After a suggestion from another local escape room owner, my group of 3 friends and I decided to head here to do their Timekeeper's Trapped room. We were all fairly experienced with escape rooms, some of us having done close to 50 of them all over the country, so we can be pretty picky. I will honestly tell you, this is one of the best rooms I've ever had the pleasure of playing. The storefront is fairly accessible, parking can be a challenge, but we didn't seem to have an issue with it on a fairly rainy afternoon. We were greeted with smiles right as we walked in, and as one of our group members was running a little behind, there were some little brain teasers to keep us occupied. Once we were all assembled, we were asked to lock up our belongings in a secure locker and our GM (who was enthusiastic, engaging, and super friendly) gave us the rules and took us into the room. (As an aside, I really enjoy being asked to lock up all my belongings, I find it helps with the immersion factor for me.) First we watched the story video, which is a great example of how you don't need to spend a lot on special effects and such to make an engaging, effective story video, I was immersed from minute zero. It was a great launchpad and start into the room. As we moved along the puzzles, it became more and more clear how well thought out and executed the puzzle flow and puzzles themselves were. The four of us seemed fairly busy the entire time, with few, if any, breaks in work flow. The clue delivery system was a TV on the wall, a nice, clear way to keep track of clues, time remaining, etc. I was thoroughly engaged in the mission the entire time we were in the room. For those who want to go do this room, be warned, it's not easy. It was the perfect level of difficulty for a group of four veteran escape players. I would not necessarily recommend this as an entry-level room. The room certainly can accommodate more than the four of us that ran it, however, I believe four to six would be a good number to see the most success in the room. It's a nice balance between having enough brains to handle the influx of information that you have to deal with, but not enough where you'll be tripping over each other with nothing to do. As always, working separately but constantly communicating was key to our success, as the number of times we all worked on a puzzle concurrently was staggeringly (and refreshingly) small. All in all we spent about 75 minutes there, and we escaped with just over 10 minutes left on the clock. I cannot thank Escape Factor enough for the fantastic experience. I can't wait to come back for more full length rooms as they're released, and I still need to make a trek back for their backwards room as well, which I'm super excited for! If you love escape rooms, you'll love Escape Factor. It is hands down one of the best rooms I've done in the Chicago area! read more

Escape Factor Chicago exceeded my expectations in every way! As a fan of game shows, I was instantly drawn to their game show themed escape room, and I must say, it was beautifully designed. The attention to detail was impeccable, from the set design to the puzzles, everything felt authentic and immersive. However, what truly made the experience exceptional was Brandon, our game show host and game master. His enthusiasm and energy brought the room to life, creating an atmosphere of excitement and adventure. He guided us through the challenges with just the right amount of hints to keep us engaged while still allowing us to solve the puzzles ourselves. The puzzles were cleverly crafted and thought-provoking, providing just the right amount of challenge. It was evident that the creators put a lot of effort into designing a well-balanced experience that catered to both seasoned escape room enthusiasts and newcomers like me. Escape Factor Chicago truly offers a memorable experience that combines the thrill of a game show with the excitement of an escape room. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an immersive and enjoyable adventure. A big thank you to Brandon for being an amazing game show host and game master. read more

Our team had an incredible experience at Escape Factor's new Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge! The moment we walked into the room, we were greeted by familiar standards of famous game shows. From floor to ceiling, no square inch was spared as we looked around and found an incredible attention to detail in homages to classic games from our youth. A few minutes into our experience, the plot took a dramatic turn and the stakes were raised! The puzzles at first appeared to form an engaging meta-puzzle of a smattering of game show mechanics. Our team was kept on their toes as clues were discovered across the room, only to need to be combined in imaginative ways that turned these traditional games on their heads. For such a small room, it certainly didn't feel that way as we found a mix of puzzles that occupied all four of us and kept us fiddling with items spread all across the space. Our pace was steady and the puzzle flow smooth as the clocked ticked and we criss-crossed across the room. Extensive thought and craftsmanship were apparent throughout the experience. Our experiences at Escape Factor have been a blast and we look forward to returning for whatever "high-flying" adventure they have planned next! read more

My friend and I are on an "Escape Room" Adventure this year and this was escape room #11 for us. First Impression: The owners are super into their project! They had done their research and were well prepared to take on our supposed "expertise". We had so much fun doing this room! The puzzles were innovative and clever. We ended up experiencing many new ways to solve things and that just fuels our fire :) This gets an excellent rating from me because of the variety of riddles to solve and the passion of the owners to make the experience an awesome one. Keep up the great work gentlemen! We will be back to escape your next room! read more

Although the location can be deceiving due to lack of visible people traffic and/ or signs, this experience was awesome! My family, ages 71-32 yrs old were intrigued by the task ahead immediately. This escape room is challenging but packed with adventure, ingenious puzzles and riddles as well as plenty of fun. Even though we did not escape in time, we finished it anyways and still left full of exhilaration. Bring your A game to this escape. The creators are there with you for support, guidance, and to elevate this adventure to a one in a lifetime experience. Would do it again in a heartbeat. read more

I'm ashamed for not writing this sooner but better late than never. My first time ever in an escape room and did not know what to expect - it was a family event, 8 years to 77 years old! Everyone had a great time, so much fun. The host, Will, in the Gameshow Room was fantastic! The puzzles were challenging enough to keep us interested and the clues given to us by the Gameshow Host were just right, not giving us the answer but making us think. What a great afternoon, thanks Will and Lill! read more

We had a group of 4 for the Time Keeper and a group of 6 for the Gameshow Room (all adults); both were fantastic, and required no outside knowledge. The craftsmanship on the props was impressive, and while some of the puzzles required thinking outside the box none were too frustrating or seemingly impossible to figure out - still very challenging, though! Time Keeper seemed a bit more complex than the Gameshow, but both were very satisfying. read more

I had never done an escape room, but this met and exceeded all my expectations. I can't remember our game keeper's name, but she was very nice and helpful. Some of the people in our group had done other escape rooms, and they said this was the best one they had been to. The decorations and effects were very cool. Very fun, and will have to come back. read more

Bestie Ryan was amazing. We almost had no idea what to do but he kept us upbeat with the game and delivered helpful information while letting us figure it out. Loved how he showed us the clues we didn't get to at the end and how he showed us the others room as well. An iconic. He is the moment. Will come back all thanks to him and the rest of the staff. read more

We did the tree house room with a group of 4 and had a great time! It was challenging, but not so hard that you get frustrated. Our game master, Jackie, was great! She watched our game, and could see when we were getting stuck and offered helpful hints along the way! We are definitely going to back to do the other 3 rooms soon! read more

This is a great way to have a fabulous night out, or for a team event with co-workers. Teamwork and communication are the keys to success, but most of all it's a lot of fun. The puzzles are challenging without being frustrating, and the tension really builds as the clock ticks down to zero. Highly recommended! read more

What a blast! Went here with 5 of my friends and we had a great time solving all the puzzles developed by the Time Keeper. Look at everything in the room and make sure you talk to your partners to get out and solve the puzzles. We made it out just in the nick of time! Highly recommend for a unique experience! read more

Had a great time with the family. We didn't make it out but if we had 3 more minutes we would have. Communication and teamwork is necessary. Don't discount anything and remember the puzzles. If I'm back in town I'll go again. Keep up the great job with this room. read more

Just had my daughters 13 year old birthday party here!!!! It was amazing and the girls had a great time!!! Bruce was fantastic and really got the party started!! If you are looking for something fun to do, TRY THIS!!!! read more

My son and I had a great time together. Nora was our gamemaster and she was enthusiastic and patient. We did the Treehouse room and it was challenging, in a good way. read more

Very challenging and interesting way to spend an hour. Would definitely recommend one and all give this place a try! Our moderator Gillian was fantastic! read more

My son had his 9th birthday party here. They were very professional and could tailor the experience for kids. They had a great time! Well run business. read more

we unlocked the ghost in the graveyard room tonight. Jackson was a great room guide!! lots of surprises and challengjng puzzles. highly recommend read more