Let me start by saying I have done over 12 escape rooms in Sacramento and the Bay area combined, as well as a few more in different places including out of state. This was my first escape room in Monterey and it is the first place that I have found that allows you to bring your dog. It is rare to find dog friendly locations and I am super appreciative of them when I do find them so I really wanted to be able to give it five stars. To start with, choosing the escape room we wanted to play to was more difficult than I have found at other locations because they do not have room difficulty levels here. Their website states that's because their "adventures are unique" but so are the rooms at other locations. This is a real challenge because it makes it difficult to decide which room might be best suited to you. Of all the rooms I have done in the past, I have never had more than five people in my group and the majority of the rooms were done with only two people. I have also only not finished one room prior to this location and I knew going in that it was going to be a challenge to do the room with only two people because that was explained to me beforehand. Personally, these kinds of things affect my level of enjoyment. We chose "The Gate" and the only thing that seemed to be unique to this room on the website was that it stated it was not recommended for children under 16. I assumed that was because there might be something scary or adult about the room. When we arrived, as many other reviewers have noted, parking was a little bit confusing. We ended up paying for parking because the area gets quite crowded and we were concerned we wouldn't be able to find anything close. However, as we approached on foot we saw that they had a few designated spots right next to the door for for customers of the escape room so if you are going to come here, drive through the parking areas to see if there is free parking available for you nearby. The employee that greeted us and the general vibes were also different from almost all of the other escape rooms I have been to. It was very low energy and matter of fact, which I don't have a problem with but again is quite a departure from the normal excited welcoming tone of escape rooms. We only had to wait a few minutes and were brought to our room and given a short introduction. We had multiple issues once we started playing. The first issue for us was that you are not given any kind of light source and it was an incredibly dark room. Most escape rooms give you a lantern or a flashlight but we had to pull out our phones and try to use the flashlight from our phone while we were playing. This also goes for a notepad or digital notepad to collect information which would have been useful on a number of occasions in this room. (Better AC would have been nice as well as they were both sweating quite a bit during this experience.) Secondly, we were supposed to listen to sounds coming from pipes during the game, which we did figure out and did try to do but no matter how hard we tried the sound just wasn't working well enough and the employee ended up having to tell us the answer. They later stated that it is very difficult to hear and a lot of people have a problem with that particular section. They also weren't clear about what part of the pipe we could remove and when we took it off to try to hear better they came over the intercom and, in my opinion, a little rudely, said to "put them back on". Then saying not to take the whole pipe off just to take the cap of the pipe, which again was difficult to discern in the dark. We would never actively pull something off or make things difficult for the employees, but we had been told we should "remove" those to hear better. It was very confusing and very unpleasant. Another issue for me was that the clues just weren't interesting or cohesive and I didn't really get how they connected to the story. At any rate, we realized after a short time that we just weren't having very much fun. We basically said let's just get through it and finish and get out of here, but this is actually only the second ever room that we haven't been able to finish. It was quite a sour ending to an already not super enjoyable afternoon and the cherry on that was when the employee told us afterwards that this n't is an incredibly difficult room to do with only two people. Now if I'm being honest, I don't know if they say that to try to make people feel better or if that's the truth, but things like that would be really great to know before going in. I am genuinely writing this review in the hope that it is helpful. Under different circumstances with better communication, I would actually consider returning to one of these franchise escape rooms in Monterey, but we really just didn't have a great experience and I think it's important to share the negative as well as the positive so that people can make improvements. read more

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I clicked on this exact location and got the directions to the cannery row escape room. I kept trying to find the wave street one on google and Apple Maps, but it kept taking me to the cannery row location which is a block and a half away. When I called the place to help me, the woman( who I believe is the manager of the wave street location) was very rude. She had the worst tone out of any customer service person I've met, said I was stupid for not finding the right location and that I must be putting in the wrong address. I kept assuring her that I was going to the directions straight from the website, and she replied "never in my ten years working here have I seen someone not get to this location so you surely must be wrong and put in the other address". Mind you my team and I aren't from here and were trying our best to navigate. After eventually finding the location, no help from this woman, the man that greeted us and our experience doing the escape room was lovely. read more

Spontaneously went here with my husband after passing by their Lighthouse location. After reading reviews, we decided to try The Terminal room in the Wave Street location. Jesus was our game master and he was absolutely amazing! As for the room, we finished in about 39 minutes with just me and my husband, with about 1/2 of a hint (Jesus just nudged us when we missed something). My hubby and I have done a lot of escape rooms together, so this isn't our first rodeo. Having said that, we didn't feel that the room was boring or too easy. We really enjoyed all the puzzles inside! This has a fairly linear flow to it, so it's great for beginners. We're actually tempted to try another room tomorrow before we head back home, haha. read more

Escape Room 831 Wave - Escape Games Near Me - Monterey, California

We were visiting Monterey as a local vacation trip and decided to stop by Escape Room 831 to try out their games. Jesus was our game master and was a fantastic host for the three back to back games we played. Of note they were previously a location for Exodus escape rooms, a chain of licensed escape games, but have since branched out on their own. All three games we played at this location were unique and designed and built by the owners themselves. The games are a mix of gen 2+ puzzles, meaning less combination and key locks and more digital/magnetic/custom mechanisms and triggers. Hint system is through text on the TV screen in the room. All the games are built well and the production values show. All the triggers and mechanism also worked flawlessly. The Submergency and the Terminal rooms are more linear rooms with sequential things to do to progress and The Gate is more non linear with multiple puzzles that can be worked on at once. We were able to get out of the Terminal and Submergency, but the Gate proved too much for us with two players, though I think we were only two or three puzzles short of completion. Beginners should definitely try the Terminal or Submergency rooms first before tackling the more difficult Gate room. All in all, if you are looking for a well built, well designed, and well run escape experience you cannot go wrong with this place. The game master here is fantastic as well. Next time we are in the area we will definitely plan to hit their Lighthouse location just down the road. read more

Visited the Escape Room for my birthday. It was so much fun! Employees were very quick to respond to emails and answered all my questions. People in our group worried they would feel claustrophobic, but that was not the case. Rooms were well lite and clean. We ended up booking two room which at first, I was a little bummed but after completing our session, I was glad we did. We turned it into a friendly competition, who could Escape the fastest. Would definitely do it again. read more

Wonderful experience. We did the Manor escape room, it was very fun, and the man who helped us was great, he was so kind and helpful, he made us feel welcome and well informed. I will definitely keep coming back for more escape experiences. read more

What a blast!! 7 of us went here tonight and did the Masquerade Room. It was a lot of fun!! We had three teenage ladies and four adults in the room and we all work liked busy little beavers to get out. Of course we got some help to help us along but that's half the fun too! We highly recommend this place and will be back when we are in Monterey! Very nice clean and well organized place!! read more

Props to Lily and Rocko for managing our games tonight. We had a large group and utilized all three rooms simultaneously, which makes it even more fun to try to beat out the rest. Props to Escape Room 831 Wave for the detailed decor for each room. Very thematic and realistic. Hoping to return and try other rooms and at other locations. read more

To start off, loved the room we played which was submergency, but this location is very tucked away and there is not enough signage. I went to two other locations before I was able to find the wave street location. The sign is very small and tucked behind the large sign for the humidor. Overall DO BETTER WITH YOUR SIGNS ITS NOT THAT HARD!!!!!!!! read more

This was our first time in an escape room and we had a blast. At one point I thought "How the heck are we going to figure this out" but we worked as a team and with a few gentle nudges (hints) we made it, well, almost through to the end. - We were seconds away from gaining access to the key - The lady the checked us in and guided us through the game was absolutely amazing. I'm sorry, I don't remember her name. If you're in the Monterey area check them out, you won't regret it! Thank you Exodus Escape Room! read more

This is a really fun escape room location. We played Sherlock's Study here. I've played over 300 games, and I really liked this one. It had some fun unique puzzles, and a cute set design! I highly recommend this location. read more

Escape Room 831 Wave - Playing Sherlock's Study! - Escape Games Near Me - Monterey, California

My friends and I came for a night out, and we weren't sure what to expect at first but we were blown away! YES, We did escape! Jesus was great, he was our escape leader and did a wonderful job explaining the rules and helping us while we were inside the Terminal Escape Room. I would highly recommend coming here if you're ever in the Monterey area visiting or even if you're a local read more

After doing three escape rooms in the Los Angeles and Phoenix areas, this one was certainly up to par with that quality. We did the Sherlock Holmes-esque room with a group of 8 (including three kids!) and found it was the perfect difficulty to force us to really dig deep for answers while not being absolutely impossible. I do think that the room would be hard with fewer people, but we got out with plenty of time to spare. The service here was top-notch and you can tell the owners and staff love what they do. I'd definitely be back next time I'm with a large group in the area to do a different room as it seems they have some interesting concepts coming up... Also, parking was a breeze! They have spots reserved for customers in the building's lot - so just tell the parking attendant you're there for Exodus Escape Room and they'll let you in! read more

My boyfriend and I were looking for something fun to do for my birthday and we found this gem on Yelp. We originally booked the Alice Room over at 599 lighthouse and indicated that we were first time escapers on the reservation. Shortly after booking, I received a call from Barrie informing us that the best room for first timers is the the Sherlock's Study at their sister location at 765 Wave. We totally went for it and WOW was it fun. At first my boyfriend and I were cautious about completing the room in an hour with just the 2 of us, but we did it with 3 minutes to spare. We definitely want to give a HUGE kudos and thank you to our game master, Jesus, for guiding us when we got stuck. From start to end of our experience was overwhelming great. We totally recommend this place for anyone looking for something to do in Monterey. Also, they do an AMAZING job at sanitizing and ensuring their space is thoroughly cleaned for the next group. They require a face covering, offer gloves for those who want them, and require participants to wash their hands before/after the experience. They are transparently doing their part to keep their spaces clean and safe for the players! Thank you, Barrie and Jesus!!!! read more

This was a treat from my husband for my Birthday. It was our first time going to an escape room. Wow! What fun!!! The owner greeted us at the door and she couldn't have been more welcoming! The whole staff was helpful. Let me say you start off a little perplexed, but once you get rolling, it is a blast! That seemed like one of the fastest hours of my life! It is so much fun working together to solve the puzzle. I don't want to give too much away, but what a great group activity! Highly recommend this. It's thoughtful, challenging and just fun!!!! read more

Escape Room 831 Wave - Escape Games Near Me - Monterey, California

My family and I had such a great time! Best part they're dog friendly! It was nice to find a place that the whole family could go. My kids have been to other escape rooms and they said this is the best one. This was my first escape room and I loved it. I felt like it was clue but playing live. Everything is hands on and communication is key. This is a great event for families, groups, team building and even a fun date night. Highly recommend this! read more

We went as a family and the majority of us had never done an escape room before so we had no idea what to expect. It was more challenging than I expected and we didn't escape even with lots of hints but we had a good time and will know what to expect next go around. Staff was very helpful & friendly read more

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Wow! More challenging than we thought... Great staff and very well organized. A fun time for any size group! Bank Heist was our first escape room experience, and we are now looking forward to try all of the rooms. My wife arranged this visit for my birthday (makes a great gift). read more

Escape Room 831 Wave - Birthday Escape! - Escape Games Near Me - Monterey, California

We love doing escape rooms and have done a couple in LA and the Bay Area, and the Masquerade Heist was one of the best we've done. (Full disclosure, we got engaged here, so I could be biased ). Very immersive, with a great story, and challenging puzzles. With only two people it was a bit tough to finish, but we got hints when we needed them that pushed us in the right direction without giving too much away. (We also may have gotten a little extra help since it was VERY important I got to the last clue/proposal). It's obvious the owner Christina and the staff are very invested in people having a good time, and went above and beyond to help us make our day special. Highly recommended for both a fun escape game and excellent proposal idea. read more

pretty solid escape room! super fun and immersive, we were able to do with only about 10 mins to spare with a few hints we did the terminal, which was one room but was perfect for our group of two. the only thing was it was a little too easy to jailbreak the locks and there was one clue we never understood and accidentally brute forced the lock it was related too. oops but it was still super fun nonetheless, i would be down to do more rooms from this place they also allow phones for flashlights and notetaking! read more

Came down to Monterey yesterday to enjoy this beautiful city and spontaneously decided to play and escape room:) Exodus was able to accommodate us just walking, luckily there was a spot available, we played Sherlock game. The decor of the lobby, escape room and the facility itself was on point. That is the first thing that you notice when you walk in. Our host Heidi (I hope this spelling is correct) was amazing, didn't give us any unnecessary clues and gave us a chance to complete all puzzles without interfering. Answered to our questions at the end and was very friendly and professional. Game itself was on the easier side, but had some "wow" and "a-ha" moments:) Had a unique puzzle towards the end, that I've never seen before. Definitely recommend to beginners or groups with kids! read more

Me and my girlfriend had an amazing experience the first time we came around to do the Sherlock Holmes experience and we were eager to come back and try a new room. So we came back to try the Masquerade room and arrived to find that we would be going in with two different groups. This wasn't an issue as we went in with a different group last time and everything was great. At least we thought it wasn't going to be an issue... When we got in the room it became almost impossible to hear each other because the baby that the family had with them was screaming and the parents were stuck going back and forth between tending to the baby and actually getting to play the game. They also used a smartphone with games on it to distract the baby so we could play but the phone was so loud the assistant couldn't hear us when asking for hints. It was awful. I feel bad about this because it is not actually Exodus' fault for this family. However, had we known we were going to be going in to this room with a screaming child we wouldn't have done it. I hope this was just an unlikely issue that happened to be our one group out of hundreds of normal ones, but we may not be back. read more

So much fun! I went yesterday with my boyfriend and we were partnered up with two other groups. We did the Sherlock Holmes room and it was great! The staff was very friendly and really reminded us that the game was more about having fun over anything else. I personally liked how we were not docked points for asking for help/hints, I always thought that you were, but that's not the case. Overall it was just an awesome first experience and truthfully, I'm already planning my next visit! read more

Escape Room 831 Wave - Escape Games Near Me - Monterey, California

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We were celebrating our daughter-in-laws birthday. We arrived at Lighthouse and we were greeted right away. Scott was enthusiastic, kind, professional and funny! He gave us the instructions and we began our journey. We only asked for two clues. We had a great time! We got out 20 minutes early. Thanks! read more

Now that Exodus was finally allowed to open again my friends and I tried their newest room based in a Brooklyn subway stop. We had SUCH A BLAST!! It's clever, fun, approachable and inventive. We can't wait for the next few rooms they will be opening soon. In addition the experience felt completely Covid safe from start to finish. read more

Vault heist. Great or ah ok if you have never been to an escape room or have only been to below average rooms. Strait forward enough puzzles for a group of 4-5. Not much in the way of theme. Basic to a fault. Very plain off the shelf puzzles. 5 of us completed 95% of the room in the first 30 minutes. Then the game master did not hint but told us how to solve the final puzzle It is a 3 star place. With penalty minus star for our particular experience but I tend not to rate below 3 to an industry I enjoy and would like to see thrive. Take my review with a grain of salt I am a bit of an escape room snob read more

Excellent family fun. We took our 12 year old daughters here. We had a blasts definitely a great executed escape room. Worth the price.

WOW! I could leave my review with just that one word, really! Okay, started off with a late call and Matt was all about customer service, really great guy. I had to make changes in the middle of the reservations and he was fine with that, just professional and polite! We chose the masquerade manor room....AWESOME! There were 4 of us designed for a 8 person room; didn't finish, but still felt like we won....had a blast as we all contributed and found clues that kept us moving forward. I believe Michael was our game master, also amazing! If we come back to Monterey, we're coming back to these guys, without a doubt. I had never done anything like this, but will do again!! If you're a thinker, you'll fall in love with Escape Rooms, for sure! read more

Now this was my second experience with the escape room and first time doing at the Exodus Escape Room Franchise. We were celebrating my husband's birthday and decided to invite friends and coworkers from various age groups. The gentleman helping us out was awesome which made our experience even more fun. He was friendly, funny, and understanding which made it an inviting experience overall. We chosen to do the Sherlock Holmes Room‍ (My Husband is a big Fan). We had a group of 9 individuals and it was fun and we solved the case. read more

Escape Room 831 Wave - Escape Games Near Me - Monterey, California

This was my second escape room experience and I had so much fun!! Zander was super friendly and helpful; couldn't have asked for a better host ^_^ L O C A T I O N The escape room itself is easy to find. It's located behind the Whaling Station Steakhouse. We parked at a structure down the street but it looks like there was plenty of parking there since it's not too busy yet. E X P E R I E N C E We chose the Sherlock Study and made it out with 3 minutes left! It wasn't too difficult; I think only two clues really got to us. Otherwise, we were just being impatient and asking for hints when we were basically at the answer *SIGH*. We ended the game using four hints; if you use less than three hints your picture goes on the leadership board! Super fun, I highly recommend the Sherlock Study! ^_^ FYI: at one point, I did scream while we were locked up. Can't tell you why but you can find out yourself if you reserve your ticket here lol O V E R A L L Would definitely come back if I was in the area. They have another escape room called Masquerade Manor and it sounds dope. (PSA they're also opening a third room too!) read more

As someone who has done a lot of escape rooms I can honestly say that this was one of the more fun and well designed ones I've experienced! We walked in and were instantly greeted by a guy you can tell loves his job, Xander. We had two teams of 6 competing against each other (at different booked times) - and Xander and Kylani explained the room with a fun narrative. We did the Bank Heist-and it was a new take on the traditional escape room. I can't go into any more detail than that except to say it was a fun challenge and we beat it! If you're looking for a fun team building experience or have a ridiculously competitive family of cousins like we do, do yourself a favor and book a room today! read more

We did the Sherlock Holmes escape room. It was a lot of fun but we wished we could have done it with just our group for the amount we paid. $200 to share with another group was the only downside. Other than this we had a great time! Exodus still gets 4 stars from us! read more

Escape Room 831 Wave - Escape Games Near Me - Monterey, California

This was my first escape room experience and it did not disappoint! I've heard great things about this particular venue and it lived up to every expectation that I had. My boyfriend and I decided on the bank heist and joked that it may end our relationship because he's super logical and competitive and I'm neither of those things. But it was the perfect room for two people and our unique strengths and intelligences complemented each other so much that we were able to make it through with about three minutes to spare. It was fun and challenging and the props are authentic and fun to explore! I am looking forward to coming back and trying their other rooms as well as visiting their new location, coming soon! Highly recommend this experience if you're looking for something fun to do while visiting Monterey! read more

Excellent staff. Explained everything clearly and thoroughly. Amenable to our special requests. We had a player arrive with a small cut and and worker from the back room jumped out to offer a bandaid. All around friendly and clear. read more

Very nice escape rooms. They have dedicated parking spots so getting there is easy. Their game masters are friendly and easy going; no waivers to sign and you can keep your belongings with you. We did Sherlock's Study with a large group including three 7-year-olds and everybody had a great time. The room is very spacious and thematic. Two minor negatives: one of the locks did not work and one of the puzzles required guessing because it had no clear solution. The Bank Heist is good for a smaller group; we did not exactly step on each other's toes but that one is less roomy. The puzzles are more high-tech here which is nice, but the room is a bit too plain. Though Sherlock's Study has a higher success rate, personally I feel like both rooms have very similar difficulty level. They are also mostly non-linear giving people enough things to do. read more

This was an awesome experience! My family, (8 yr old, 10 yr old, 17 yr old, wife and I ) thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Great fun for the entire family. It took everyone of us to solve this. This was our first time doing an escape room and we will definitely be back. read more

I have been wanting to try an escape room since I first saw them on TV about a year ago so I was SO happy when I learned that one had opened in Monterey. It was everything I hoped it would be and more!! This experience was so much fun! I was also hesitant going in as I've never played before, I didn't know all the people I was playing with really well and I wanted to win! We had a rather large group of 12 people and at times it seemed like everyone was going in their own direction but I was so pleased that it all came together and we were able to win the game. The game master handled us perfectly, giving us clues only when we needed and wanted them. It was a great team building experience and would be great for dates, parties and just everyday fun! It was an hour of using your brain, connecting with other people live and being very entertained and I can't wait to go again and try another room! Thank you, Exodus Escape Room! read more

Amazing!!!! First one and I got to meet the owners and there dog how beautiful and fun!!!! Loved the service and the adventures

Second time here. The first time my family and I did Sherlock's study, which was fun. Recently I surprised my son with a surprise birthday with some friends . The staff were amazing and the kids had a fun time solving their masquerade jewel heist and they even had clues involving my son. Great 16th birthday and wonderful experience . read more

Thank you Michael for making Pierson's birthday so awesome. We had a really really fun time. read more

Escape Room 831 Wave - Omg! We had such a blast in the bank heist escape room. Michael was amazing!! Thank you. - Escape Games Near Me - Monterey, California