Escape from the Time Travel Lab
Escape from the Time Travel Lab
- Played Mar 13, 2015
- Toronto
- 60 minutes
- 8-11 players
- $28
- Guided Experience with unlimited hints
- Real Escape Game
- 76 Stafford St, Toronto
- 647-243-7658
- What People Say
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Pre-Room & Customer Service: | 8/10 |
There are two locations for Real Escape Game, (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2) which creates some confusion, so a word to the wise would be to make certain you know which location you are going to.
This was my first time visiting Real Escape Game (REG) and one of the rare times both Errol & I have the chance to review a room together. We had a bit of an issue finding the location, as well as suitable parking however. As a heads-up REG volume 2 is located in the lower level of a performance centre, and not readily visible from the street so you’ll need to walk by the entrance to see it. Once we arrived we were quickly greeted and asked to wait while the rest of the room’s participants arrived (this is one of those escape rooms that book approximately 12 people at a time, and will slot you into working with other groups if you have less than 12). There was a great introduction and pre-show to the escape room which really set the stage for the room.
Room Quality: | 9.5/10 |
The room was very spacious and perfectly sized for the required number of participants. The theme was visible was clearly present and consistent throughout the entirety of the escape experience. I know I can’t spoil anything within the room…but there are some INCREDIBLE features within this room that not only add to the experience, but they very much keep you immersed in the story and surroundings!
Immersion: | 9/10 |
This room was incredibly interactive in terms of the story and the theme. The puzzles and set design requires teams to not only work cooperatively, but they also require everyone to be engaged in the experience. Although this is the room’s greatest strength, it can also prove to be its biggest weakness as many people may not be able to overcome the awkwardness of being proactive and interactive with strangers unless all 12 participants are from the same group. Thankfully we were able to mesh well with the people in our group and had some great team dynamics that allowed us to be engaged in the story from start to finish.
Puzzle Design: | 9/10 |
All of the puzzles offered a good range and variety of challenges. There was also a nice nonlinear component to the puzzles that included (and needed) all 12 participants working together! The puzzles were all fun and creative to try. The only drawback was that the final puzzle had multiple solutions that are suitable endings, but only one solution was correct.
Overall: | 9/10 |
This room remains one of my personal favourites in the GTA and provided that rare balance of story, immersion, strong puzzles and teamwork that I always seek. The lack of individual puzzle solving talents is bound to be a setback for those who like to work as individuals, but if you like teamwork and team building, this room is for you! The interaction with puzzles and story are second to none and with a great set design to boot, what’s not to like? Again the biggest weakness Real Escape Games has is the requirement of working in large groups (most likely with strangers). If you can overcome a fear of strangers, or if you love making new friends, you’ll mostly likely find the experience as enjoyable as I did.
As always, happy escaping!
The people we were with were really good!
This is hands down my favourite escape game in the city. I recommend at least a little experience before doing it, probably more, as it has such a low success rate! When I went, my gourp brought 9 people and 2 strangers who had never done an escape joined us, and while I feel we established good rapport doing the time we spent in the reception area waiting for the room to be ready, once we got into the room and our adrenaline got pumping, I didn’t notice them at all and I don’t really know how much they got out of it. I saw them work on stuff, but I don’t know whether they solved any puzzles. I think they’d have got more out of it if they’d been more experienced.
It’s definitely a fan favourite for most. We definitely agree there’s advantages that come with experienced players….it’s been our experience the best teams have a mix of seasoned veterans and newbies when playing in a big group…each brings a particular strength to the table.
Agree with comment about final puzzle and solutions. I found that the staff got snippy with us when we tried solutions that would technically work but weren’t “correct.” And as we were formulating the “correct” plan, we were interrupted by the GM and told we’d run out of time. GM was also rather snarky when debriefing, and I don’t think it was “in character” snark.
I played with 10 other newbs (our group of 9 plus 2 randoms) and I was the only one who’d done any ER before. We got through at a good clip, but it took a while at the beginning for everyone else to get a hang of what they were supposed to do. I couldn’t be everywhere and help everyone, so just by solving the first puzzle, they got the idea and went off on their own directions. So, I disagree that you need a lot of veterans in the room — it depends on the newbs. My group, including the 2 randoms, were great at figuring out how to help each other.