes rooms after we play them we think of them with three aspects in mind, Setting, Gameplay, and Mechanics. As far as the setting goes in the Mission Control, it was superb! Think 1960-70 control rooms. It really was quite well done. That’s just about all I’m going to get to say with high marks. The gamemaster through the speaker system came on and was giving us tasks to do over the control system. Nothing was intuitive or they didn’t want you to think it was. The game continued like that, he would come on and tell us what we needed to do and then we would decide where that location was, which wasn’t alway readily obvious and we would move there. While there were only three of us playing, the rooms advertised holding 8. We disliked this experience anyway, having 8 in that room would be ridiculous. It is totally linear and most of the participants would be sitting there with nothing to do most of the time. With regards to gameplay, I feel the general idea was fantastic but the execution was not very well done. We hit a particular puzzle where you had to be able to see content on the screen. We spent over 20 minutes on this puzzle and because we physically couldnt see what the game master wanted us to see, we were ready for the 1st time ever to say we were done with the room during the middle of our time. In fact, one of our players laid down the special goggles and said let’s be done and we all agreed we were no longer have any fun at all. A good game master would not let players get to this point ever! It was a “you’ve got to be kidding moment” vs an “ahh, wasn’t that cool moment”. Finally, after 20 minutes of that nonsense, the game master gave us one piece of the item we were looking for and only one player who thought they could see what we were supposed to be looking for managed to get us through that puzzle. One player wanted to see if the game got better so we continued. As we continued to progress, one puzzle, in particular, was incorrect. We had to map something but when you used the mapping it wouldn’t line up properly. This was another “you’ve got to be kidding moment”. Once we failed to escape the room and tried to debrief with the game master he turned over the prop, basically upside down and said it goes like this. We showed him how it didn’t line up that way and he agreed but just said that was how the computer worked. We had a long conversation about the room and even asked if it was ever Beta tested before putting it into production. He admitted it hadn’t received very good reviews. Continuing on with mechanics, which I will define as good room flow, hint system, game mastering, props working properly, customer service and website, As mentioned the room didn’t flow at all, the game master told you what steps to do when. As he was the hint system it varied a great deal but he was clearly not in tune with what was going on in the room when we were ready to leave the room mid-game. As mentioned above we didn’t feel some of the props work well or properly. We didn’t book through the website but I have since looked at it while writing this review and it was just adequate. I would have expected a better website from a franchise that had been in business so long. Lastly, customer service. After our experience, the game master said I forgot to collect payment prior to the game. I’m not balking at paying for the room but it was particularly painful to pay full price after we had a long debrief about how poor the room was and why. Always, collect those fees upfront!!! I’m hoping this is just one bad room of theirs, we could hear laughing and happiness coming from other rooms so I know they have some potential just not in Mission Control.

DY

Dymond

I had a really bad experience with them. I booked an appointment with their beta room for cheaper, and I showed up with my two friends on the day on time. I get there with them and they tell me that the reservation was never made despite the money being taken out of my account. They decide to group my friends and I with two strangers (who were nice) but nonetheless had us wait just to tell us the room wasnt ready. The lady there also told us that I would receive a FULL refund for the problem. The room itself was supposedly their best room, but honestly it was average at best. Turns out of a few of the props were broken/glitched, and we wasted time we paid for trying to find out what was going on. Another lady took a picture and told us she would email it to us, and of course never did. A week later I call and leave emails about what happened and they try to tell me that I tried to CANCEL the reservation (which I already knew I could not do, it says it in their policy) but I showed up anyway and that is why the room was not prepared and why they charged me anyway. What kind of bullshit is that? Two months later I have to work with my bank to fix this mess because they block my calls and ignore my emails. They have really horrible service and are not honest people. This all happened because of a glitch in their system and they decide to lie about it. Disappointed.

TO

Tommy Bacher

You will need a reservation on a weekend or you wont be able to go as a group. And it is also kinda pricey. In the waiting room theres Wheres Waldo books to keep you entertained and what seems to be a bar in the lobby but I didnt go too close to the area to confirm that thats what it actually was. The escape rooms are in the basement and they tell you the rules before you go in.... They put a lot of fake clues in there that I didnt really like. If you need helps there a walkie-talkie to call and ask for a hint. When solving my room there were parts that didnt work and it made it impossible to figure out the solution because that has the information on how to progress. Also if you go into another room and shut the door it locks and you need to be able to go back there for clues. After the staff woman apologized for how things werent working and she let the manager know about our troubles. We werent upset or anything but she seems like she actually felt sorry. After the room there was an opportunity to take a picture with your group with some props that they had out. It was to be entered into a competition against other groups pictures to win some prize.

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