The Pharaoh’s Legacy

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MagIQ Room is the first and currently only escape room in Los Angeles that is geared toward children (around the age of 8-12). However, this does not mean that adults will find these rooms too easy — in fact, The Pharaoh’s Legacy poses quite the challenge even for experienced runners!

The moment you walk in, there are couches to the left and right. At the end of the hallway is a small restroom, and there are little games and puzzles on request to pass the time if you arrive too early. Fairly standard for an escape room, but where the MagIQ Room earns some points is with their very friendly staff. Perhaps because they work primarily with kids, they display a level of patience and calmness that you don’t see in a lot of escape rooms. They are eager to chat and accommodate your requests, and are true professionals of their craft.

The rooms appear a bit grungy because, well, you’re in a dusty old pharaoh’s tomb. However, the puzzles are meticulously clean, although several of the puzzles are a bit clunky and awkward to operate. Though the gamemaster emphasizes that you won’t have to force anything, there are few times where you might be tempted to use some elbow grease to get something open or working.

However, the dirt and the feeling of “DOES THIS STUPID THING EVEN OPEN” adds to the charm and story of the room, as the gleaming white puzzles and the spotless decor stand in stark contrast with the themes of ancient civilization and Egyptian chambers. Though it’s usually not a good thing to see anything broken in a room, it’s also not a great sign when the shiny toys in a room only pull you out of the scenario that you’re in and remind you that you are indeed rooted in the 21st century.

A linear game design usually dooms at least one person to standing around while a puzzle is being completed by a couple of other hands. However, this is not the case in The Pharaoh’s Legacy, as the difficulty of the puzzles will require quite a bit of teamwork and stands in contrast to the kid-friendly claims. It’s certainly not impossible — our team got out in under 40 minutes — but for people who have never done escape rooms before (like the kids toward whom this is geared), you might not want to do this as your first room. That being said, the puzzles mixes big, bold central pieces with smaller, subtler clues that add up to a head-scratching, fun experience.

There are very few escape rooms from which you leave without having some semblance of fun, and The Pharaoh’s Legacy is no exception. The major puzzles are a work of art that are a joy to watch and operate. However, there are some frustrating moments (again, because of the somewhat awkward puzzle design) that might lead you to bemoan the fact that you wasted a couple of minutes trying to operate a puzzle for which you had the correct solution the whole time. It’s great if you’re in it for the story and the experience, not so much if you’re just trying to get out.

Kids will love this room, and that is exactly the mission that the people at MagIQ Rooms wanted to accomplish. Bring your kids here for their birthdays and you’ll be set for a couple of hours! However, let’s face it: just about every room will appeal to kids as long as it’s got flashing lights and things to do, though the puzzles here are a bit easier than the norm. If you’re coming as adults or experienced room escape addicts, you might want to look elsewhere, as The Pharaoh’s Legacy is neither the best room that Los Angeles has to offer (it stands squarely in the middle of the pack), nor the best room to be found at MagIQ Rooms.