I've been to several escape rooms both in Eugene and out of town. Portal's ambiance, story and production value were orders of magnitude better than anywhere else I've been. I went with my family, including my two young children. We did the "Outlaw of El Paso" room (although "room" is a bit of a misnomer, as it's actually spread across three rooms). Without giving anything away, the build-out, decoration, and overall "set design" of the experience was way, way, way higher than any other escape room I've been to. It honestly felt like an amusement park. The use of technology and the way it was integrated into the puzzles was very well done and completely unexpected. The puzzles themselves are logical but still tough; I didn't feel like they were either obvious or impossible. And the story that weaves throughout the experience was an added bonus, as I'm used to an escape room having some setup premise as a way to explain the theme, but nothing more. Here, the story (while not overly complicated) expanded as you made your way through the experience, providing some context for the theme. Lastly, the customer service was great! The owners were attentive and friendly. They were super accommodating of our kids, and helped to provide them with tips so they could feel like they were legitimately contributing to solving the puzzles. Overall, I loved the experience. It was, by far, the best escape room we've been to or seen. Our family is totally looking forward to coming back and trying the two other rooms soon! read more

Visited Portal Escape Rooms yesterday with my Fiance, and her parents. We got to experience the Outlaw of El Paso room, and what a blast it was! I work at another escape game company and I was thoroughly impressed. The two brothers who put this place together have out for themselves. The lobby and waiting room was very clean, and inviting. The waiver was quick and concise. They had a very well put together and helpful introduction video. As well as uniforms that fit the part of the Portal theme of the place. Chris was an awesome host. We had an issue with our booking and he took care of it no problem, and had us paying after very minimal preparations. He walked us to our room and we got started. The room itself was very advanced and fit the theme well. Although it was a wild west theme, the tech was very inconspicuous and fit very nicely. A lot of automation was involved, which was nice and the room ran very fluidly. We got stumped in the second room and Chris was very helpful to getting us through it. However, we lost in the second room, but they allowed us to finish which was a nice little surprise. The ending was fun and innovative, and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We will be returning to check out Temple of the Gods room while we are in Eugene. I highly recommend checking this place out, you will not be disappointed! read more

We have done an escape room once before, in Portland. Our daughter wanted to try Portal Escape Rooms for her 19th birthday, and we had never experienced their rooms before so we made the plans. We as a family were so glad that we did. Here is the thing, the designer/owner have taken the time to create an adventure/escape, that is truly creative. We chose the "Tomb of the Gods" scenario, and were immediately pleased as the rooms brought the experience to life by the use of sound, lighting, and well made props. The movement from one room to the next gave the sense of completion followed by the energy of a new challenge. The owners are fun to interact with and enjoyed learning about the business and their creative plans. We were fortunate to have made it through the tomb with some minor assistance, and enjoyed having that feeling of success as a family. It was also wonderful to receive a picture of our experience via email once we had returned home. I recommend this to any of you with a sense of adventure. Be prepared to be challenged. We will definitely be back to try their other challenges!!! read more

Best and most professional escape room in town. This made the ones I've done before in Eugene and Springfield look like amateur hour. The rooms and props were amazing - the guys who run it (who are very cool and apparently occasionally have kittens hanging out in the reception area) build all of it themselves..... impressive, considering the last strip-mall escape room I did had some of those dinner murder mysteries in a box hanging out behind the counter. The Portal guys say they want to make escape rooms the way Disney would, and they're well on their way. The tech was amazing - we did Tomb of the Gods, and stuff really did happen when you aligned the giant "Aztec" calendar circle. I'm psyched to go back for the Voyager sci-if one. The puzzles were hard, but with hints we got through with 39 seconds to spare. If nothing else, you should choose Portal just to give your business to the people in town who have taken the time to do this right and offer an incredible experience. Head and shoulders above the rest and so much fun! read more

My friends and I were looking for something to with short notice on a Tuesday night. We decided to try an escape room since two of us hadn't done one and it had been a while since I had done one. Portal was the only place that was available to book the same day and late at night! We were excited to reserve our spot and test out a room for only for $30! We got there and were happily greated by Benjamin! He welcomed us and told us the background of Portal escape rooms. He was kind and genuine when he engaged us in conversation. He was excited to have us and ensured we would have fun. The design of the room we did, Outlaw in El Paso, was so surreal! It felt like we were actually in the settings they placed us in. The puzzles were just the right amount of difficulty to make you really use your brain and test your skills, but not enough to frustrate you. The mechanics of the puzzles were amazing! I could go on and on forever. Great experience and will definitely be returning! read more

Ten members of our family (ages 14-68) visited 2 separate escape experiences last week and all of us were awed at the stories and scene developments in each room. We applaud the family vision and excellence in dedication and ambition to bring this service to our community. The brothers show a willingness to research, take a risk on a new adventure and pursue it with passion and positivity. We were curious, engaged, confident and, with their direction, able to persevere to a timely end in each room... Their commitment to our enjoyment was evident to all of us. As grandparents it was insightful to see the ability to organize and lead develop among the teenagers. Some of them had been to as many as 5 escape rooms in various locations and said that this was by far "the very BEST!" Many thanks for an awesome morning. We encourage others to feel the exhilaration of solving puzzles in a fun setting under (kindly, just a little) pressure. read more

So much fun! I've been to two other escape room experiences and Springfield's Portal is the BEST by a landslide. They excel at creating a cohesive story with well curated props, sets, and puzzles that challenge different types of intelligences, i.e. logic, spatial ability, musicality, some mathematics, etc. The sets and props were CLEAN! No grime, plus all of the locks worked as they should. On the down side, one or two of the puzzles seemed to malfunction or were difficult to decipher, but it didn't spoil the fun. The interaction with our monitor worked well, and he was such a good sport by giving our group some theater. We finished our Outlaw of El Paso room by the skin of our teeth and I immediately wanted to dive into another room. I can't wait to go back. 4/5 stars because of the minor technical hang ups, but full marks for the experience. read more

This was my 1st escape room and I'll admit - I had some anxiety about being locked in a room forced to solve a puzzle to get free. Well, it was reassuring to know they don't actually lock the room and even if u don't solve it, they end it at an hour. Phew! Haha So we did the Wild West room and it was pretty friggin cool! I assumed we would be in one tiny room for a whole hour. There are other rooms u can unlock!! So much fun. It was a good time doing this activity with a bunch of people I had just met through a common friend. I would totally do this again and actually have every intention of returning to do the Tokyo room and Aztec room!! Grab your friends/family/work team/teammates/enemies lol and work together!! read more

We did Tokyo Heist and it was a quality escape room. The puzzles are interesting and fit with the overall storyline. We always prefer escape rooms with puzzles that aren't just locks/combos or find hidden things, and this one definitely had more mechanical "real-life" like puzzles. The "elevator" was truly a unique twist that was really fun. The puzzles were definitely tricky (including some red herrings) and we wouldn't have escaped without some hints. I would definitely recommend this room for more experienced escapers. The brothers that run the place are great, went over the room with us afterwards and were discussing ways to improve on their existing rooms as well as ideas for new rooms. read more

Very unique and creative escape room, they're very challenging and no two puzzles are the same. Each room has different aspects you need to pay attention to in order to be able to solve them. Although they say you need a minimum of 3 people for most of their rooms they have been very accommodating in letting us do multiples rooms with just the two of us. You can tell the owners are very passionate about what they do and it shows in the way the rooms are designed. Both of the rooms we have done thus far have had multiple rooms within which keeps things fresh and interesting. We'll be back to do the other two soon, excited to see the new rooms they come up with! read more

I've been to multiple escape rooms around town and this one jumped right to the top. We performed the Outlaw of El Paso, western room. These rooms are very well put together. They don't give you the thrift store, garage sale feel others can. They give you the sense you're in the time period of the late 1800's. The clues and puzzles were challenging, but not so difficult you felt frustrated or that they didn't make sense. Can't wait until the other two rooms are up and running. If you've been to other escape rooms, you'll appreciatte how these guys have upped the game. If you've never been to an escape room and start here, you'll be disappointed in the others. read more

Our group(s) did Tokyo and Tomb of the Gods. Tokyo with a full 8 people and Tomb with only 3. Both were very enjoyable rooms. We tended to like Tomb slightly better though since we had fewer people and more room to maneuver and each had plenty to do. While we didn't find these rooms to be particularly difficult, they were still a lot of fun. I think we asked for one hint on Tokyo and no hints for Tomb and still finished with a ton of time left. Really impressed with the brothers who do this and design the rooms themselves. Will definitely try the other rooms when we're back visiting Eugene/Springfield. read more

There were 6 of us( retired teachers) who attempted this fun adventure. All but one had never been to an "escape room" before. The Tokyo Heist...What a kick! It was like going on a treasure hunt...you have a "mission," then have to start figuring out secret codes to unlock keys to open boxes that contain clues! Whew- mentally challenging( but hints given if you get stuck), lots of laughing & cheering when we solved a clue. Great sets- like you're in a play with special effects. A lot of work went into setting these rooms up. Warning- go with a group- I can't imagine doing this with 2 people!! read more

Immersive, interactive, challenging, and fun! Definitely the best escape room I've ever been to, and certainly well worth the money. As beginners, our group was able to solve both rooms, one with less than a minute to spare and one with five minutes to spare. Kid friendly, but challenging enough for even adults (especially the harder rooms). The set design for the rooms is incredibly well done, making you feel like you're really in a different time and place; the rooms I have done have great lighting, music, voiceovers, props, and set pieces. Highly recommended! read more

A group of my friends and I did one of their rooms last night and it was so fun! We did The Haunted Tomb and were able to get out with some time left. The multiple rooms, puzzles, and props were all so cool and tied well together. On top of that, Chris was extra helpful and answered all of our questions about the room and even showed us the first stage of some other rooms. The staff were super friendly and accommodating when we were there and when we were booking. I'd recommend this place to everyone. We are thinking of going back and trying a different one! read more

I was really impressed with Portal Escape Rooms! My team did the Tokyo Heist, this was our fifth escape room together, so we wanted a challenge and it surely delivered! The ambiance of the lobby and throughout the entire restaurant escape room is so well done and immersive, you even walk through a portal to get to your room! The host was also very attentive in giving us timely, free clues during our escape, and enthusiastically applauded us and let us ask questions when we escaped. Overall I was very pleased and it was my favorite escape experience so far. read more

We have finished the three rooms that Portal currently has to offer and we are hooked! Portal was our first Escape Room experience and it is quite the experience! They do a wonderful job at immersing you in your scenario, with all of the props, clues and puzzles matching the style of the scene. My favorite room is the Temple Escape! Well made puzzles that are difficult and fun to solve! We've looked into a couple other places around the area and this is the best without a doubt! We are looking forward to whatever they have in store for us next! read more

We have been here a couple of times now and compared to other escape rooms I'm incredibly impressed with these. A lot of the mechanisms and puzzles they have are automated and it's very immersive. The rooms are soundproof so you don't hear other people and they send you in with an ipad where you can ask for hints. Sometimes they even offer hints without being prompted if you get stuck. The people who work there are super friendly and they're always interested to know what you thought at the end. Everyone should go here it's amazing! read more

This was my first time doing an escape room, and I can confidently say that it won't be my last. The experience was amazing and I would highly recommend others to try it. I went through the Tokyo Heist room, and it was a blast. Puzzles were challenging but extremely thoughtful and engaging. The decor was impressive and left me feeling totally emerged in the storyline. Don't hear it all from me though, go out and see for yourself everything they have to offer. I promise you won't be disappointed! read more