Escape Artists – Cat Burglar

Escape Artists – Cat Burglar. Game Date 24/09/2016. Team: Amy & Ian

We were very fortunate to be invited along to play both rooms at Escape Artists in Sanford, it was about an hour’s drive from Orlando straight up the I4.

We arrived to be greeted by the owners Nancy & Brian, it’s very clear that they are passionate about their games, they developed and built them all themselves (these are the type of places I LOVE to go to, so much passion!)

The waiting area is simple, yet welcoming with big comfy couches to sit in whilst you wait, and a video screen which plays your briefing and intro video!

Theme:
“You and your team are the best cat burglars in the world. You will need to penetrate a billionaire’s mansion, steal his offshore bank account codes, and escape with the codes AND your life. Mr. Bestunkovich is not known for taking prisoners, so if you are caught, you may not live to tell about it. If you succeed, the reward will be worth the risk.”

Wow. Theming was FANTASTIC, and so immersive, the finish was of such a high quality and it was really like stepping into the mansion of a billionaire! There were hidden surprises at every turn, which integrated into the story and theme perfectly. It was one of those where I forgot I was in an escape room at some points with all the nifty, slick tech. The room is just beautiful, elegant and spot on, there is nothing I could fault!

Game Play:
The room flowed perfectly, the puzzles were all clever and quite a few were unlike any I’d seen before, the reveals and pay offs of the puzzles were astounding, but still ALL in perfect keeping with the story and theme. I can’t say enough about how brilliant the puzzles were in this room without giving spoilers away,  there were some real AH-HA moments, almost at every puzzle! BRAVO!

Clue System:
Clues were delivered via a screen and asked for through a walkie talkie. 3 clues given for free and 3 minutes added on for each additional clue taken.

Game Host:
Nancy & Brian were our game hosts and were spot on with giving us nudges in the right direction if we had solved a puzzle but missed where to input a code for instance! Masterful, perfect game hosting, which made the game flow so smoothly!

Did we escape?
Yes with less than 2 minutes to go!

Website: http://escapeartistssanford.com/
Price:  $32 pp (as with most American games, you may be paired with strangers if you don’t book the whole room out)

IMHO Escape Artists is a MUST DO for those travelling to Florida on their hols, it is more than worth the drive out to Sanford. A truly brilliant place! I just wish they were closer to home !