Last Saturday on July 27, 2019, my friends and I tried out Twisted Escapes in Easton, PA. This establishment opened up fairly recently, around March 2019, I believe. Twisted Escapes is located in Easton, PA. They currently have three escape themed rooms, Missing Baby, The Ransom, and Pandora’s Clock. We did Pandora’s Clock.
When my friend first told me about the Escape room, I checked out the website. At first glance, I wouldn’t have known this website was for an escape room unless I knew about it. Their website felt very generic to me and looks like it was put together by someone who was an amateur in web design. The main page has what I assumed to be a GIF or a short video loop of motorcycles and cars driving on a nameless road. I don’t understand why this is on the page. It doesn’t feel like or give an impression that the establishment is an Escape room. The social network links either take you back to the main page or to who I assume is one of the owner’s Facebook page. I won’t hold this against them, as they are starting and Twisted Escapes could still be setting up an online presence. I hope that in time, they update this page to give others who view the website a better understanding that Twisted Escapes an escape room. At least after you click on one of the top menus on the webpage, you can book a room rather quickly and get an understanding of the story of each themed room.
Inside of Twisted escapes is nice. The facility was clean and the host and Game Master were very nice. I liked that candy was offered in the lobby. I helped myself to a fun sized Milky Way Dark Chocolate. (Dark chocolate helps improve brain function, at least I like to believe that it does.) There are some puzzle to solve to get brain thinking and ready for the room as well. After signing a standard escape room waiver, we got shown a short video backstory of the room. It’s a great effort by the owners to put together a short story and get us in the mood for the room. Most of the time, the Game Master or Host may just tells us the story. But I also feel that backstories can be hit or miss, depending on what a person wants to experience going into each room. After all, almost all of the themes are the same; get out of the room in sixty minutes or less.
The room itself is standard. It wasn’t decked out and themed liked Captured LV Escape or Electric City Escape. It was a room, and puzzles were set up around the room. It could come off as a letdown if you did escape rooms where the Game Masters designed places to go with the theme of the backstory. But Escape Rooms are about the challenge of the puzzles. Not how realistic the room looks to the theme, at least in this case.
I’ll admit that I was stumped on some of the puzzles in our room, as was my group when we did them. I thought it was a good thing since our escape room skills ranged from beginner to intermediate with solving puzzles. I feel that we are starting to get better both in figuring out problems and as a group working together. I noticed everyone broken off into smaller groups looking for clues, solving puzzles, and trying to think outside of the box while looking for clues and answers. We seem to be getting the hang of this since we’ve done several rooms before. But, we do have our moments where we are completely stumped. Twisted Escape was also the first escape room that we did that gave us unlimited clues. Twisted Escapes is the first place that I’ve been to that has done so. The owner had said that for now, they weren’t giving a limited on hints as they feel that everyone will be in a different place when doing a room either as a first-timer or a seasoned veteran. I respect that decision of if you need multiple clues, you can get them. It makes twisted Escapes very beginner-friendly.
There was one puzzle on the room; I’m kind of annoyed that I did solve inadvertently, but didn’t use or know that was the correct answer that could have cut off almost 20 minutes of our time. I won’t spoil it out if you do this, but someone asked out loud on the puzzle, “what this number?” I replied, “that it’s the first numbers to call someone from a song.” After I finally got the puzzled solve, wouldn’t you know that song I mentioned to my group started playing. “Are you kidding me!?!” It was the answer to the puzzle. The Game Master said that she heard me mention that. Only one other group knew the answer to that puzzle before we started it. The Game Master told us that not a lot of people who do that room even know about that song. While I’m happy I got it right so early, I can’t help but feel that;
- I didn’t trust myself and use it to answer the puzzle sooner.
- That I’m getting old as people who are doing this room are millennials and younger if they have no idea about that song.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get out in time. But we can’t escape every room. My escape room record is now 5 wins and 5 losses. We have a great time here and would go back to try the other rooms that Twisted Escapes offers. It’s a great time, the puzzles were challenging, and while not fully decorated, you do have a sense of the theme and goals and welcoming to those that are beginners. If you wish to try the room out or find out more, go to www.twistedescapes.com.
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