Geekpr0n visits Escape Games

Puzzle rooms are all the rage, they are popping up all over and Toronto seems to be littered with them over night. Lucky for you my friends, we hard working nerds over at Geekpr0n found the place to go; if you’re looking for a truly unique and immersive puzzle room experience, then you have to go to Escape Games. This week six members of the Geekpr0n team went to check out the Escape Game facilities and try out their newest room called “The End of the Line” and decided that the entire experience was Geek-approved.

You don’t have to solve any puzzles to get into the building.

The first thing I noticed when we got there was the décor; Spider-Man adorns the walls and Batman and Superman stand guard in the sitting room. There is ample space to play board games and free wifi to enjoy while you wait for your mission to begin, and a good selection of drinks and snacks in case you feel peckish. Shawn Fischtin is the owner / operator / brilliant mastermind behind Escape Games; he says that he wanted the games room to feel mysterious and that something wasn’t quite right. That informed the dramatic coloured walls and quirky elements that make the space so much fun.

The sign on the cooler says that they also sell Flux Capacetors.

Of course the real attraction lies beyond the front foyer and down the hall where all of the missions are hidden behind closed doors. The facility currently has five different puzzle rooms to challenge you, with three more on the way that range in difficulty, so even if you’ve never played a puzzle room before you’ll have fun. What sets Escape Games apart from other puzzle rooms is the entirely immersive experience they’ve created; when you start your mission, you are not just locked in a room, you walk on to a set and you get to experience the story. From a Mayan temple deep in the jungle, to a prison cell, these puzzles are embedded in their surroundings and with the use of theatrical lighting and dynamic sound, create an adventure like no other. Fischtin points out that he and his wife Vicky, who is also his partner in the business are both passionate about games. They grew up playing games and after encountering puzzle rooms in China, decided that they could create the ultimate experience.

Don’t worry, we eventually let him out.

Working with professional prop builders, their puzzle master Arash Sharifi, and their seemingly endless imaginations, the Fischtins wowed us. Each of the rooms has an elaborate story to match its comprehensive décor and when we stepped into “The End of the Line” I was overwhelmed by how convincing it was. The concept was a mystery that had us looking for our kidnapped friend, and as we scoured an abandoned subway car for clues, I was overwhelmed by the detail. At one point the experience got so involved (sorry no details, I will not spoil the puzzle for you), I stopped working on it entirely because I was convinced I was in Taken and Liam Neeson would charge to our rescue at any moment.

The ambiance that greets you when you walk in….it’s awesome and ominous.

If all of this sounds intimidating, there is no need to worry; each room is intended to be solved by a team of 4 to 8 people in a range of difficulties, the puzzles use different skills to solve so everyone can contribute, and you even get one free hint that you can radio in if you get really stuck. Frankly, I don’t see why you wouldn’t spend a Friday night in the “Counter Ops” mission trying to disarm the bomb! So make sure you check out their website (here’s the link one more time) and head over because they are always adding new missions and looking for ways to create the ultimate room making every visit a singular experience. So I challenge you to check it out and try to beat our time of 52 minutes.