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| - While on vacation in Vegas, my family did four escape rooms, and the Zombie Apocalypse was our least favorite. Compared to the ones we're used to doing in Southern California, it fell short in size, scope, and creativity. The room was super small - I have no idea how groups of 7 or 8 manage to move around in there (four of us kept bumping into and had to constantly sidestep around each other) - and it was just that one room; it never opened up to allow a change of scenery to push the plot/story forward.
Our main gripe was that the puzzles were one-dimensional. Solve for four numbers, four letters, and that was it. The entire experience was mostly a series of locks, combinations and opening boxes. In retrospect, that's all there was physical space for. We got out in time, but were fairly frustrated because we kept overthinking, looking for complexity and depth that didn't exist. One annoying feature of the room is the amount of instructions and writing that accompanied each piece of the puzzle. If you have to explain it, then you eliminate one of the most satisfying components of an escape room: finding objects (or making observations) and trying to figure out how to use them or what they're for. The solutions should evolve organically from the items presented by the plot or environment.
It wasn't all bad - one star for a couple of cool things (the one use of technology which added a unique component of pressure and thrill that supported the story, and a physical challenge of sorts that had to be completed simultaneously with the puzzles) that showed some thought and variety that I wish had been carried out in more elements of the room. And one star for the good service and the effort put into the apocalyptic atmosphere, set design and props. If they had put as much effort and creativity into the puzzles as they did the environment, then this would have been a much better experience.
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