Imagine that your gambling got out of control, and the mafia was after you. Or, what if you were in a dirty prison cell and saw an opportunity to escape?
- The Escape Game attraction on I-Drive expands
- Guests solve games, puzzles, crack codes
- Attraction allowed us a peek inside new Gold Rush room
The Escape Game attraction on International Drive recently doubled in size. It now features two versions of four games. The games have a unique storyline, and you and your friends have 60 minutes to solve puzzles and crack codes.
"If I were doing this alone, I probably would've walked out after 5 minutes of frustration," laughed Tim Devlin, realizing teamwork was critical.
Our camera caught Devlin and his family off-guard as they exited their game.
"We're walking out proud and happy!" smiled Sheri Revis of Fort Lauderdale.
"We managed to beat it, but," Devlin emphasized, but "not by much."
His wife, Renee, walked out with her head held high.
"I'm apparently the best one with numbers!"
We got to snoop around the newest Gold Rush room. By looking at labels, peeking under carpets, or (spoiler!) shooting things, you're constantly aware of the time clock.
"Some things are clues; some things are not," General Manager Isaac Larson said. "Some things are just for decoration" -- like the bust of a real deer.
So is the experience more of a physical or mental thing?
"It's both," Renee said, assuredly. "It's both. Yep. You have to find the clues to start, with looking for them, searching for them. And then it leads you to clues where looking is not going to help you. You have to stop and stare at it."
If you choose the Prison Break game, the cell is eerily authentic-looking. In fact, Larson says the toilet is from a Georgia penitentiary.
As for the popularity of escape rooms, Larson says only a few hundred existed in the U.S. just a couple of years ago.
"And now," he said, "it's gone into the thousands."
The Escape Game is at 8145 International Drive #511, Orlando. The attraction can now accommodate 60 people at a time.