Location: Indianapolis, IN

Date Played: August 2, 2025

Team Size: 1-4; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price:  $38 per player

Ticketing: Public

Accessibility Consideration: The mini-golf course has some uneven surfaces and narrow areas that may present mobility challenges

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Critical Putt was a reimagining of mini-golf for the role-playing-game crowd. As in real mini-golf, we entered the course together as a group, but scoring was individual to the player. Additionally, we each got to select one of four common RPG classes: fighter, rogue, ranger, or wizard. Each class would receive a different puzzle card, which we could optionally choose to solve during or after the golfing.

We set out as a party of adventurers, sent to battle the dreaded Bone Lord. Many holes were monsters that we had to defeat. En route, we encountered a handful of tests of logic and observation, some in the form of holes constructed as puzzles, some implemented using actors or props. They felt organic to the plot, and thankfully were not complex, given that we only had a short time to spend in each game stage.

A delightful surprise awaited us mid-game when we learned that each of us could convert our golf score from the first half of the game into currency to be spent on numerous fun “upgrades.” I chose to maximize fun at the expense of equipment quality and rented the silliest club upgrade that was available (Thor’s hammer). The handicap didn’t have much impact on the game outcome much given my inherent lack of mini-golf skill, but it made the experience hilarious. We did ultimately meet and defeat the Bone Lord, earning an entertaining finale. I walked away with cheeks aching from laughter and a handful of souvenir trinkets, as if I’d just spent the day at a carnival.

If there’s any room for refinement, it’s perhaps in the balance of game mechanics. The scoring system felt a bit secondary to the narrative, which was fine for a convention setting, but a more robust system might be needed for a permanent location to satisfy more competitive players. The puzzles, while clever, were also quite brief; a longer experience could benefit from a deeper challenge.

This game put a new spin on traditional entertainment by blending the core sporting aspect of mini-golf with escape room-style puzzles and a wonderfully playful incorporation of RPG elements. I’m excited to see this concept expanded into a permanent, repeatable experience. This isn’t a quirky one-off as the core structure can be applied to endless themes. It is clear that immersive entertainment can be successful with creative, low-tech mashups that focus on strong narrative and meaningful audience participation.

Who is this for?

• Role-playing game fans
• Any experience level

Why play?

This Gen Con offering was packed with irreverent nods to Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games and was perfectly suited to its audience.

Story

The kingdom of Parcadia was under attack from the evil Bone Lord and King Parthur had recruited our band of adventurers for help.

Setting

The experience was set up in a hotel ballroom, with temporary pipe and drape partitions creating an easy-to-follow path through the course. Lighting was colorful albeit atmospheric. The mini-golf holes were elaborate and creatively constructed, and there was a variety of designs, including monster battles, puzzle challenges, and adventurous terrain. Midway along the course, we parted the curtains ahead of us and found ourselves inside a 7-Elven shop.

Gameplay

CU Adventures’ Critical Putt was a moderately difficult mini-golf game, with some light puzzles woven into the experience. There was also an optional class-specific puzzle that could be solved concurrently or after the game was completed.

Analysis

 The course used familiar mini-golf hole designs like the loop-de-loop and ricochet paths. Despite the numerous creative additions to the experience, I would consider Critical Putt a legitimate mini-golf game, at least for the first half.

 There were numerous RPG references in the game that I found hilarious. It is impossible to keep a straight face when climbing into a Gelatinous Mass to play a hole. (Note: It is a reference to my favorite D&D monster, the Gelatinous Cube.)

 Since this was a temporary installation, the sets were built to be portable or collapsible. Seams and hinges were visible in a number of places. However, I found all the course paths properly playable (my poor skills aside) and the occasional homemade aesthetic was actually charming.

 The amount of time allotted for each hole was limited, but the optional puzzle content was thoughtfully duplicated and provided outside the experience. We did not need to worry about not having enough time to solve puzzles during the game.

 The mid-game shop was filled with tongue-in-cheek whimsy and delivered an unexpectedly huge dose of delight.

After spending points in the mid-game shop, there was no further incentive to play well other than for bragging rights, so I did not even bother keeping score. An additional purpose for the points in the end-game could keep things interesting. On the other hand, given that at this point players are likely to be using alternative clubs that are essentially impossible to wield skillfully, this may have been a deliberate and wise design choice.

Tickets for this event were snapped up so quickly! Perhaps opening hours could be extended; gaming at conventions can sometimes go around the clock, after all.

Swag is an essential part of any convention and Critical Putt was very generous. I came away with a player card, custom pencil, badge ribbon, kazoo, and paper crown, plus digital souvenir photo!

Tips For Visiting

• This was a Gen Con event, and a convention badge was required to register for the game.

CU Adventures’ Critical Putt was only available to be played during GenCon.

Disclosure: CU Adventures comped our tickets for this game.

The post CU Adventures at Gen Con 2025 – Critical Putt: A Miniature Golfing, Puzzle Solving, RPG Adventure [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

There was one overwhelming standout as the favorite game of the trip. It’s no surprise it won a Golden Lock Award shortly thereafter. After that, however, there was much less consensus.

After each of our escape room Tours, we send the players a survey that asks them to stack rank every game they played. Here are the results!

The Favorite Game

The Forest of Fables at CU Adventures was the favorite game, with 75% of survey respondents ranking it #1.

CU Adventures’ newest game was full of unexpected twists and turns. Plus it was just so adorable.

Second Place Tie

With the weighted ranking, three games came in next, all contending equally for that #2 spot:

• Game Night at CU Adventures
• Lockbuster Video at 60 to Escape
• Rise of the Icarus at CU Adventures

Game Night won a Golden Lock Award in 2022 and always wins the hearts of Dungeons & Dragons players. David recently recorded a Spoilers Club episode all about Game Night with creators Anne & Chris Lukeman, where they dig into the game’s journey from pop up to permanent (and long running!) installation, in addition to talking through the puzzles and interactions. This is episode is available to our Patreon backers.

Lockbuster Video wasn’t officially on the Tour because it would have felt crowded in teams of 4, but almost every player found a buddy or two to play it with and squeezed in a booking. They didn’t regret it.

Diverse Number Ones

While one game was voted #1 most often, each of these games placed as at least one player’s favorite game of the trip:

• Arctic Expedition at 60 to Escape
• Game Night at CU Adventures
• Jurassic Outpost at 60 to Escape
• Magic Heist at 60 to Escape
• Mystery Manor at 60 to Escape
• Rise of the Icarus at CU Adventures
• The Forest of Fables at CU Adventures

The Tour featured four games from 60 to Escape, and three of them turned out to be at least one player’s favorite. Interestingly, while Lockbuster Video ranked more highly than these others in aggregate (by ranking as #2 or #3 for many players) it wasn’t anyone’s #1 of the Tour. Mystery Manor was also not officially on the Tour, due to its small size, but lots of people played and loved it.

60 to Escape is an extremely consistent company, and any given player’s favorite tends to come down to thematic preference.

Search For A Superhero by The Mystery League was a tabletop puzzle experience that was also featured as part of the Tour. While not exactly an escape room, one player ranked it as their favorite game of the Tour. This encourages us to continue bringing escape room adjacent activities into these events!

Reactions from Tour Attendees

For this Tour, the attendee reactions really centered around one game, Forest of Fables.

“Forest of Fables carried a narrative to an extent I’ve never experienced before in an escape room. It continued to surprise both in story and structure throughout, gave the space for exemplary game guides to shine, and had a scaffolding that allowed players to follow the story even when we were chiefly engaged in puzzling.”

“The story, set, and character interaction in Forest of Fables were all excellently executed and made that game solidly my favorite in the trip.”

“LOVED: The Forest Fables! So delightful, fun & theatrical…perfect recipe for an A+ room!”

The other popular game to talk about was Game Night,… and that’s why we knew we had to make the Spoilers Club episode.

“Game Night rolled a 20 for gamer nostalgia.”

“Game Night: what a wonderful experience! What game enthusiast doesn’t want to spend some time playing in a full-sized RPG world??”

Shout outs for LabEscape

LabEscape wasn’t officially on the Tour, but it was a gem that Tour attendees unearthed in Champaign-Urbana. One person wrote in their survey that “LabEscape was amazingly geeky.”

It was these comments from the many people who visited that convinced us we had to see it for ourselves, even while running a Tour.

And that led to REPOD Season 9, Episode 10 Untangling Quantum Mechanics – Paul Kwiat of LabEscape, where David and Peih-Gee start by talking about a science-inspired escape room, and move straight into quantum mechanics, but in a way that everyone can understand.

Traveling Tour

CU Adventures and 60 to Escape aren’t exactly close together. This meant we had to get creative with our Tour design. We took a bus 2.5 hours each direction in the middle of the Tour… and it was worth it.

If you’re traveling to this region, check out our Chicago Escape Room Recommendation Guide, which tells you not just the best games to play in Chicago (many at 60 to Escape and a few other gems), but also the best games to play on your way to Milwaukee (seriously, it’s worth heading north for some really unusual games), and what to book in Champaign-Urbana. It’s a full region guide. We can’t wait to return.

Future Tours

Our next Tour is right around the corner. We’ll be taking 50 people to The Netherlands in October.

We’ll be announcing our spring tour later this fall. The best way to find out where we’ll be going is to support us on Patreon. There’s even a Patreon tier that gets early access to tickets. And these tours sell out!

The post The Top Escape Rooms of Chicago & Champaign-Urbana [Time & Space Tour Survey Results] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Location:  Urbana, IL

Date Played: April 28, 2025

Team Size: 4-8; we recommend 4-5

Duration: 75 minutes

Price: $37 per player for team of 4, $32 per person for teams of 5 or more

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  At least one player must climb stairs and at least one player much be able to duck or crouch, but we recommend multiple players be comfortable with these actions.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

“With an adorable game world, and dynamic gameplay, The Forest of Fables was as strange as it was delightful. Every time we felt like we had a handle on what this game was, CU Adventures changed things up on us.”

REA Reaction

We haven’t been shy about our love of CU Adventures in Time & Space as a company. They have long set a high bar in the Midwest, and their latest game, The Forest of Fables, raises that bar with a beautiful combination of creative gameplay and a reactive set that delivers on whimsy and adventure.

The Forest of Fables wears its influences on its sleeve, from fairytales to other theatrical escape games. CU Adventures took a number of big chances and landed them.

What we loved most about The Forest of Fables was how the game taught us to understand its world and interact with it in novel ways. When we achieved an aha, we felt especially smart, like we’d gotten away with something mischievous, and it worked. But, of course, this is what the game wanted us to do, and feel. Each time The Forest of Fables asked us to be clever, the stakes were higher, and the payoff more rewarding.

We’ve long felt that high-end escape rooms do not need to have intense self-serious plots. The Forest of Fables was the perfect dose of whimsy. CU Adventures is worth traveling to visit, and this is the latest jewel in their crown. Anything can happen in The Forest of Fables, so go explore it with a sense of joy and wonder.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Fairytale fans
• Best for players with at least some experience

Why play?

• A beautiful set filled with surprises
• A wide variety of interesting game mechanics
• Strong puzzles that left room for player creativity

Story

While visiting the personal library of a rare book collector, we accidentally got sucked into a fractured fairy tale.

Setting

CU Adventures has never been shy about taking players to unusual places, and The Forest of Fables was their most unusual destination to-date. This eclectic world started out in a strange and beautiful library before sucking us into a story.

Each space was packed with interesting interactions and reveals. It really did feel like a journey.

Gameplay

CU Adventures in Time & Space’s The Forest of Fables was a standard escape room with theatrical elements and higher level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, drawing connections, solving puzzles, and engaging with characters.

Analysis

 The opening scene primed us for future interactions in The Forest of Fables. It subtly taught us how the game would ask us to think and interact… in ways we don’t often experience in escape rooms.

 The world of The Forest of Fables was adorable. From the opening moments in the wood-paneled library to the fantastical story world, it was a joyous place to inhabit.

 A few notes of world-building didn’t land for us. We kept looking to make this into a puzzle.

 Much whimsy. There was even a musical number!

 We loved recognizing fairytale characters in this world, and how we got to interact with them as part of the gameplay.

 CU Adventures transformed their game space so many times, with a simple, magical mechanic that we adored.

 We delighted in the oversized props. They sold the fiction.

 The gameplay made us feel sneaky, and crafty. It made us feel smart.

Certain areas of the set lacked polish, sometimes in ways that unintentionally impacted the gameplay. Because of how players move through the set and interact with it, there were places to make it more clear that the set was meant to be further prodded. We were too gentle.

 There was depth and meaning to the narrative of The Forest of Fables. Furthermore, the narrative was deeply integrated into the gameplay. Even the most puzzle-focused players will engage with it, and understand the plot twist.

REPOD

During our first season of REPOD, we sat down with Anne and Chris Lukeman, the owners of CU Adventures in Time & Space to discuss where they get their design inspiration and what it’s like running an escape room in a smaller community.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.
• There is a live, in-game actor.
• We recommend Black Dog for their burnt ends and brisket. We also suggest The Yard, a food court with coffee, beer, cocktails, and variety of restaurants, located right across the street.

Book your hour with CU Adventures in Time & Space’s The Forest of Fables, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: CU Adventures in Time & Space comped our tickets for this game.

The post CU Adventures in Time & Space – The Forest of Fables [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

My Android VIN1

Location: Urbana, IL

Date Played: April 28, 2025

Team Size: 4-8; we recommend 4-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $32 per player for team of 4, $27 per person for teams of 5 or more

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  At least one player must climb steps and be a little bit agile. The game may include theatrical lighting and fog effects.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

“With Rise of the Icarus, CU Adventures brought their signature playful and whimsy game design aboard a spaceship. They did this with collaborative puzzles, character interaction, and a surprising reveal. However, it was the detailed, weathered set that elevated this experience further, making it stand out among the games at CU Adventures.”

REA Reaction

CU Adventures in Time & Space has long been known for a blend of playful storytelling, strong gameplay, and beautiful game environments. Rise of the Icarus answers the question, “what would happen if CU Adventures maxed-out the set design knob?”

Rise of the Icarus was by far CU Adventures’ most aesthetically beautiful creation. This ship was loaded with details. Near as I could tell, not an inch was left undesigned.

Setting aside the look of the game, Rise of the Icarus also boasted a strong collection of thematic puzzles requiring teamwork, and an especially collaborative set of challenges that brought the whole team together for the finale.

Overall, CU Adventures continues to produce aesthetically elegant and narratively fulfilling games that never skimp on whimsy and fun. They have a distinct style, but a diverse catalogue… stay tuned for our review of their newest game, Forest of Fables, (which dialed up different knobs!). It’s difficult to cultivate a strong reputation when you’re 2-3 hours from an airport in every direction, but not only has CU Adventures done this, they build upon that reputation with each new game release. Get yourself out to Champaign-Urbana; Rise of the Icarus is a must play.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Sci-fi fans
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• An absolutely gorgeous set, packed with detail
• Strong puzzles
• A compelling teamwork sequence

Story

An alien spaceship had been discovered under the ice sheet of Antarctica. Our team had to investigate the craft and learn its secrets.

Setting

Rise of the Icarus was an exceptionally beautiful escape room. All of CU Adventure’s games are well-built, but this was, in my opinion, their strongest set build, by far. The layers of detail and weathering really brought this spaceship to life.

The aesthetic beauty was also backed up by strong interaction design. We didn’t just look at this ship; we engaged with it.

Gameplay

CU Adventures’ Rise of the Icarus was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, team coordination, and solving puzzles.

Analysis

 The detailed set really sold the spaceship. Personally, I typically tend to be less interested in spaceship sets, with their smooth, futuristic designs. Rise of the Icarus was captivating, with exquisite detail that brought the spaceship to life.

/ VIN1, the playful android, was more than a hint system. He was a companion who added wit and humor to our mission. In my experience, VIN1 had a great read on the vibe of the team and fit right in. However, I understand that not every team has such a seamless experience, and it’s hard for VIN1 to always perfectly match a team’s energy.

 The puzzles were largely tactile, involving the set and physical props. It wasn’t all screens and buttons. While CU Adventures incorporated screens, they didn’t rely on them for every puzzle. Furthermore, they used the screens to create more layers of interaction across the ship. The gameplay felt balanced.

 One input seemed to call for reuse after we saw its solve state. Considering how CU Adventures brought back other areas of the set, this felt like a small missed opportunity.

 Most of the gameplay in Rise of the Icarus required collaboration and communication. This kept our whole team engaged the entire time.

 One area of the set was a bit too tight to allow the full team access to a series of interactions. We had to continually swap places or leave teammates out.

 Rise of the Icarus surprised us with late game reveals. We had a ball with one of these!

The frenetic energy on the finale sequence was outstanding. We all had to work together and communicate well, under time pressure. This made the ending impactful.

REPOD

During our first season of REPOD, we sat down with Anne and Chris Lukeman, the owners of CU Adventures in Time & Space to discuss where they get their design inspiration and what it’s like running an escape room in a smaller community.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.
• We recommend Black Dog for their burnt ends and brisket.

Book your hour with CU Adventures in Time & Space’ Rise of the Icarus, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: CU Adventures in Time & Space comped our tickets for this game.

The post CU Adventures in Time & Space – Rise of the Icarus [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

What a tee-rific idea! Today we’re talking mini golf, the entertaining twist on a classic sport with an interesting history. Anne & Chris Lukeman, owners of CU Adventures in Time and Space join us again to tackle a subject very close to their heart. As they tell us in the episode, they’re taking everything they know about creating amazing escape rooms and applying it to their new venture, Parcadia — a magical mini golf tavern inspired by D&D aesthetics. Our game today is called Hole in One, where I took a word, and “added a hole in one” by inserting an “O” into it to make another word. David then gives us a short history of mini golf, and Anne & Chris tell us about creating a new type of mini golf adventure by adding a story-telling element to the game.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can also hear more from Anne & Chris on Season 1, Episode 4 of Reality Escape Pod and consider joining the Escape Immerse Explore Time & Space Tour which will visit CU Adventures in Time and Space to play all their wonderful games.

Time Stamps

• 01:20 Game: Hole in One
• 08:30 About the Guest: Parcadia, a Puzzling Mini Golf Attraction
• 20:00 Discussion: A Short History of Mini Golf
• 23:44 Credits

Guest: Anne & Chris Lukeman

Chris & Anne Lukeman have owned and operated Champaign-Urbana Adventures in Time and Space (“CU Adventures”) since 2015. Their immersive escape room experiences are consistently highly ranked on review sites and have won several international awards (2020 & 2022 Golden Lock Awards, 2019-2022 TERPECA nominee, 2022 Best of Morty, 2020-2022 Bullseye Awards). They’ve received national attention for bringing their traveling pop-up escape games to Gen Con Indy (the largest gaming convention in the western hemisphere), as well as their pandemic era at-home games (The Lost Temple, Floor 13, Solve Our Shirts).

Before moving into the immersive space full-time, Chris & Anne were indie filmmakers and professional videographers for the University of Illinois. They enjoy board games, TTRPGs, and having two very adorable cats.

Follow CU Adventures

• Anne on Twitter @annelukeman
• CU Adventures in Time and Space website
• Parcadia website
• Solve Our Shirts website
• Facebook
• Instagram @cu_adventures
• Chris on Twitter @doctorpuzzles

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

The post PG’s Playhouse 4: Mini Golf ft. CU Adventures appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

What’s a roadtrip without a visit to that Giant Ball of Twine or a glimpse of a giant Muffler Man? If the sign says “World Famous” anything, I’m pulling over for it. Our guests today are Anne & Chris Lukeman, owners of CU Adventures in Time and Space, an escape room company in Illinois. They love roadside attractions, and in fact, their escape room business was inspired by a road trip to House on the Rock. Our game today is about regional foods, where they’ve been replaced with words that rhyme. David then gives us a short history on roadside attractions, and I learn about the World Famous Muffler Men – an icon of the road trip era.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can also hear more from Anne & Chris on Season 1, Episode 4 of Reality Escape Pod and consider joining the Escape Immerse Explore Time & Space Tour.

Time Stamps

• 01:31 Game: Regional Foods
• 13:51 How Anne & Chris’ Escape Room Business Was Inspired by a Road Trip
• 16:56 Escape Immerse Explore Tour
• 17:32 Discussion: Roadside Attractions & The Muffler Men
• 22:24 CU Adventure’s Collection of Attractions
• 24:54 Credits

Guest: Anne & Chris Lukeman

Chris & Anne Lukeman have owned and operated Champaign-Urbana Adventures in Time and Space (“CU Adventures”) since 2015. Their immersive escape room experiences are consistently highly ranked on review sites and have won several international awards (2020 & 2022 Golden Lock Awards, 2019-2022 TERPECA nominee, 2022 Best of Morty, 2020-2022 Bullseye Awards). They’ve received national attention for bringing their traveling pop-up escape games to Gen Con Indy (the largest gaming convention in the western hemisphere), as well as their pandemic era at-home games (The Lost Temple, Floor 13, Solve Our Shirts).

Before moving into the immersive space full-time, Chris & Anne were indie filmmakers and professional videographers for the University of Illinois. They enjoy board games, TTRPGs, and having two very adorable cats.

Follow CU Adventures

• CU Adventures in Time and Space website
• Solve Our Shirts website
• Facebook
• Instagram @cu_adventures
• Chris on Twitter @doctorpuzzles
• Anne on Twitter @annelukeman

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

The post PG’s Playhouse 3: Roadside Attractions (ft. CU Adventures) appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

“Chris, you’re a monster.”

Join us for spooky trivia games that test your escape room knowledge and scary stories to tell in the dark. Peih-Gee takes over hosting duties from David to present a ghostly and entertaining episode with guests Tommy Honton, and Anne & Chris Lukeman.

We learn about things like mummy brown and the origins of Halloween, a unique trick or treating tradition in the midwest, and a video game called Sanity’s Requiem, which gaslit its players into going mad. Play along with us on The Price is Fright, where we guess the number of escape rooms in the world with certain words in the title, such as “zombie” or “asylum.” And you don’t want to miss Chris’ terrifying tale of a group of friends who wander into an escape room and leave haunted with a mystery they’ll never figure out.

This is a special seasonal episode, and we’ll return to our usual format next week. We hope you have fun playing along on our Halloween Spooktacular Special. Happy Hauntings!

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: Morty App, Buzzshot, and COGS. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.

Morty

Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.

Morty News:

• Morty now features haunt attractions!
• Morty for Android is here and in public beta.

Special Badge for REPOD listeners:

You can learn more at MortyApp.com/REPOD to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners. (This works for existing users too!)

Buzzshot

Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.

Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:

REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.

COGS

COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.

Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:

REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• [4:02] Peih-Gee hosts Halloween trivia with questions ranging from pumpkin spice to mummy brown.
• [14:17] Tommy shares a story about a St. Louis trick-or-treating tradition involving jokes.
• [17:22] Chris and Anne prepared a game called “The Price is Fright” where we guess how many escape rooms in the world, as listed on Morty, contain certain words like “cabin” or “zombie.”
• [30:30] Peih-Gee hosts her game, “Even Monsters Need Love,” where the guests must guess the monster from their dating profile.
• [37:11] Tommy tells us about a video game called Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, which messes with the player’s mind, including making it seem like the volume was changing or there’s a fly on the screen.
• [40:18] Peih-Gee challenges the guests with her last game “B-Sides,” where they must figure out if the title is an escape room or horror B-movie.
• [47:05] Chris tells us a terrifying tale about a couple of friends who decided to play an escape room… 
• [56:09] Anne and Chris tell us about their new escape room and some goodies they have prepared for holiday shoppers.
• [57:20] Tommy tells us about his new position teaching the art of escape room design to college students. 
• [1:04:13] Tommy tells us a bonus story about a mysterious door he discovers at his escape room, Stash House.

Leave us a voicemail

Got a question or thought for the podcast? You can submit a voice recording by calling the Room Escape Artist not-so-hotline that always goes straight to voicemail (551-227-7273).

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• REPOD Season 1, Episode 4: Escape Room Storytelling Through Spectacle, CU Adventures Anne & Chris Lukeman
• REPOD Season 3, Episode 7: Adrenaline Mapping and Escape Room Design with Tommy Honton, creator of Stash House
• REA Review
  • Stash House
  • CU Adventures in Time & Space:
    • Calling All Villains
    • The Wizard’s Curse
    • Game Night
    • Revenge of the Cabin
    • Solve Our Shirts: Treasure Trove of Pirates Cove
    • Solve Our Shirts: Escape from the Maze of the Minotaur

Guests: Terrified Tommy Honton, Craven Chris Lukeman, and Apparition Anne Lukeman

Support REPOD

• Subscribe to Patreon for bonus content.
• Please rate and review our podcast!

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Watch this talk if you want to customize your games so every team feels challenged and successful!

Adaptive Difficulty: Strategies For Making Games That Both Newbies & Enthusiasts Will Love

This video is now available on the Room Escape Artist YouTube channel!

Speakers: Chris & Anne Lukeman
Company: Champaign-Urbana Adventures in Time and Space (“CU Adventures”)

As the escape room industry matures, it becomes increasingly important to design games for both first time and experienced players. These two audiences have a lot in common, but thinking about how your game accommodates both can make the difference in converting a player to a true fan and reinvigorating your customers to love the hobby (and not treat it like a passing fad). Anne and Chris will talk about a variety of low tech and high tech solutions along with the pros and cons of each.

Why this topic?

Chris and Anne Lukeman run an escape room company in a small town where many of their players are first-timers. Their players range from birthday parties to college groups to nursing home groups to experienced enthusiasts. We recommend their games! The RECON team asked the Lukemans to share how they keep such a range of teams in terms of size, experience, and skills happy.

They discuss the pros and cons of hints as adaptive gameplay, time dilation, bonus puzzles, gamemaster-controlled changes, and automated systems.

Watch Errol Elumir’s talk on Puzzle Design and Gai Bosco and Lee Ballan’s talk on Game Design when they are released for the full set of design talks from RECON Remote 23.

Highlights from the live Discord chat

In the chat, RECON attendees were excited about some of the sets in the background of the video: “Now that’s a dragon!”

There was discussion about diegetic hint systems that allow the gamemasters to nudge, hints when players don’t want them, and pre-recorded versus live hints.

There was some division over the concept of time dilation, with some chatters agreeing with this and others expressing concern that players will be upset if we give them more time without them knowing. There was also debate over having bonus puzzles: “I had the ‘won, got bonus, failed, felt like we lost’ experience.” Chatters also disagreed whether bonus puzzles should be incorporated in the middle of the game or added at the end.

There was agreement on the importance of “reading the group.” It was noted that one con of automatic adaptation is that faster teams are not necessarily teams who will want more content.

Behind the scenes

You can’t tell from this top-quality video, but it was filmed after Chris and Anne Lukman ran Critical Putt (miniature golf + puzzles + RPG) all weekend at Gen Con, and just before a week of illness. The Lukemans are pro filmmakers and it shows.

RECON Los Angeles 24

Join us in person for RECON’s next curated lineup of talks. We’ll be in Los Angeles, California, August 18th & 19th, 2024.

Early Bird tickets are on sale now!

The post RECON 23 Video Release – Adaptive Difficulty: Strategies For Making Games That Both Newbies & Enthusiasts Will Love appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

“A lot of guys ignore the laugh”

If you enjoy Calling All Villains, we hope you’ll check out our interview with creators Anne & Chris Lukeman on The Reality Escape Pod.

Location:  Urbana, IL

Date Played: March 12, 2022

Team Size: 4-10; we recommend 4-6

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $30 per player for 4 players, $25 per player for 5+ players

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: a step up for at least 1 player

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Originally designed as a pop-up, Calling All Villains was a visually compelling experiment in escape room design.

Calling All Villains took many risks, and for the most part, they really paid off. The opening scene felt like a Burning Man-esque warehouse installation, absolutely packed with interactive art in a plethora of colors, textures, and materials. 3-4 distinct chunks of gameplay featured a wide range of puzzle and interaction styles. There was a ton to work on in each stage of the game, making this an excellent option for somewhat larger teams. The gameplay was layered and utilized the physical space in some rather creative ways.

Calling All Villains flowed well overall, but compared to CU Adventures’ other offerings, it was a bit uneven. As much as I enjoyed the majority of the set and gameplay, one intermediate space was a noticeable drop in production value and polish, though I appreciated its intended narrative function. Whereas Game Night, which also originated as a pop-up, managed to coalesce into cohesive permanent experience, more elements in Calling All Villains still felt a bit more ephemeral. I’d love to see how the highlights, aesthetic, and ambitions of this game translate into a more permanent future experience.

Some of my favorite moments at CU Adventures took place in Calling All Villains. While Game Night and Revenge of the Cabin were our overall favorites, I also highly recommend playing Calling All Villains if you have the time.

Who is this for?

• Scenery snobs
• Puzzle lovers
• Adventure seekers
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• The artsy atmosphere
• The vintage Volkswagen
• The puzzles

Story

Though we were villains, we realized we needed to combine our powers to save our city from the destructive evil of Doctor Radiation.

Setting

Calling All Villains was set in the lair/ hangout of our city’s supervillains. The space was eclectically decorated with graffiti and salvaged scrap metal art, including a section of a Volkswagen and a robot.

Gameplay

CU Adventures’ Calling All Villains was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around puzzling and making connections.

Analysis

Calling All Villains included spacious and varied environments. The first area of the set looked especially attractive, with a whimsical found-object aesthetic.

Some areas of the set were used more effectively than others. In particular, an intermediate space felt much less polished – both in build quality and gameplay – than the rest of the room.

 Calling All Villains had no shortage of puzzles. The gameplay was layered, logical, and creative. Everything flowed well, with thoughtful branching and gating.

 A Volkswagen camper visually anchored the entire room and provided a creative seating option.

A human-sized robot was an awesome piece of functional art.

Some visual relics of past puzzles were well integrated into room artwork such that they never felt like ghost puzzles or red herrings.

/ The ending sequence lacked the crescendo it deserved, but a final video wrapped up the game in an amusing manner.

Tips For Visiting

• There was a parking lot.

Book your hour with CU Adventures in Time & Space’s Calling All Villains, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: CU Adventures in Time & Space provided media discounted tickets for this game.

The post CU Adventures in Time & Space – Calling All Villains [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

We’re off to see the wizard…

If you enjoy The Wizard’s Curse, we hope you’ll check out our interview with creators Anne & Chris Lukeman on The Reality Escape Pod.

Location:  Urbana, IL

Date Played: March 12, 2022

Team Size: 2-6; we recommend 2-3

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $35 per player for 2 players, $30 per player for 3-4 players, $25 per player for 5-6 players

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: stairs for at least 1 player

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

The Wizard’s Curse was clever, compact, and thoroughly charming. The smallest of CU Adventures’ current offerings, it was best suited for smaller teams, but had no shortage of delightful interactions.

CU Adventures has a talent for putting original twists on common themes, in both their in-person and virtual/ tabletop games. In The Wizard’s Curse, we encountered a familiar story: we had to find a way to defeat the evil wizard who’d cast a spell over our kingdom. Even if this story was nothing new, the room’s polished puzzling, multi-level set, and fun characters made this a memorable experience.

If you’re choosing amongst the rooms at CU Adventures, you can’t really go wrong. Especially for small teams, newer players, and magic lovers, I recommend playing The Wizard’s Curse.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level

Why play?

• Clever use of a small space
• The puzzles

Story

An evil wizard had cast a spell over our kingdom. We snuck into his inner sanctum and had to find some way to defeat him before it was too late.

Setting

The Wizard’s Curse was set in an evil wizard’s library-workshop. Mystical artifacts and imagery filled the space, and a small library awaited up a short flight of stairs.

Gameplay

CU Adventures’ The Wizard’s Curse was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around puzzling and making connections.

Analysis

The Wizard’s Curse efficiently used a small space. The set transformed as the game went on, with sneaky reuses of surfaces. A low-clearance second level made the set feel much bigger than it actually was.

 The gameplay all looked and felt like it belonged in the wizard’s world. Tactile interactions guided us through the space in novel ways.

/ The wizard was a distinctive character, though at times his presence could have been better contextualized in-room. He generally felt quite lifelike, but the illusion broke in moments where his image froze in place.

A punnily named raven balanced out the evil wizard’s character and was an entertaining in-room presence.

Crystalline torches were attractive, thematic light sources.

 A directional lock looked visually out of place and was sticky to operate.

/ An LED hourglass served as a unique game clock. Though attractive, it wasn’t quite consistent with the rest of the set aesthetic.

The Wizard’s Curse had a satisfying final boss battle with a fair difficulty progression.

Tips For Visiting

• There was a parking lot.

Book your hour with CU Adventures in Time & Space’s The Wizard’s Curse, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: CU Adventures in Time & Space provided media discounted tickets for this game.

The post CU Adventures in Time & Space – The Wizard’s Curse [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.