We booked with Mission Escape Rooms for a fun weekend activity to do. They are located inside…read moreArundel Mills Mall, in Neighborhood 2. This was my first time trying Mission Escape. We booked online in advance to get the time slot we wanted, but if your schedule is more flexible, there is currently a 15% discount special for walk-ins through 11/2/2025 (there are plenty of ways to kill time in this giant mall). I'm used to being paired with strangers, but each booking with Mission Escape is private, so your group will have the room to yourselves to figure out the puzzles and clues. It is an experience after all, so despite booking by room, you still pay per person (~$40). You should get there a few minutes early to sign the waiver. They also have restrooms inside to take care of business before you go locking yourselves in a room for an hour (technically 50 minutes). After we filled out the waivers, we were escorted to our room and the gamekeeper gave us an overview of the experience. Pictures are not allowed and phone use is not really allowed, other than to use as a flashlight or calculator. The room also had a small clipboard with paper and a pen if you needed scratch paper. For the fall season, they have some spookier themed rooms. I'm not into scary, so we did the Fantastical Chocolate Factory room (naturally). The room has a 6.5/10 difficulty, which I would say is one of the easier rooms. The rooms are small. We were a group of two, and three would've felt like a crowd... but they allow you to squeeze in up to eight people! Based on the room difficulty and our experience with escape rooms, two was plenty. They have an intercom system if you need to patch in for clues. They'll also give you warnings as time elapses (20 minutes remaining, 10 minutes remaining, etc.). We did need to ask for one clue towards the end... beware of red herrings (but that's part of the fun). Our goal in the chocolate factory room wasn't to escape, but rather to discover the secret recipe for the everlasting gobstopper. By "recipe," they mean "ingredient," which felt a bit anticlimactic at the end. I would've appreciated more debriefing at the end of the experience. With 10 minutes remaining, I went into panic mode and was able to crack the locks with the information that we had, but I'm not sure if we solved every clue as intended. When we "escaped," a staff member opened the door, congratulated us, and escorted us back to the front to snap a picture with their photobooth props. Other escape room companies have better branding to advertise their name, or allow you to at least snap one picture to showcase the room. Overall, it was a fun way to spend an evening. The decor inside the room was realistic to fit with the theme, the puzzles are a good balance of feeling challenging enough to make you problem-solve, but not so much to make it feel impossible, and there were subtle clues in the room to guide you along without having to ask for help constantly. I would book another experience with Mission Escape Rooms.

When a few of my colleagues came into town for a function I thought it would be a good idea to take…read morein a nearby escape room. We were staying nearby and this looked like the best place to try a room. I reserved the room beforehand online and just had to show up. All we had to do was show up and sign the waiver. We were taken back to the room and given the rules of the room. That then went into the story of the room and we were let loose to. We did the Stranger Things themed room and made it through. But I would like to echo what one reviewer stated was that there were a few red herrings. Overall, the extra locks and misleading gameplay in the room made us waste a few minutes. Sometimes the clues, when asked for, weren't relevant. We asked for a clue at one point and they gave us a clue to a puzzle we already solved in the process. I also agree that the rating of the room is a bit off, supposed to be the hardest game, I think that was overshooting it. The ending was definitely weird. We thought the key that got us out was supposed to be used on another area in the room. Once we realized this, we got out of the room.

We did the Clue room with 6 people total and had a blast. The room is spacious, had lots of…read moreinteractive pieces and the game master was responsive and helpful. We will definitely try another room here.

Came here to play the Monopoly themed escape room. There were 5 of us in our group for the room…read more I would say this room was very hard. I've done escape rooms with myself and another person, 3 people, and 8 people. This was a struggle. It was fun once we realized what a clue was for. But honestly the clues weren't obvious sometimes for what the clue went to. A few things in our room were malfunctioning during our time, which caused us to think the answer or solution we did was wrong. This caused us to waste time. At one point, we were asking for help. A different game master came on to help. Then it switched back to our game master but we had to repeat our question to get help. It was fun in the end but the clues felt like they weren't obvious to help us get to the solution or the next clue. There were also several objectives in the room that took all 5 of us at once. Some parts we could have used another person or two.

Loved the experience at Mission Escape Rooms. We did the new Sasquatch room. Brought me back to the…read more80's era with the decor and items inside. Awesome job by the great staff, Rachel & Sarah. They helped with the 2 clues we asked for. They are deserving of a huge raise. This place is so much better with just 50 minutes than the 60 minutes at Escape Time. Don't go to that location. Mission Escape Room is way better.

This was so fun! We did it as a work team building and had a blast and want to do it againread more

TLDR: Reservation started 30-40+ minutes late with barely any communication, we ended up missing…read moreour dinner reservation, staff hardly responded when we needed hints/help during the game, and multiple puzzles/clues either didn't make sense or seemed broken. What was supposed to be a fun birthday activity for my mom ended up being frustrating from beginning to end. I brought my mom here for her birthday. Unfortunately, this experience completely changed my opinion of this place. We had a reservation and arrived early like instructed. We were told they were "about 10 minutes behind" because of technical difficulties, but 10 minutes turned into well over 30-40 minutes with almost no updates from staff! We even asked for a refund at one point because we had dinner reservations afterward and didn't want to keep waiting. We were basically told they'd "have to ask the owner another day." Since nothing was guaranteed and I was doubtful due to the lack of professionalism, we just decided to do the room anyway. Because of the delay, we ended up missing our dinner reservation for my mom's birthday. The escape room itself was honestly just as frustrating. We were told we wouldn't need to bend down for clues, but important items were hidden low under furniture. Several puzzles didn't connect well, some clues/items were never even used and certain props seemed broken or weren't working correctly. The biggest issue was how hard it was to get help. We repeatedly raised our hands asking for hints or clarification and would wait several minutes with no response. At one point we genuinely thought something in the room was broken and couldn't get anyone to answer us. There was also a super dark section where we couldn't even read what was on the walls, and again, staff barely responded when we asked for help and use our flashlight. What's disappointing is that I previously had good experiences here, but this visit felt really disorganized and unprofessional from start to finish. It honestly felt like a waste of money and put a damper on my mom's birthday, which is the most upsetting part.

7/7/2026 Nothing like an escape room to get the brain…read moreworking, we booking a 9:20 slot but got in a little early. This was our second one so we had an idea of how it goes slightly we did the bank heists and it truly was a ball, staff helped us out with a few clues and we made it to the end. Everyone was super polite and helpful facilities were colorful and they have cubbies for any items you want to store. Bring a friend or a whole group they've got you and for a nice price too highly recommend.

We are not escape room newbies, and this was fun! We did the mob boss room and escaped. There were…read more5 of us, 4 adults and a tween. We all enjoyed it. Before starting, staff went over the types locks in the room and how to use them. That helps relieve some potential frustration. Each puzzle made sense, and that's rare. I do wish there were more of a story to follow, but it was enjoyable.

First time visiting an escape room so I have nothing to base this off of but this place was very…read morewell run. We did a NY Subway theme room. Everything worked, lots of challenges. It was a nice challenge. I we escaped with just over a minute remaining. I think everyone in our group would return and try another room

This was a blast! I had done an escape room once before back home and it was not as fun as it was…read morehere! The workers we interacted with were friendly and helpful. We did the kidnapping with blindfold room and it was great! We ended up escaping with 30 seconds left to spare and it was such a thrill!

For an escape room experience in the states, this is a good spot. We did the submarine room. The…read morestaff is constantly monitoring you and guiding you a bit without giving too much. My first escape room experience was in Portugal and Lisbon and I really enjoyed those. The puzzles there were more intricate and the props were more thought out and well put together. Comparing my experiences, this place does get the job done, but I felt it was a bit too easy and this was only my third escape room experience. The price is reasonable for the DC/DMV market. Compared to overseas, it was more than double. Still a fun experience and glad they provide an option to try it out in the area.

Half of our group it was their first experience with escape rooms and game master was happy to…read moreanswer questions and quite helpful. We chose Anomaly Acres and it was quite a challenge especially when time is running out and you see the end in sight but we got it just in time. Those last few minutes were the most fun.

I don't know what our deal is, but we have been on a losing streak. However, the prior escape room…read moreto this was in Easton & although we escaped, it didn't feel like a solid victory to us. But we still get joy out of doing well designed escape rooms (this location for Dr. Madblood). I like that they have lockers to store your belongings. Our game master was great! She is very passionate & enthusiastic! She was kind to say we were only two steps away from solving the room. But when we asked what the remaining steps were, haha it was way more than two! There are some multi-layered puzzles. Just don't make the same mistakes we did. Doing the same thing over & over again or trying different variations of it and expecting different results. It means you have to look at it differently. Also curiosity and determination will help. The props are way better at this location than the Easton one, or at least than the Ghost Ship one. It was nice to chat with our game master & another employee after our game. It's refreshing to see employees who enjoy their job and are excited about creativity in the rooms.