Escape Room Version 3 Board Game, for Adults and Kids Ages 16 and up

I realize that almost everyone considers the "Escape Room The Game" series to be inferior to both the "EXIT: The Game" and "Unlock!" series, but I have to say that after playing five of the "Escape Room The Game" titles thus far (the three in this set, plus two from another), these are very underrated games! They're pretty darn fun and for the most part challenging without being tedious; and there are far less instances of "giant leaps of logic" in these games than in the EXIT or Unlock! series (IMO). [For the record, my wife and I have played every EXIT & Unlock! title through 2021 at the time of this review.]One of the reasons--probably the main reason--why the "Escape Room The Game" series receives such a bad rap is because of the Chrono Decoder, and deservedly so. It's cheesy and annoying. The designers could have been much more productive with their time; that is, instead of putting a bunch of phony dials, gauges, and switches on the decoder to make it "look" like some super-sophisticated spy contraption, they easily could have (and should have) put in some useful features... like a volume control, or a pause button, or any of several other improvements that I can think of. After the first game we played, my wife and I decided to not even turn on the chrono decoder anymore, until we want to enter a code, and then we turn it back off again after doing so. In spite of the inconvenience of having to "start over" each time we enter a new code, we find that we have more fun this way and can enjoy our time piecing things together, or take a hint card when _we_ feel like we need one, or even take a snack break in the middle of the game if we want.On the flip side, though, it's nice having the codes & ciphers embossed on the chrono-decoder (though the manufacturer could just as easily have added an additional insert into the games when needed).But enough about the chrono-decoder. What about the games?The Basement (Introductory Game)This 15-minute game is comparable to the tutorial game you'll find in every Unlock! box. It's just enough to get your feet wet and familiarize you with the game mechanics, key identification, how to use the Chrono Decoder, the hint system and its decoder sleeve, etc. I thought it was done rather well for a tutorial game.Panic on the Titanic (Level 2):I'm somewhat biased, given that this was the first (full-length) "Escape Room The Game" title that my wife and I played, but I thought this was a great beginner game... for the most part. 95% of it was just the right amount of difficulty, but not so easy that it wasn't challenging. However, there was one puzzle where we simply could not figure out what they wanted us to do--even after exhausting all the hints--and had to go online to look up the answer. We weren't anywhere close to doing what the answer sheet described! Anyway, long story short, this was an excellent game in spite of the unsolvable puzzle. I really enjoyed it. However, beginner level games shouldn't have unsolvable puzzles (at least not for intelligent adults), so I'm giving Panic on the Titanic 3.5 stars overall... but 4.5 for the 'good' 95% of it.Alice In Wonderland (Level 3):This one was a bit harder and, for me, a little too abstract to be truly enjoyable; but at least all the puzzles were solvable without the online walkthrough. This game is best suited for "creative" thinkers and those with razor-sharp visual perception. My wife and I enjoyed playing this game, but we didn't really have "fun" with it, if that makes any sense. 3.5 stars.Dawn of the Zombies (Level 3.5):This was another great game. Of course, at Difficulty Level 3.5 it was the most challenging game in the set; and yes, you really had to roll up your sleeves and think through a lot of the problems slowly and methodically. Part 1 is grueling, with lots of information to sift through, decipher, and piece together. Part 2 is for detail-oriented people. Part 3 we felt was the easiest, consisting mainly of a logic puzzle. In the end I felt that Dawn of the Zombies was a well thought out game. It was an excellent "closer" for the 3-game set. 4.5 stars.UPDATE (7/5/22):This is a review of the "Classic" set. I believe the Classic set is discontinued; it no longer appears on the Escape Room The Game website. The good news, however, is the games themselves are still available as expansion packs. Regardless, this proved to be a very challenging set (no beginner level games included).Secret Agent: Operation Zekestan (Level 3):This game would have been much better if it weren't for the guesswork involved. That is, some puzzles (or parts thereof) just can't be solved completely using only the information at hand. It takes a little bit of educated guesswork to go that final 5% (or a Hint Card that gives you _new_ information, which is beyond the scope of what a "Hint" Card is supposed to do). In addition to the guesswork, there is one puzzle in particular that some people--like my wife and me apparently--simply cannot solve. It's a 3-D image that you're supposed to stare at and then something magically appears after staring at it long enough. The creators even acknowledge that some people cannot see the image correctly, and give the answer in a Hint Card to make up for it. Secret Agent wasn't a bad game, but it's disappointing when a game has holes in it like this. 3 stars.The Dentist (Level 4):Who would have thought that an escape game titled The Dentist would end up being so good?! The best game in the set for sure, and a pleasant surprise. It took a lot of effort--thank goodness my wife brought her A-game that night--but in the end it was a fun and satisfying experience. Part 2 took us way too long. We were doing everything correctly, but couldn't seem to get the correct answer. After reading the Walkthrough, we both felt really stupid... yes, we WERE doing everything correctly except... we weren't looking at something from the proper perspective. Can't blame anyone but ourselves for that one. In any case, The Dentist is a surprisingly (and refreshingly) great game. 4 stars.Space Station (Level 4):Based solely on the titles of the three games in the box set and nothing more, we were expecting Space Station to be a really cool game, and the one we were looking most forward to playing. Boy were we wrong! Space Station was the 11th title we've played, and it is hands down the worst. First of all, the difficulty level should be '5'. Only the most elite escape room artists could have completed this game without the Walkthrough in hand; and even if they did finish, I doubt it would be within an hour. My wife and I were able to get 95% of Part 1 finished, but ultimately had to look at the Walkthrough for the solution to get over the hump (and it was rather far-fetched to expect people to do what needed to be done). Part 2 was ridiculous, and I'll just leave it at that. Part 3 we were able (eventually) to solve on our own, but it took an incredible moment of insight to complete the last step. By the way, the Hint Cards in this game are pretty much useless. All they do is repeat what the playing materials already told you to do, rather than provide actual hints to nudge you in the right direction. If you want to be frustrated beyond belief, play Space Station. Conversely, if you think you have a great escape team assembled and want to give yourselves a challenge, give it a try. I'm betting on the game, though. 1.5 stars.

Our group has done escape rooms several times, and this one was really tough

I purchased this game for a friends birthday party. After reading hundreds of reviews, I thought this would be the best for the group. One of the reviews mentioned the game was purchased for a 13-year-old birthday party and they completed the game with time to spare. Another mentioned it was purchased for a family with kids aged 9 and 11 and they were also able to complete the game.So there we were a group of 30 and 40-year-olds (one a doctor) preparing to dominate this game. We were eager to take a group photo with our personalized coozies and the decoder displaying the time we had left. But this game had other plans.We read most of the instructions put the batteries in the decoder and began to play.I was under the impression most of my guests were escape room connoisseur’s. But boy was I wrong. We had one team member carry the entire team, another intoxicated member who forced us to reset the decoder because they kept inserting keys incorrectly. We could’ve possibly had more people than the game recommended but a few of the players were really just there for moral support. And others who frequently left for bathroom breaks and drink refills.We finally finished the game going over by 2 minutes, but if you count the reset then we went over by an entire hour and 2 minutes.This however was enough time for Karen and her 13 year old to finish 2 escape rooms. Thanks Karen for your unhelpful review. Maybe you should have mentioned that little teenage Susie was an idiot savant and had an early admission into Harvard! You and your husband must be so proud Karen!!!!This review isn’t really about the games difficulty but more of a warning to those looking to “drink and game”. Alcohol has been found to adversely affect the information process leading one to believe they know what a clue may mean. This little piece of information would’ve been great to remember when playing the game but as I mentioned before “Alcohol has been found to adversely affect information process.”The “escape room crew” as we call ourselves are looking forward to play another one of the games but will be sure to begin playing prior to drinking or have at least 1 player sober for the event, to make sense of the gibberish the other players come up with.Thank you for this challenging game and stay tuned for my second review after we attempt the next escape room game.

Bought this as a birthday party game option for my wife (she’s interested in the Titanic). Didn’t end up using it then, so we waited for another opportunity, which came this summer. Busted it out, read the rules, played the intro scenario without issue, then opened the Titanic module. Figured out the puzzles, which were challenging and entertaining, then went to enter the keys into the decoder, which is interesting. Didn’t work. Checked online and, turns out, we weren’t the only ones. The module had a glitch that wouldn’t accept the correct input. We stopped there, since it wouldn’t play right going forward. Good concept, game elements seem entertaining, but the decoder module needs to work for the game to be successful. Disappointing.

This is a christmas present, so I don't know how good of a game it is yet