Haunted Recording Studio
Haunted Recording Studio
- Played December 2016
- Los Angeles
- 60 minutes
- 2-8 players
- $30-$45
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Los Angeles is famous for their ghost stories. From celebrities like Harry Houdini and Marilyn Monroe to locations like the Roosevelt Hotel and the Queen Mary, L.A. is home to an abundance of unsolved mysteries.
Playing up to this esteemed theme is Escape Room Games’ Haunted Recording Studio. This room is located in Studio City near Universal Studios in what appears to be an apartment complex. Walk up the steps to the second floor to check in. (A few little tips: Parking may be scarce since it will have to be on the street. Make sure you read the signs because the meter maids and street cleaners love to ticket. If you’re hungry before or after there are a number of places nearby to grab a bite or drink.)
The space is shared with the company’s other event, a solo VR experience which we didn’t play but we got to witness once we escaped the room. When signing our waiver I noticed a line not typically written down: if you want a video copy of your audition experience, it’s a $70 fee. A bit steep, so I’m not sure how many people opt in to this but I’d argue that at $5-$10 people would be more inclined to purchase especially given how easy it is today to get everything recorded and digitized.
Back to the room and space itself. Like every good ghost story, we’re given the backstory about our main victim. In this case it’s Natalie, a Russian opera singer who fled her country during the Red October Revolution, and who came here, as most do, to become a star. Natalie had two men in her life who were also involved in the record studio, and possibly the last two who saw her alive. I was ready to figure out who it was that killed Natalie, and so our adventure began as we walked into the studio to free Natalie’s spirit so she could finally rest in peace.
The space itself felt very much like a real record studio, and having experience being inside multiple record studios in L.A., I felt like the space was very believable, especially for how old the place was supposed to be. There were a variety of tactile puzzles mixed in with some mental puzzles which made the experience quite enjoyable. There were even some physical/acting puzzles which further diversified it for the group.
Although we achieved the objective of releasing Natalie’s spirit and freeing our own, I had hoped to play the room to also discover who killed Natalie, and why, or to at least get to know more about the three characters in this love triangle. Nowhere within the game was any of this revealed, but I can forgive this tidbit of reserved information due to how much fun it was, and how immersed in the room I felt due to how creepy this place felt. It was apparent there was an apparition haunting this place. Be prepared to be scared… or at least a little creeped out. The haunted aspect of the room added a nice flair: a cool whispy spectre on the various TV screens, creepy music and noises (like a creaky door or a lullaby playing), and a spooky voice giving you clues should you need them. They all added to the creeptastic nature of the room.
This room is great for beginners and experienced players alike, and feeds your appetite for fright if you’re into that sort of thing. Don’t expect to be a detective and solve the mystery of the missing girl, but have fun and you will get out. That said, like many of L.A.’s mysteries, this one will also continue to remain unsolved… but at least it makes you crave more.
Final Verdict: | 7.7/10 |
I also enjoyed this room, but had one criticism. One section of the recording studio was so cluttered it was almost impossible to find the objects you were looking for. I am all for a few red herrings in an escape room, but when clues are buried so deep in clutter, it can be frustrating.