Our group did THE ARENA and I immediately came to Yelp to see what I was getting myself into. Unfortunately, there were no reviews that warned us... for better or worse. I do think it's necessary to clarify some things, so at the end of the review I will explain. Please do NOT read it if you want to go in totally surprised!
First of all, this was the most unique escape room I've ever done. THE ARENA is described as a "sadistic gameshow" which will subject you to torture while you try to escape. Our group is a bunch of horror movie enthusiasts so this was right up our alley. The whole thing kind of felt like a Saw trap, solving puzzles with a faceless game master giving us tips between insults.
There was only one thing I did NOT like, which I'll explain a little at the end, but in all honesty it DID contribute to the overall experience so I cannot bring myself to take off a star.
Overall, it had everything we wanted out of an escape room: a unique and creative theme, puzzles that were challenging but not impossible, and enough suspense to keep it interesting. They have a number of rooms to choose from, all with varying levels of difficulty and themes. For example, there's a Winnie the Pooh themed room that I can only imagine is MUCH more family friendly than the one we did.
Some suggestions to make it even better: We didn't realize we were being timed until our host informed us we made it out with two minutes to spare. Adding the time as an element would have made it that much more suspenseful and the stakes that much higher. We also were given a TON of hints along the way, by our "Sky Daddy" aka host who would lead us in the right direction amid a bunch of swear-laden insults. I think we were guided a bit TOO much though, as she practically gave us the answers sometimes. They mention in the beginning we have unlimited questions we can ask (other escape rooms I've been in limit you to 3) Perhaps there could be different levels of difficulty offered if you want to really figure it out yourself, or the host could be limited to giving clues only when prompted. As for storytelling, it's supposed to be a game show, but it's not clear WHAT we're competing for. Maybe add into the storyline that we THOUGHT we were competing for money, but in actuality we're fighting for our lives?
Suggestions aside--We will ABSOLUTELY be back to try the Zombie War Room (I am forgetting the actual name, heh) as it is the other horror themed room in the building and after surviving THE ARENA we feel that we can conquer anything! Also bonus: we were told the zombie story doesn't actually cause you pain, but that there are jump scares involved. Which leads me to...
SPOILERS.... DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO BE ENTIRELY, TOTALLY, 100% SURPRISED BY THE ARENA... Okay so, in the multiple waivers you need to sign, they mention you'll be wearing electric shock collars, be exposed to surface irritants, and be emotionally abused as well as physically touched/moved. Asking for ANY clarification on these leads to vague answers from staff, so we really truly had no idea if the build up was part of the experience, or if you truly were signing up to be hurt. I think our entire group suffers from anxiety and it would have been nice to know how intense this is. Yes, they do tell you in the paperwork, but the staff being vague makes it feel like it's not going to actually happen. So, if you need to know exactly what those electric shocks are due to a heart condition or whatnot (seriously don't even sign up for this if you have that, don't risk it!) I will say that they use actual dog training shock collars set to low. So yes, you are literally getting a small electric shock. How much it actually hurts depends on your pain tolerance. In our group one person couldn't feel it at all, but personally it was a painful shock and various games utilize this was a "punishment." There are other elements of the game that hurt you in a similar way, so be aware. It's not just build up to make it feel scary, if you have a low threshold for pain you do not want to do this room! read more