Blackwell Manor at New Mexico Escape Room is the game that inspired an entire escape room tour to the New Mexico region. To be more specific, it was photos of this facade.

Darren Guido, owner of New Mexico Escape Room, approached David Spira at a convention with an iPad. Darren showed David videos and photos of Blackwell Manor’s build and invited him to come play. At the time, New Mexico was not considered a travel destination for escape rooms. But when David and Lisa were looking for a place to unwind after producing RECON 21 David recalled those memorable photos of a huge, creepy looking house and booked a trip to Albuquerque.

He never imagined what he would find there. New Mexico Escape Room is in a massive warehouse where every escape room is contained within a gorgeous facade. These facades are a massive undertaking that really speaks to the quality of the sets and build. Owners Darren and Carie Guido joined us on the latest episode of our Spoilers Club to talk all about their flagship game, Blackwell Manor.

Darren and Carie spoke very candidly about everything from the build, to working with puzzle designers, and making adjustments to the game. We talk about all the little details that make this game exceptional, for example, how much Darren struggled to get the timing just right for special effects like audio cues of footsteps running from left to right, leading to a door that slams open and lights up. What I especially appreciated was hearing about puzzles that didn’t work, and how they learned from any mistakes.

If you haven’t already played Blackwell Manor, I highly recommend checking out our Escape, Immerse, Explore tour, the next time it goes to New Mexico.

New Mexico Escape Room also has a series of videos on YouTube with a behind-the-scenes look at building this game.

How to Listen

When you support Room Escape Artist on Patreon at $15 per month (or above), you get access to the Spoilers Club, our exclusive podcast where hosts David Spira and Peih-Gee Law chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

The post 🆕 Spoilers Club: Blackwell Manor Preview appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Location:  Albuquerque, New Mexico

Date Played: May 31, 2024

Team size: up to 8; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  Players who are color blind will struggle with some puzzles.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Duel at Dusk is one of the more playful and light-hearted games at New Mexico Escape Room. While the idea of a duel in the Wild West might sound intense, this was a bright, family-friendly take on the theme.

This is a new version of one of New Mexico Escape Room’s earlier games, fully rebuilt, greatly improved, and in a new location.

With Duel at Dusk, New Mexico Escape Room’s top-notch scenic design was again on display. From the outside (meaning, from the hallway!) this escape room looked like a saloon. And inside, the dark wooden construction and detailed painting made this a fun environment to spend an hour puzzling in.

And puzzling, we did. The gameplay was all about the puzzles, which were built into the props, and usually required that extra step of thinking, making them rewarding to solve.

We expect it can be challenging for newer teams to get started in Duel at Dusk, and our main suggestion for this game is to illuminate a clear starting place so the momentum builds quickly. That said, this wasn’t an issue for the experienced teams on our recent Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico escape room tour, many of whom tore through this room at record-breaking speed.

In many of the other games at New Mexico Escape Room, they’ve experimented with set, narrative, and effects in more flashy ways. Duel at Dusk offered less novelty. It was a classic, puzzle-focused design, with excellent theming and an engaging goal. If you’re visiting New Mexico Escape Room, you’re probably coming for a few of their other, more notable games (such as the Golden Lock Award-winning Blackwell Manor or Super Secret) but if you have extra time, add Duel at Dusk into your lineup before you skedaddle out of town.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Wild West fans
• Any experience level

Why play?

• Engaging, tangible puzzles
• A fun environment to solve in

Story

At dusk, it would time to duel. No sweat. Except that we’d misplaced our lucky gun at the local saloon the previous night. Time to return to the saloon. The bartender was giving us only an hour to find it.

Setting

Behind the classic, waist-height, swinging doors, we found a brightly lit saloon. The walls were partly paneled with dark wood, and a sturdy bar was the focal point of the room. It looked entirely realistic, if uncharacteristically playful, for the Wild West.

Gameplay

New Mexico Escape Room’s Duel at Dusk was a standard escape room with a lower level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, and solving puzzles. The more challenging puzzles worked best with good communication.

Analysis

 We loved the outside facade of the saloon and the swinging doors. It felt so natural. Yes, it was a little weird (and perhaps a first for us?) that we had such an open view of the hallway (and the hallway had such a view of us), but Duel at Dusk was at the end of the hallway, in a less trafficked area, and once we were puzzling, we were focused on the game.

 The set was fun to play in. It was unmistakably a Wild West saloon. However, it was bright and friendly. It was not yet dusk, after all. It was uncharacteristically clean for a saloon. No complaints.

 It can be challenging to find the initial thread of gameplay. There was a lot of content that appeared accessible at the onset, and no clear on-ramp. We expect that newer teams might flounder a bit before they get going.

 The excellent puzzles were embedded in tangible props. They often appeared straight forward, but still made us stop and think. One puzzle hung in front of us for a long time, but the rewarding late-game solve earned our stamp of approval.

 / Duel at Dusk included some lengthy mapping and deciphering. These puzzles were best completed as communication puzzles, and we enjoyed them. That said, we can see them overstaying their welcome, especially if a team doesn’t stay organized and has to start over.

 The hint system for Duel at Dusk was under-developed. It was easy to “accidentally” get a nudge (wanted or unwanted) because we could see that a hint had become available for a specific puzzle. Additionally, there was opportunity to build a more thematically-integrated hint system, which would make the game feel more alive.

/ The finale was cute. We liked how it engaged the whole team in a light-hearted manner. However, we would have liked a bit more from the finale interactions.

/ Duel at Dusk was a puzzle-focused game in a themed environment with a clear goal. This was well executed, classic escape room gameplay. However, it didn’t have the narrative elements or bombastic effects that we’ve experienced in some of New Mexico Escape Room’s other games. Your enjoyment will likely vary based on your appreciation for this escape room design style.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.
• Note that prop guns are used in the game.

Book your hour with New Mexico Escape Room’s Duel at Dusk, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Mexico Escape Room provided media discounted tickets for this game.

The post New Mexico Escape Room – Duel at Dusk [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Location:  Albuquerque, New Mexico

Date Played: May 31, 2024

Team size: up to 6; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $33 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  One player needs to crawl. The game uses flashing lights and fog.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

“Striking a balance between tension and gameplay, New Mexico Escape Room built their most well-rounded game and complete game to date with Cabin 2.0: Simon Says, ‘Die.’ It’s another gem in their already impressive lineup.”

REA Reaction

I’m an unapologetic fan of New Mexico Escape Room. I love their particular blend of beautiful set and interaction design, with playful, and often humorous gameplay. We’ve given them Golden Lock Awards in the past for both Blackwell Manor and Super Secret… it’s with that in mind that I say that for my taste, Cabin 2.0: Simon Says, “Die” is the most well-rounded game in New Mexico Escape Room’s lineup.

That’s not to say that Cabin 2.0 was the flashiest, puzzliest, or funniest game in the building… those honors go to Blackwell Manor, Nefertari’s Tomb, and Super Secret, respectively. With this latest game, it really feels like New Mexico Escape Room nailed what they were going for. The tuning of gameplay, character, and design was impressive.

Additionally, Cabin 2.0 was an approachable horror game that served up great puzzles along the way. They’ll catch you with a fright, but then they’ll let you puzzle. It was well balanced.

If I had one major critique, it’s that the hint system felt under-developed in comparison to literally everything else going on in Cabin 2.0. This is an issue that spans most of New Mexico Escape Room’s games, and it creates a situation where their games are far better for teams that don’t require help.

Overall, there’s a maturity to Cabin 2.0 that felt fantastic. I played this game twice over the span of a few days, and my appreciation only grew the second time through. Due to Albuquerque being less of a tourist town, New Mexico Escape Room doesn’t always come up when people discuss fantastic escape room companies… but they do fantastic work. They have 6 games in their building and 0 duds. There aren’t many escape room companies putting up numbers like that.

Who is this for?

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

Why play?

• Wonderful set design
• Strong puzzle play, especially for a horror game
• There are a number of beautifully designed, unique moments

Story

The notorious “Simon Says” killer is already behind bars, but now, years later, our team of FBI investigators is finding new victims. We’ve returned to his cabin to see if we could find the killer and stop the murders.

Setting

New Mexico Escape Room set out to create a murder cabin, and comfortably pulled it off. Cabin 2.0 looked substantially more impressive than the original (which we had seen but did not play).

The game space was well-designed from floor to ceiling, and even the exterior of the game had an impressive facade.

Aesthetically, Cabin 2.0 also had a bit of a sense of humor to it. It walked that fine line between scary and funny that so many great horror movies accomplish.

Gameplay

New Mexico Escape Room’s Cabin 2.0 was a standard horror-themed escape room.

It had a moderate level of difficulty. It included some more complex, layered puzzles, but the scares tapered off when it was time to focus and solve. If you are nervous in horror games, your perception of the difficulty might be different.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, solving puzzles, and braving an approachably intense environment.

Analysis

 The set looked great. It felt like a cabin, down to most disgusting, but perfectly appropriate decor. Plus, it had the external facade that is a hallmark of New Mexico Escape Room’s style, and makes their games that much more inviting. The props were especially detailed. Those who enjoy gruesome horror props will appreciate the artistry here, on display at different scales.

 The effects amped up the intensity at the right moments. We felt the game crescendo. The effects also provided gotcha jump scares at the right moments, without overdoing it.

 The puzzles were well-clued with satisfying solves. Even when we didn’t think the cluing was there, it was subtly embedded into our surroundings. The puzzles progressed in complexity over the course of the game. While we found some of the earlier puzzles to be relatively mundane, the later puzzles turned in new directions.

 New Mexico Escape Room misstepped with a late-game gating decision. It would be easy to play one whole act in a suboptimal environment that would cause frustration, and let beautifully detailed props go wholly unappreciated.

New Mexico Escape Room built a lot of tech-driven interactions into Cabin 2.0, and hid everything beautifully in the set and props.

 The hint system was underdeveloped, which can led to unnecessary feel-bad moments. There was opportunity to work the hints more seamlessly into the game, so that they feel like natural cluing.

 One transition scene felt wonderfully ominous, it shined a light on the deliberate and clever design work of New Mexico Escape Room.

/ Our actions had meaning in the game. We needed to both stop the murders, and solve the mystery of the killer. It would be possible to win the game without fully solving it. We loved that we had this much control, but we can appreciate teams being frustrated if they accidentally skip a puzzle that is pivotal to the story.

The finale was exciting. Win or lose, Cabin 2.0 will give the team a dramatic ending.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.

Book your hour with New Mexico Escape Room’s Cabin 2.0, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Mexico Escape Room provided media discounted tickets for this game.

The post New Mexico Escape Room – Cabin 2.0: Simon Says, “Die” [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Over the course of 3 days, they each played 9 terrific escape rooms and visited Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return.

The post-event survey surfaced the top games in the region, but also shows the diversity of preference even among serious escape room players.

Survey Says

The post-event survey asked everyone to stack rank the 9 escape rooms they’d played. (Of note, there were 10 games on the tour, but most people only played 1 of the 2 games at Puzzah!)

There are lots of ways to understand “favorite” from a survey. As we tend to do at Room Escape Artist, we dig into the nuance here:

Most Often Ranked Top 3

If we look at the games that players ranked most often in the first, second, or third spot in their stack ranking, there are clear favorite games. No other games were even nearly as popular by this metric.

Most popular: Blackwell Manor at New Mexico Escape Room and Rattlesnake Bend at Bust Out.

Most Often Ranked #1

Blackwell Manor at New Mexico Escape Room was the game that the most players ranked as their favorite. About a quarter of survey respondents ranked it as #1.

Top 5 Favorite Escape Rooms

The calculated average ranking is based on weights, meaning the respondent’s most preferred choice (which they rank as #1) has the largest weight, and their least preferred choice (which they rank in the last position) has a weight of 1.

Based on the scores from players stack ranking all the games on the tour, these games are the top 5:

1. Rattlesnake Bend at Bust Out
2. Blackwell Manor at New Mexico Escape Room
3. Jumanji at Bust Out
4. Super Secret at New Mexico Escape Room
5. Bombshell at New Mexico Escape Room

Jumanji might be a surprising #3. While players ranked this game as #1 far less often than they did the other games in the top 5, it ranked so consistently in the top 5 (most often landing at #4) that the weighted average put it at #3.

Count of Games Ranked #1

Out of the 10 games included in the survey, 7 games ranked as at least one person’s #1 game. Every company on the tour (New Mexico Escape Room, Bust Out, and Puzzah!) offered a game that ranked as a favorite.

Most Polarizing Game

Nefertari’s Tomb at New Mexico Escape Room was the most polarizing game. It was ranked last more often than any other game. However, it was also ranked first. In fact it was ranked by at least one person in every spot except third.

Reactions

We’ve selected a few anonymous quotes from the post-event survey to share. This demonstrates to us how different escape rooms shine for different people (even different escape room enthusiasts!) in different ways. Albuquerque and Santa Fe truly offer a stellar menu of outstanding escape rooms.

New Mexico Escape Room

“Blackwell Manor was so impressive. I really appreciated how the game drove you through the story and had all the scenic elements to match. I felt connected to the experience.”

“Super Secret was my favorite specifically because of the humorous videos.”

“Super Secret was such a standout for me… The use of space was genius and I loved the one room design in that the space we were in had completely changed by the time we reached the end of the game. It’s obvious to me that more thought was put into every detail of this game than any other.”

“Bombshell was really fun. It shows the value of having big chunky props and fun transitions.”

“Nefertari’s Tomb had awesome puzzles, but translation sapped a lot of joy from the game.”

“I really enjoyed the nonlinear aspects of the Nefertari’s Tomb.“

Bust Out Escape Room

“Rattlesnake Bend especially impressed me – something about the set and how it felt like we were in an entire Wild West town, I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

“I enjoyed the unusual [SPOILER REDACTED] mechanic in Curse of the Mayan Temple.”

“Shout out to Jumanji for putting on a clinic on how to purchase a game from Indestroom and make it a great experience!”

Puzzah!

“M.A.S.K. and Knight Shade were fun in their way, but the impersonality and the game mechanics that enabled flip-flop reset made it very mechanical-feeling.”

“As an owner I greatly enjoyed Puzzah! It was interesting to see the way they achieved zero reset.”

Conclusion & Recommendations

We highly recommend escape room travelers visit Albuquerque and Santa Fe. There are incredible games in this region for all types of players. Moreover, we are excited about what New Mexico Escape Room and Bust Out are currently building…. and we can’t wait to come back and see how these builds turn out.

In fact, we’ll look at bringing another Escape Immerse Explore tour back to this destination in the future.

In the meantime, if you’re traveling to New Mexico, check out our recommendations guide Albuquerque & Santa Fe.

Beyond the Escape Rooms

by Richard Burns

The variety of games included in Escape Immerse Explore New Mexico offered something for every kind of escape room player. The state’s heavy film industry presence benefits the local escape room scene by bringing theatrical set-building professionals to the area. Their techniques and craftsmanship were on display for those who love good set design.

The event kicked off with a Saturday evening meal and get together that really helped break the ice. Past tour veterans reunited with hugs and laughter and first time attendees met new friends and teammates. One of the best things about escape rooms is the people who love them, and our tours are much more than just a collection of games. Growing and fostering this community is one of our goals and it is a joy to see the momentum we are building with events like these.

Join The Next Tour

Our next Escape Immerse Explore tour is going to New Orleans, one of North America’s premier escape room destinations. The reputation is deserved and there’s a reason why we’re bringing a tour here for a third time. Whether you’re looking for interesting gameplay, wonderful world building, or breathtaking sets, there’s a lot here for you. Come have an adventure with us this fall!

2022 Tour Dates: Saturday, November 12 – Tuesday, November 15

In less than 2 weeks, tickets for this tour are already more than half sold. Grab one while you still can!

The post Survey Deep Dive: Escape Immerse Explore New Mexico appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Grand Puzzle Tomb

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 14, 2021

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 4-6

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $25 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Nefertari’s Tomb was jam-packed with content. Our goal was to raid as much loot from the ancient tomb as we could, and destroy the evidence of our presence before the authorities stopped us. New Mexico Escape Room truly made us work for the loot with a constant stream of puzzle solving, searching, and translating.

The upshot: in terms of gameplay for your money, you won’t find many games with as much to do as Nefertari’s Tomb… and it was all staged in a beautiful Egyptian tomb.

The potential struggle in Nefertari’s Tomb was the volume of translation, which felt both completely narratively justified… and also excessive. I literally learned to sightread the hieroglyphics in Nefertari’s Tomb and so did two of my teammates. (Not David… that’s not his thing.)

Overall, Nefertari’s Tomb feels unique, big and exciting… and at times it also feels cumbersome. It’s one of the strongest large team games we’ve seen, and it has a style that a lot of players – especially puzzlers – will connect with. If you’re in Albuquerque and looking for a puzzley good time, give this one a try.

Who is this for?

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

Why play?

• Explosive intro/ outro sequence
• An unusual game structure that facilitated an impressive volume of puzzle content
• A nifty Egyptian tomb set

Story

After years of research, Arnold von Dunkelheit had found the location of Nefertari’s Tomb. He had a long list of items that he required from this site, and he’d hired our gang of adventuring tomb robbers to attain them. Our instructions were clear:

• Enter the tomb
• Steal as many items as we could
• Destroy the tomb and all evidence of our presence before the authorities would arrive

Setting

Nefertari’s Tomb was set in an archeological dig of an Egyptian tomb, with carved stone walls and dramatic lighting. The ceiling height was imposing, and the large space dispersed a lot of puzzle content in a way that allowed multiple groups of people to solve at the same time.

Gameplay

New Mexico Escape Room’s Nefertari’s Tomb was a standard escape room with a lot of content and a high level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, and solving puzzles. Multiple puzzles required extensive hieroglyphic translation.

Analysis

 The animation in the introductory video was excellent. It was interesting to see New Mexico Escape Room drop the pretense and embrace us being villainous tomb raiders.

 The setup appeared straightforward, but was, itself, a puzzle. We had to decide when to stop collecting treasure and depart the tomb.

 Nefertari’s Tomb felt majestic. From walls to the ceiling, and even including the entry from the hallway, the set looked great. It was big, but also detailed.

 There was a lot to solve and the gameplay flowed well. We could clearly connect the various puzzle elements.

 While we appreciated how one interaction illuminated additional meaning, we found it cumbersome to keep this interaction engaged. After the initial reveal, one teammate ended up stuck as a glorified flashlight holder for long stretches… until David eventually hacked the game.

 While we enjoyed a lot of the puzzles in Nefertari’s Tomb, they required excessive translation in advance of the aha moment. We felt that the balance of “process” to “aha” was off with so much time spent translating.

/ During our hour in Nefertari’s Tomb, 3 of our 4 teammates became fluent in this particular hieroglyphic alphabet. That’s how much translation was required to solve these puzzles. On the one hand, by keeping the alphabet consistent throughout the game, the translation was manageable. It was pretty neat to be fluently reading a foreign script after an hour. On the other hand, we felt like the gate of translation was overused at the expense of more interesting mechanics and it overstayed its welcome. We were also frustrated by the intentional similarity of certain letters in this hieroglyphic alphabet. Your mileage will vary based on your appreciation of this translation puzzle mechanic.

 The written clues felt good. These were durable, high quality props that felt like they belonged in the game world.

 In the wake of a pandemic, we question the inclusion of a scent puzzle.

/ The inclusion of bonus puzzles meant that even strong teams feel the pressure of the clock and the decision of when to leave the tomb. We found the bonus puzzles to be hit or miss, with one set providing better ahas and a more satisfying process than the other set.

 Nefertari’s Tomb ended with a bang, and an impressive attention to set detail that solidified the finale.

 In Nefertari’s Tomb, the hints were self-service, from a predefined menu. We glanced at the hint system and it seemed sufficient, but in a game with depth of puzzle complexity, we aren’t sure this is the best route. Your mileage may vary.

Tips For Visiting

• The game is located at the McLeod Road location.
• There is a parking lot.
• We enjoyed Green Jeans, for a nearby upscale food court constructed out of shipping containers.

Book your hour with New Mexico Escape Room’s Nefertari’s Tomb, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: New Mexico Escape Room provided media discounted tickets for this game.

Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico

This game will be featured on our next escape room tour: Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico 2022. If you’re looking to play outstanding escape rooms with other players who are just as excited about these games, we hope you’ll join us in New Mexico this June.

The post New Mexico Escape Room – Nefertari’s Tomb [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Syndicate Revolt

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 14, 2021

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: If the transition sequences don’t work for you, you can bypass them.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Have you ever just connected with a game? I connected with Bombshell. Maybe it was because I live in New Jersey, and the villain strongly reminded me of my neighbor… or maybe it was the noir vibes, beautiful set, and the clever way that New Mexico Escape Room massaged escape room tropes into the narrative of this game.

Whatever it was… I got really into it.

Another thing that I loved about Bombshell was that things had weight to them. The props, transitions, lighting… so much of this game had a playful gravitas. When you picked up props, they required a bit of oomph; the story felt the same.

Where Bombshell lost me from time to time were in a few puzzles that required a bit more repetition than was necessary. Those “ok, I get it…” moments weren’t numerous, but in such a smooth game, they stood out.

Bombshell is another one of those must-play games in Albuquerque… so if you’re anywhere nearby, go play it.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Noir fans
• Any experience level

Why play?

• A strong narrative-driven game
• Phenomenal set design accentuated by lighting

Story

For decades Vittorio Bosargio had ruled crime in this city as the Don of Dons. No one questioned his judgment… until recently. He seemed to be losing it, becoming chaotic, violent, and mad. As the leaders of our respective crime families, we’d gathered to put an end to his reign, but Bosargio knew what we were up to…

Setting

The warehouse set of Bombshell felt like a great environment to explore an organized crime story. The set itself was gorgeous, and truly sold itself as a warehouse. Additionally, the whole experience was amplified by fantastic light and sound design that gave it a proper noir feel.

Gameplay

New Mexico Escape Room’s Bombshell was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, and puzzling.

Analysis

 Even before we entered Bombshell, the set made an impression. It was an imposing build. The warehouse was sparsely decorated, but New Mexico Escape Room had thought through every detail of the place, down to the bullet holes that riddled the set pieces.

Escape Room New Mexico justified the existence of escape room-style puzzles in a warehouse. Furthermore, it was funny. Witty character dialogue prodded us as we played. Vittorio Bosargio had it in for us, but he wanted to toy with us first.

 Our hints came from a character, through a sensible interface, while still accessible to the entire team.

 One puzzle was immovable until we noticed the subtle cluing that provided pivotal information.

 Some of the puzzles overstayed their welcome. One was uncomfortable to complete and another lasted longer than it needed to.

 One puzzle was largely spoiled by wear mapping out a solution.

 As the story unfolded, the puzzles made sense within the context of our escape. We enjoyed a cheesy, but thematically relevant, take on a classic escape room puzzle as well as a suitable and satisfying deduction challenge.

 Throughout the experience, sound and light cues directed our attention at key moments.

 The mid-game transition was exciting, and augmented by sound, light, and practical effects. It will not be for everyone, however, and New Mexico Escape Room handled this elegantly.

The finale was memorable, and all the better for the small, unnecessary details that really sold the moment.

Tips For Visiting

• The game is located at the McLeod Road location.
• There is a parking lot.
• We enjoyed Green Jeans, for a nearby upscale food court constructed out of shipping containers.

Book your hour with New Mexico Escape Room’s Bombshell, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: New Mexico Escape Room provided media discounted tickets for this game.

Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico

This game will be featured on our next escape room tour: Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico 2022. If you’re looking to play outstanding escape rooms with other players who are just as excited about these games, we hope you’ll join us in New Mexico this June.

The post New Mexico Escape Room – Bombshell [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

To the Secretcave!

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 14, 2021

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $28 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

We haven’t had a lot of luck playing superhero-themed escape rooms… until we visited Super Secret.

The struggle with superhero games is that it’s really hard to make the players – who know that they are just regular humans – believe that they are in a superheroic world. New Mexico Escape Room solved this problem by casting us as regular humans supporting the hero from his headquarters… and it worked damn well.

The characters, setting, and props blended with a campy superhero story, and sold the whole package. And New Mexico Escape Room accomplished this while telling their own story with their own Albuquerque-based superhero.

There were times where I wished that the puzzles and challenges blended a bit more into the story, but overall, this game was a stellar example of puzzle design, characters, setting, and story coming together to create an adventure.

Super Secret was one of our favorite games from Albuquerque… which is saying a lot because we loved the games we played in this city. This game is a must-play in a region that is worth traveling to specifically for escape games.

Who is this for?

• Superhero fans
• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level

Why play?

• Engaging and approachable puzzle play
• The Batcave-esque set was beautiful from floor to ceiling
• A delightful original superhero story set in Albuquerque

Story

For years, Captain Secret had kept the city of Albuquerque safe from evildoers… until today. Our city’s superhero had been captured by his greatest foe, and needed our help. Fortunately everything he needed was within his secret lair, but time was running short.

Setting

Super Secret was set in a Batcave-ish super hero’s lair. In Batman fashion, it was loaded with Captain Secret’s equipment and trophies.

From floor to ceiling, Super Secret’s set was fully realized. All of this was accentuated by cartoon animation of Super Secret as we helped him out of his perilous situation.

Gameplay

New Mexico Escape Room’s Super Secret was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and puzzling.

Analysis

 The small set was designed from floor to ceiling. It had a strong tech-meets-cave Batcave aesthetic that we’ve never seen before, and worked perfectly for the game. From the opening moments through to the finale, the set surprised us.

 We appreciated that we were helping a local city, and not saving the entire world. Our superhero was a real character, whom we got to know through the puzzles and the cutscenes. The stakes felt right.

The cut scenes were great. With excellent animation and voice acting, they brought our group together and refocused us on the plot points. These were fun break points that added to our enjoyment of the mission.

 While some of the puzzles enhanced the character of our superhero, and the final act was largely tied to the narrative, many of the puzzles were thematic escape room puzzles. There’s opportunity for New Mexico Escape Room to add more narrative weight to puzzle interactions.

 That said, the final act was hilarious. It was a ridiculous theme-mashup, and it energized us… and our actions were deeply tied to the narrative.

 The gameplay flowed well, with varied puzzles, many of which required teamwork and communication. These were fun, satisfying solves.

 With certain puzzles, New Mexico Escape Room could adjust interfaces to give feedback earlier, so that players have confirmation of their interactions, and feel confident in how to input solves.

 New Mexico Escape Room used light and sound expertly throughout Super Secret to direct our attention and elevate the experience.

 The hint system was fun to converse with.

 The superheroic Easter eggs were a delight.

Tips For Visiting

• The game is located at the Carlisle Boulevard location.
• There is a parking lot.
• We enjoyed Green Jeans, for a nearby upscale food court constructed out of shipping containers.

Book your hour with New Mexico Escape Room’s Super Secret, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: New Mexico Escape Room provided media discounted tickets for this game.

Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico

This game will be featured on our next escape room tour: Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico 2022. If you’re looking to play outstanding escape rooms with other players who are just as excited about these games, we hope you’ll join us in New Mexico this June.

The post New Mexico Escape Room – Super Secret [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

If you’re interested, get your tickets now… our tours always sell out. We’ve already sold a third of the tickets during pre-sale.*

Details

• Saturday, June 4 – Tuesday, June 7, 2022
• Albuquerque & Santa Fe

Featured Companies

• New Mexico Escape Room (Albuquerque)
• Bust Out Escape Room (Albuquerque)
• Puzzah! (Santa Fe)

We’ll also visit Meow Wolf’s The House of Eternal Return, an immersive art installation in Santa Fe.

Here is our first review from New Mexico: Blackwell Manor at New Mexico Escape Room. Stay tuned for reviews of all of the above… coming throughout the next few weeks.

More Information

We have written up the details of the tour and answered all manner of questions that are on your mind… and some that aren’t.

If the link above doesn’t answer all your questions, please contact us.

Get Tickets

Get your ticket today. We’d love to see you in New Mexico.

*Pre-sale was available to REA Patreon backers and all past Escape Immerse Explore tour goers.

The post Announcing Escape Immerse Explore New Mexico 2022 appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Don’t stay for dinner

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 14, 2021

Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $32 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: one person has to crawl

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Blackwell Manor isn’t just an escape room; it’s a calling card for New Mexico Escape Room.

Within their facility sits a two-story Victorian manor, and it’s haunted.

Within its walls we found a compelling story tied together with brilliant haunt scares that pushed well into thrilling territory, without turning excessive.

The puzzles flowed well and were used to introduce us to characters and key plot points.

And the effects were perfect.

Our only real gripe was that the story resolved a bit too quickly. We really felt like we needed another story beat at the end to land where we did.

Overall, it was clear from the moment we set eyes upon Blackwell Manor that we were about to have a special experience. And, oh my, did New Mexico Escape Room deliver. Albuquerque is a city worth visiting for escape rooms, and if you’re down for a bit of horror, Blackwell Manor is one of the must-play escape rooms in the region.

Who is this for?

• Haunted house fans
• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level

Why play?

• They built a whole house inside of their facility… a whole house
• The effects and worldbuilding were incredible
• The horror was intense yet approachable

Story

We had been dared to enter the house. How could we possibly turn down a dare?

The house had been abandoned for a century, but that hadn’t stopped people from talking about it… spreading rumors that it was haunted. We were going to go see for ourselves.

Setting

The set of Blackwell Manor was an absolute marvel. The exterior was fully realized. New Mexico Escape Room built a Victorian manor, and we could walk around it.

The interior was equally incredible, with vaulted ceilings, chandeliers, and spectacular detailing and effects that truly sold the “haunted” part of this haunted house. All of this was accomplished in the right ways; the set was dirty looking but never dirty.

Gameplay

New Mexico Escape Room’s Blackwell Manor was a haunted house, gated with escape room puzzles. It had a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved searching, observing, making connections, puzzling… and not being overly scared.

Analysis

 We walked up to a legit, two-story manor. There it stood inside New Mexico Escape Room’s facility. The exterior facade was jaw-dropping, and the inside was just as detailed from floor to balcony to ceiling, including intricate cobweb work.

 The opening sequence elegantly established the characters and narrative, while introducing us to the gameplay.

 Yes, there were jump scares. And in this too, New Mexico Escape Room nailed the timing to maximize the impact, without overusing the trope.

 What Blackwell Manor lacked in puzzle volume, it made up for with some more involved solves that furthered the story and worked best as a team.

 We would have liked more signposting for one puzzle with a search component. We spent a long time trying to solve it without knowing we’d missed a piece.

/ Blackwell Manor was akin to a haunted house. It funneled us through spaces and story beats with linear puzzle design. While it had fewer puzzles, and we had less agency, each player on our team internalized the characters and we were invested in their plight.

 Blackwell Manor ended with abrupt redemption that didn’t sit right with us. We would have liked one more scene, both from the narrative and gameplay standpoints, to earn the conclusion. There was opportunity for a boss battle.

 In Blackwell Manor, the hints were self-service, from a predefined menu. We peeked at the hints and they seemed to get the job done while looking pretty, but this is rarely our preference for hint systems. Your mileage may vary.

 New Mexico Escape Room created events with light, sound, and practical effects. Throughout Blackwell Manor, they controlled our attention, directing it for each reveal. Their timing was exquisite, especially in the finale.

Tips For Visiting

• The game is located at the McLeod Road location.
• There is a parking lot.
• We enjoyed Green Jeans, for a nearby upscale food court constructed out of shipping containers.

Update 11/17/2024: If you want to hear more about Blackwell Manor, back us on Patreon at the “Search Win!” level to get access to a Spoilers Club Episode about this game. Reality Escape Pod co-hosts David and Peih-Gee talk all about it with the creators, spoilers and all.

Book your hour with New Mexico Escape Room’s Blackwell Manor, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: New Mexico Escape Room provided media discounted tickets for this game.

Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico

This game will be featured on our next escape room tour: Escape Immerse Explore: New Mexico 2022. If you’re looking to play outstanding escape rooms with other players who are just as excited about these games, we hope you’ll join us in New Mexico this June.

The post New Mexico Escape Room – Blackwell Manor [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.