Vortex

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Escape Code is a highly rated venue located in Branson, Mo – part of a complex that includes Axe Throwing and Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre, all owned by the same people. With a helpful website and great customer service, this location is impressive from start to finish. It is located in a strip mall on the upper level, and there’s plenty of parking and clear signage. The lobby is almost too spacious, but it’s sleek and clean. The bathrooms are quite far away and shared with a neighboring bar. The waiting room has nice, new couches, large trunks for your belongings, and several games to help pass the time. In Vortex, your group is trying to find safety in the middle of a dangerous tornado, and you must break into and then out of a paranoid survivalist’s cabin. The introduction video is incredibly well-produced and really sets the scene effectively. It began with an emergency weather report and then clearly laid out the objectives for the room.

This room, like the others we’ve experienced at this location, was high quality in most aspects. The props were thematic and in great shape. While we were unimpressed with some fake greenery creating an “outdoor” space, everything else was solid and sturdy. Canned goods, local maps, board games and books, chicken wire, and common weaponry all helped maintain the scenario. Our favorite touch was the high-power flashlights, which were both practical and in theme.

When we entered the room, we found ourselves outside our survivalist’s front door. Thunder, lighting, and rain sounds set the scene perfectly. Once we accessed the house interior, the storm survival theme continued, with flickering lights and a weather radio giving sporadic updates on the approaching storm. Everything we found in the room made sense – nothing seemed out-of-place. This room has one of the best-executed themes we’ve encountered – from introductory video through escape. The survivalist aspect allowed for crawl spaces, hidden safes, a tech room, and a sense of paranoia that added to the suspense. The storm theme was particularly appropriate for the location, as Branson is in the tornado alley of the Midwest.

The room presents a wide variety of puzzle types, which challenged and entertained us. We needed to use all of our skill sets, as puzzles involved shapes, colors, weights, maps, logic, and teamwork. Several of the puzzles connected to each other and took multiple steps to solve, and all of the them added to the theme. Keep your eyes open in this room, because you use EVERYTHING you see. Though our team of Chiefs fans had moral objections to the inclusion of a Denver Broncos jersey, we rose above and continued through the clever clues. Though we found one puzzle to be obvious and unnecessarily easy, the rest of the room was challenging and exciting.

We had a ton of fun with this room. There are a couple of areas to solve, and we zoomed through the second one. Our team was firing on all cylinders and working well as a group, which is one of our favorite aspects of escaping. We completed the room with four people, and all four of us were occupied and engaged most of the time. We loved the theme, and several of the puzzles made us giggle with delight. When we successfully escaped, we were thrilled to be told that we had set an all-time room record!

We highly recommend Escape Code generally as a facility and the Vortex room specifically. This room is great for families or smaller groups of friends. With a strong, consistent theme and a collection of fun and unique puzzles, Vortex is a great way to spend an hour (or less!). As always, drinks are for winners!