Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: June 3, 2022

Team size: 4-8; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $25 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

We’ve already reviewed Bust Out Escape Room’s newer games. We played Camp Crystal Lake mainly to see where this company started. Plus, this game caterers to fandom and still quite popular.

Camp Crystal Lake was a fun old-school escape room. The jump scares created fun moments (and not terrifying ones) and with each act, the scene changed in ways were didn’t see coming.

We expect that the third act impresses many newer players, for whom the novelty outweighs the lack of polish in execution.

Play Camp Crystal Lake for the theming, but know that it doesn’t quite capture the Friday the 13th slasher horror vibe that well. It’s an escape room through and through, with a bit of adventure tossed in. It’s was a strong early outing from a company who went on to up the caliber of both puzzles and adventure.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Friday the 13th fans
• Any experience level
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Dramatic scene changes
• Playful mid-game sequence
• The jump scares

Story

Camp Crystal Lake was finally reopening after being closed for 16 years. We’d volunteered to help with the reopening… when the wrath of Jason Voorhees descended upon us.

Setting

Camp Crystal Lake began in a wood-paneled fisherman’s cabin. It was a cozy lake-side abode with thematic posters, gear, and entertainment. It felt appropriate – like it had been built in a previous era.

Gameplay

Bust Out Escape Room’s Camp Crystal Lake was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

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

Analysis

 Camp Crystal Lake excelled at dramatic set changes. As one of Bust Out Escape Room’s earlier games, it didn’t have the set design budget of some of their newer games. However the different game spaces were each distinct, and as such, surprising reveals.

 Although the aesthetic of the final set was unexpected, after the initial moments of intrigue, the seams showed a bit too much.

 The puzzles were solid, if not especially novel. We liked how things spun nicely into place.

 Bust Out Escape Room struggled with similar digit structure and lack of lock mapping. When we derived a code, we’d have to try it multiple locks, deflating our momentum just a bit.

 It wasn’t always clear when we had enough information to start solving something. We spent too much time on inactive puzzles.

 The jump scares delivered. Rest assured, these aren’t terrifying, but they will get you. In a good way.

 One unusual interaction toyed with us. It takes extra care and engagement from the staff to land this, but it was a highlight of the experience.

Tips For Visiting

• Camp Crystal Lake is located at the San Mateo location.
• There is a parking lot.

Book your hour with Bust Out Escape Room’s Camp Crystal Lake, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

The post Bust Out Escape Room – Camp Crystal Lake [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Adventure by torchlight

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: June 3, 2022

Team size: 4-8; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $30 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A] Push To Exit

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Curse of the Mayan Temple shouldn’t be a particularly challenging game. It had less content than Bust Out Escape Room’s other experiences. The puzzles were varied in style and well clued.

That said, two unusual game design decisions make this a rather variable escape room. Either one can sink a team of even experienced players (we’ve seen it happen), causing them to spiral into the depths of frustration.

Our advice for Bust Out: add gating for one early solution so that a team cannot progress to the next unusual section without completing it.

Our advice for players: If the game feels inordinately frustrating, it probably doesn’t need to be. Search harder.

We enjoyed Curse of the Mayan Temple because it looked great, played well, and took risks. Although Rattlesnake Bend and Jumanji are our favorite games from this company, if you have time to add on another adventure, we recommend Curse of the Mayan Temple.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Indiana Jones fans
• Best for players with at least some experience
• Players who communicate well

Why play?

• The unexpected mid-game introduction of a new mechanic
• Momentum-building final sequence

Story

Legend told that the temple had been cursed… but we were determined to uncover the truth of whatever lay within.

Setting

The weathered stone walls of the temple and ancient artifacts took us back in time. A large skull presided over one corner of the set. It was impressive.

Gameplay

Bust Out Escape Room’s Curse of the Mayan Temple was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, solving puzzles, and communicating.

Analysis

 The opening set looked great, and was punctuated by a single imposing set piece.

 We commend Bust Out Escape Room on taking multiple tropes that we don’t usually like, and making them land well.

 Curse of the Mayan Temple used a particular game mechanic in a novel way by incorporating it partway through the game. We were completely surprised to walk straight into this shift in gameplay.

 Curse of the Mayan Temple relied too heavily on reading a run book. While the prop was justified in the world, it would have been more exciting to have the clue structure worked into the set and props.

 We enjoyed the unusual takes on a variety of puzzles: dexterity, communication, and even searching.

 One handheld prop was challenging to use. We’d have appreciated this more as a stationary sequence.

 The final sequence built momentum. We enjoyed the handcrafted prop at the base of this segment, and everything flowed well.

 / Bust Out Escape Room took a gamble with the first challenge. It was illuminating. Some teams will accomplish it in seconds, without even registering it as a challenge. However, for a team that misses this, the gameplay quickly becomes more frustrating than fun. We recommend a slight tweak to require teams to complete this challenge before progressing too far into the experience.

Tips For Visiting

• Curse of the Mayan Temple is located at the Paseo location.
• There is a parking lot.
• We recommend La Reforma for excellent tacos, beer, and cocktails.

Book your hour with Bust Out Escape Room’s Curse of the Mayan Temple, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

The post Bust Out Escape Room – Curse of the Mayan Temple [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Launch Sequence

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 15, 2021

Team size: 4-8; 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

Doomsday Bunker was one of Bust Out Escape Room’s earlier games… and it has held up quite well.

The strength of Doomsday Bunker was in its set and interaction design; there were a lot of engaging and unusual moments to enjoy. A few of these stuck in my memory in a great way. And often enough, I found myself thinking, “huh… I can’t believe that I’ve never seen anyone do that before. Cool.”

As an earlier game, Doomsday Bunker’s gameplay was rooted in more traditional puzzle play. There were a lot of lightly themed puzzles and search challenges scattered throughout this game. Overall, it was a great representation of a classic escape room, and if I had played this when it was brand new, it would have blown my mind. I still got a lot out of it.

If you’re visiting Bust Out, I’d strongly urge you to play Rattlesnake Bend first… and if you’re looking for another game, this is a great one to add to your itinerary.

Who is this for?

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

Why play?

• An unusual approach to the bunker setting, with cool props and interactions
• A lot of challenging puzzle content

Story

Our team had been assigned to prevent the start of World War III. We had to infiltrate a bunker, activate a missile, and neutralize the threat.

Setting

Doomsday Bunker took us into the depths of a nuclear missile silo. It sold the fiction through its olive drab, and metal aesthetic, along with some of its larger set pieces. The space was small, but it felt significant.

Gameplay

Bust Out Escape Room’s Doomsday Bunker was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

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

Analysis

 The opening sequence was intense. Bust Out used set design to make it feel like change was occurring. It was a fun ride.

 The set design and build quality were solid. Bust Out even thwarted our expectations with a couple of opens.

 The gameplay worked well with multiple layered puzzles, a good hiding place, and a fun challenge-based solve.

/ While much of Doomsday Bunker could be solved in parallel, one critical math puzzle could sink a team. To their credit, Bust Out called out this bottleneck in the pregame briefing. Teams know going in that when they see the math, they have to solve the math to move on. It was a perfectly doable puzzle. However, if you’ve never seen this type of thing before, it would be quite intimidating… and it is math.

 We greatly appreciated the Morse code implementation in Doomsday Bunker. The input mechanism was so clever and sacrificed a tiny bit of realism to solve the most common problem with Morse code inputs in escape rooms. I cannot believe that more companies aren’t doing what Bust Out did here.

 One puzzle would be more fun with a clear number of inputs clued within the space. Because of this layered puzzle’s foundation in searching, it could easily take multiple tries and become overly frustrating with this much variability.

 A few puzzles didn’t make a ton of sense in the world. A lot of the gameplay felt rooted in old-school design: lightly themed puzzles in an immersive environment.

 The sound effects and musical soundtrack added intensity to Doomsday Bunker. We liked how certain props triggered sounds.

We saved the world, but we didn’t internalize the story of our experience. Doomsday Bunker was well themed, but not narrative-driven.

Tips For Visiting

• Doomsday Bunker is located at the San Mateo location.
• Parking: There is a parking lot.
• Food: We recommend La Reforma for excellent tacos, beer, and cocktails.

Book your hour with Bust Out Escape Room’s Doomsday Bunker, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Bust Out Escape Room comped our 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 Bust Out Escape Room – Doomsday Bunker [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

When you play the game of Jumanji, you win or you die.

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 15, 2021

Team size: 4-8; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $31 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: To fully experience this game, you need to be able to go up and down stairs.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

This was the strongest representation of Jumanji that I’ve seen in an escape room.

Bust Out Escape Room started with an Indestroom game and heavily modified it, making it their own. The mid- and late-game effects within Jumanji really sold this adventure.

The early game wasn’t especially engaging… which is a common trait of Jumanji escape games. There was also an opportunity for Bust Out to add some spot lighting in key areas to facilitate gameplay.

Beyond that, this was a fantastic game. When we visited Bust Out at 8:30pm on a Wednesday night, this was the only game on our schedule… after playing it we ended up booking two more games. Needless to say, we had a great time. If you’re in the area, I recommend Jumanji, especially if you’re already a fan of the book or movies.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Jumanji fans
• Any experience level
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Wonderful Jumanji-inspired props
• Engaging effects sequences

Story

We entered a home where a game of Jumanji was already in progress: the drums beat, the jungle was alive, and the animals were hungry. The only way out was to finish the game.

Setting

Like any good Jumanji adventure, it began in a home… and then things escalated.

The initial setting was unremarkable, but as we pressed deeper into the game, Bust Out’s skill and attention to detail emerged in both the set design as well as the effects.

Gameplay

Bust Out Escape Room’s Jumanji was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

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

Analysis

 With this escape room, Bust Out captured the vibe of the source material. If you grew up with Jumanji, you won’t be disappointed by this theatrical representation.

 The sets were well built and fun to inhabit. Bust Out used lighting to add drama. The initial living room set was nothing special (and didn’t really feel lived in) but it delivered by setting up an impactful reveal when we opened it up more of the game.

 We struggled with dim lighting throughout the majority of this experience. While the lighting choice provided ambiance, it proved frustrating for puzzle solving. This could be mitigated by spotlighting specific areas of the set.

 The Jumanji centerpiece – the board game – was beautiful and functional. It reacted to inputs, turning every solve into an event. We appreciated that it marked our progress, so that we never risked losing information by moving the pieces.

 The gameplay flowed smoothly. It was structured around the board game such that throughout each act of the experience, we had a good sense of our progress and could easily deduce what to work on.

 Oftentimes, what opened was not meaningfully connected to what had just been solved. We expect smaller or newer teams to find the game flow in one section a bit bumpy because of this.

 A few of the puzzles felt thematically disconnected from the rest of the experience, and just a bit out of place.

 We really enjoyed one prop, and the consistency with which it landed.

 A late transition sequence didn’t let us down.

 / One central late game set piece was fun, and not overly contrived, as is a risk with such a prop. However, it could have been more impactful if it were activated earlier, rather than relying on player curiosity. It felt under-utilized for something so impressive.

 The use of effects was outstanding. Combined with lights and sound, Bust Out heightened the drama to deliver an exciting, memorable moment.

Tips For Visiting

• Jumanji is located at the Paseo location.
• Parking: There is a parking lot.
• Food: We recommend La Reforma for excellent tacos, beer, and cocktails.

Book your hour with Bust Out Escape Room’s Jumanji, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

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 Bust Out Escape Room – Jumanji [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Have your run of the town

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Date Played: December 15, 2021

Team size: 4-8; we recommend 4-6

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: $31 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock (One small section was locked at the time we played, but we believe this will be changed even before this review publishes.)

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

The thing that makes escape rooms special is their ability to suddenly transport you to a place and time that you never expected. At Bust Out Escape Room we stepped out of their hallway… and into Old West Santa Fe. And it was joyous.

Rattlesnake Bend blended realism with cartoon… and we couldn’t get enough of it.

Additionally, the puzzles were layered and brought a level of complexity that wasn’t brutal, but really made us work for the wins. This was difficulty done right.

There are a few regional standouts in Albuquerque that make it a fantastic escape room destination, and Rattlesnake Bend is one of the top offerings.

Who is this for?

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

Why play?

• A brilliant intro sequence
• They built a whole Western town!
• Layered puzzle play
• Memorable sequences and interactions

Story

We stepped into a town in the Old West where our new friend Cactus Jack needed some help freeing himself from jail. In return, he offered to help us liberate some gold from the town’s bank.

Setting

In Rattlesnake Bend, we stepped out of a wagon and into an Old West Santa Fe. There were multiple businesses to explore and characters to encounter.

There were many little details scattered throughout the space that fed the Western vibe. A lot of love went into this set.

Gameplay

Bust Out Escape Room’s Rattlesnake Bend was a standard escape room with a moderate-to-high level of difficulty. There was a lot of content in this escape game.

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

Analysis

 Our introduction to Rattlesnake Bend was top notch. The audio track and visual selection worked beautifully to set the stage and bring us to town.

 There we stood, in the center of Main Street. We looked around at the different storefronts, and the road heading out of town. It was the perfect blend of a cartoon-y look with a genuine, detailed build. Wow.

 Rattlesnake Bend started with a soft onramp that engaged the entire team. From there, the gameplay opened up into parallel paths and flowed well.

 /Rattlesnake Bend packed a lot of puzzles, including some more complex layered solves. The puzzles were well varied, requiring many different types of skills to solve. One in particular might prove overly frustrating without a certain intelligence on the team.

 Our heads were spinning over the fact that we’d never seen this one prop used in an escape room before. The implementation was great.

 The hint system was a lot of fun and well integrated into the story.

 While we liked the concept for the finale, as a fun twist to add intensity in the final moments, the implementation fell flat. The puzzles felt random and less engaging than what had come before. One puzzle was more annoying than fun. Plus this scene didn’t make sense narratively. With some tweaks, this ending could up the ante and the fun.

 At the time we played, a short segment near the finale would have benefited greatly from a safety release. We’ve been told that one will be added.

Tips For Visiting

• Rattlesnake Bend is located at the Paseo location.
• Parking: There is a parking lot.
• Food: We recommend La Reforma for excellent tacos, beer, and cocktails.

Book your hour with Bust Out Escape Room’s Rattlesnake Bend, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Bust Out Escape Room comped our 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 Bust Out Escape Room – Rattlesnake Bend [Review] appeared first on Room Escape Artist.