This is a fun indoor activity at the shore that doesn't involve eating or drinking. In fact, it involves using your brain! Escape the Puzzle is an awesome escape room with seven themed rooms where you get 60 minutes to find clues, crack codes, and solve puzzles to escape in time! My friends and I did the carnival theme room which was medium level as far as difficulty goes. But I will say this is one of the harder escape rooms I've done! Thankfully we got unlimited clues (at least carnival room did, unsure if all the rooms are like that)! Something to note: if you have a physical disability, or don't like tight spaces, the carnival room may not be the best choice for you and I would speak to the owners for more details as to not spoil anything. I highly recommend bringing a variety of people as each room can fit at LEAST six players (some can fit more). And what makes this place even cooler is that the owners created the entire game themselves. Every room, puzzle, and little detail was completely designed by them. You can really tell how much thought and creativity went into the experience. Made it very personal and helps this business stand out more among the many escape rooms in the area. Perfect for friends, family, date night, or a team outing--Escape the Puzzle is the perfect indoor activity you didn't know you needed. Think you can escape?! Enter if you dare! read more

An exciting and challenging activity with many room themes and skill level options. All of the set designs, props, and puzzles are curated by the brilliant owner (who is so friendly). We did the carnival room which was pretty challenging (medium skill level), but with unlimited hints from the game master, we successfully made it out in the hour. Be prepared to look for clues, solve puzzles, and journey through multiple old time carnie themed rooms. I highly recommend this place for birthday parties, team building events, or just plain fun! P.S. Go up the driveway for the parking lot. read more

Escape The Puzzle - Carnival themed room - Escape Games Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

Me and my friends play escape rooms fairly often and we left this place raving about every aspect of it. We played Swamp and the first thing you see if how amazing the room looks. Then we got so lucky with the best game guide: Kenny! Not only was he a great actor (best intro to a game I've ever seen) but he really helped us when we needed it: we never had to wait long for a clue and he would nudge us in the right direction when we were completely off! The room itself was full of puzzles and everyone got to work on different things. It was genuinely such a great experience!!! We are already planning to do the rest of the rooms: we got a preview of the pirate room and it looks sick. This place is definitely worth a trip even if you are not in the area. read more

Escape The Puzzle - Escape Games Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

We did the Speakeasy Room and it was so much fun! We have done a bunch of other rooms at severl places and this one is our new favorite! Great staff ! The room was very well thought out and nicely done. It was challenging enough we felt the pressure but did not feel impossible or confusing. Great experience and we are already planning our next adventure there ! read more

Escape The Puzzle - Escape Games Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

Disappointed to write this review as I try not to ever write negative ones. We arrived and we were warmly welcomed. We were a few minutes late due to an address issue from Siri. The owner was very nice. Escape the Puzzle is in an old house with three floors. There is parking in the back. There were four of us and we did the Tower. I know the other reviews have higher rating but I just couldn't due to malfunctions in the game. Helpers had to come into the room three times because pieces or locks wouldn't cooperate and said they have to be reset. That shouldn't happen if you are charging to Play, so fix it before or replace. Kind of kills the mood when they enter. There were a couple other things I can't go into without giving away clues, but there were issues. The room accommodated six but it would have been claustrophobic due to the lack of ventilation. We were rather warm and they said they couldn't adjust the temp, wear short sleeves. Our mistake was we didn't want clues from the helper which I guess you need to stay on track. We got out but didn't finish all the puzzles. Take the clues from the helper. Sixty minutes goes by fast. We did have fun with our friends. All agreed with the mishaps not worth the money. Been to other escape rooms. I just think things have to be tweaked. read more

I rarely leave reviews, but our experience at this escape room definitely warrants a 5 star review! Our family of 6 came in for our 1st escape room last night and we had the room Witches Brew. The room and the clues were done so well. It was interactive and fun! We even escaped with 5 minutes to spare. We had a wonderful time! Our game master Bryce was amazing! He was engaging, gave us our clues when we needed them most, and he was overall absolutely awesome!!! Our entire family had a great time and we will definitely be back!! Thank you for helping us make family memories that we will never forget! read more

Kids told me to give them five stars, so here ya go! My Daughter meant to book at a place in red bank, but when we arrived they were closed which was when we found out she accidentally booked here. Turned out to be a good mistake! Owners were kind enough to wait for them to arrive so they didn't lose any time. They said it was challenging but fun and they all want to go back! Give them a try! read more

Escape The Puzzle - Escape Games Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

ESCAPETHEROOMers visited Escape The puzzle back in March 2019. When we arrived, we thought it was a private home and it was! Escape The Puzzle owns the entire house. The house has 3 floors with a fully functional basement for parties. There's even a garage for storage and a good amount of parking in the back. The main builder and puzzle creator behind all the rooms is the wife this time (go female power!) although without our male owner's "special care" on the place, the bathrooms would not have looked spanking clean. The first room we tackled was the "Swamp" and it normally can hold up to 10 people. We were definitely in it for a challenge with two people as this room is not linear at all. You can definitely have many people working on different things at once. Besides the puzzle aspect, the builder was also very into hiding things well . With all that said, we needed about 5 minutes more to solve that last puzzle to get out of the room. There were a few puzzles in there that we thought were cleverly built without the use of electronic device but still very fun to figure out. There were a few things in the puzzle that we thought if we didn't get a hint we wouldn't have known to go there for that so if there were some story line that can point to it other than the hint system we feel that it would create a better flow. Overall, we were very impressed by the immersive room design and how much little details the owners put into the room. The next room that we tried to escape from is "The Tower". The game master added in an interesting intro that set the mood prior to entering the game. He may also "help" you all the way till the end if you stick to the story line. We actually enjoyed this room a bit more as it's normally meant for 6 people so it was more manageable but the story line and puzzles also flowed better. The room decor was once again very immersive. You felt like you were transported to an old castle in the medieval days. There was a bit of red herring on why one of the puzzle pieces appeared earlier on and had no use which delayed us a bit and also a little incident with one of the pieces of the puzzle that didn't come out where it was suppose to but we understand the build of these puzzles are not easy and things do happen at times. This was quickly fixed and we were able to continue with our game. We did get out with only a few seconds to spare as the last puzzle definitely needed some quick thinking and quick hands. Overall it was a very solid room and we enjoyed it very much. We can't wait to try their other rooms in the near future! *For more info, check out my Yelp profile. read more

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Great experience overall! The Speakeasy room was really well designed to be spooky and felt authentic since the house was so old. The clues were unusual and it wasn't just a bunch of locks, the room designers were very creative and there were lots of different puzzles for people with different strengths. I will definitely be back! read more

It's a great time and the witch's brew room was a lot of fun. Cannot wait to come back and try a different room.

We came here on a whim, and can't stop talking about how fun it was! Each puzzle was very thoughtful and fun! We cannot wait to come back and try the other rooms. This place is SUPER CLEAN, they have everyone wearing masks (even over your nose!) and we felt SAFE! Thank you so much, we'll be back!! read more

We went for the first time during the pandemic. Super friendly staff, very creative rooms, and perfect adherence to covid restrictions. We're going to book again for my birthday weekend read more

Had such a good time at Escape The Puzzle! Came here with my sister and our boyfriends last night. I called over the phone and spoke with the owner, Tina. She gave us some awesome recommendations on which room to do based off our group size. We went with the Carnival, which is their newest room. They honored the Yelp deal over the phone which was great too! We arrived, got the rules and headed into the room. Our game master, CeCe was great! She gave us clues without giving anything away. The room was challenging for sure. It had an awesome concept and the theme was strong throughout. We ended up having such a good time that we booked the Swamp right then and there! Again, so thought out and immersive. We escaped both rooms with just a few minutes to spare. If you're looking for something fun and different to do in Long Branch, definitely check out this place! We'll be back for the Speakeasy room and their newest room coming soon - The Tower. read more

We went there today for my daughter's 13 YO B Day party and it went very well. The kids all enjoyed it and we walked down the street afterwards to a pizzeria for the B day party. The entire group loved the puzzle room, Carnival! read more

This was our third escape room at Escape The Puzzle. Speakeasy, Carnival and Santa's Workshop are all fabulous. We always have an amazing time, and the owners are absolutely wonderful. Tina is extremely creative and a master at creating these rooms. I highly recommend going..it's a blast! read more

This place was awesome! I have never done 1 of these escape places but I know they are scattered all over and I've always been curious but the prices for some of these places are a little steep when you don't know what to really expect. This place though has everything those places have but with better prices and definitely warmer staff. We went just me and my sister but we had a BLAST. I'm so glad I did it. This is a true gem in Long Branch and I think everyone should try it, you won't regret it. We loved it so much we couldn't stop raving about it so a group of us are coming back to do the other room - "The Swamp" which needs more people anyways. I definitely want to keep coming back. Definitely go...it's the best time I've had in a long time! UPDATE: We came back for Carnival and it was the same great adventure and all around good time. I'm so glad to have found this place in long branch! read more

This was a blast! None of us had done any sort of Escape challenges before but I think I can say we're all sold on the experience! Not only were Tina and Gabe so warm and engaging BUT Tina is a Puzzle Crafting Wizard Engineering Master! Our group really got into the challenges (the mystique and wonder!), laughed a lot, and basically Escape the Puzzle is now forever my gold standard. read more

Review Updated on 9/18/2017: After escaping "The Swamp" yesterday, I am retracting my previous 4-star rating and awarding Escape The Puzzle as a 5-star escape room. I've said it once and I'll say it again - it's ALL about the mom and pop businesses. You get what you give in, and Gabriel and Tina undoubtedly channel their passion into providing a full escape room experience. Both The Speakeasy and The Swamp are very detailed and well-thought-out rooms. The clues and puzzles are very challenging (but in a good way!). Our cluemasters (Gabriel and Tina) are glued to their screen and very on-top of your next move in the game, which is extremely valuable when the clock is counting down. Escape The Puzzle is the perfect example of what an escape room should be. Furthermore, there is also a personal touch that goes into it. Back in April, I walked through these doors as a first-time customer, and shortly thereafter, walked back out feeling like a 'regular'. Gabriel and Tina genuinely care what you think of each escape room experience --- I can't say I've encountered this except for one other time. They are open to suggestions, take constructive criticism in stride, and most likely would put up a fight for your business if they had to do so. Judging by most of these reviews, they do not. I say this with conviction - if you are looking to do an escape room that will set the bar high, Escape The Puzzle is it. I cannot wait for their 3rd room to open!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Review from 4/23/2017: "Speakeasy - Tallulah Darling's Shore Club" Such a great experience for an escape room. I am not too keen on handing out 5-stars for first-time experiences unless I am absolutely floored, so I award this 4-stars (for now). I do tend to go back and update reviews, so once their second room opens, I will potentially revisit. My friend and I took on this 8 person room as a solo standing duo. Gabriel put us at ease a bit, explaining we'd get a few more hints than a normal group. Typically, we stick to the 3 clue rule-of-thumb regardless if we are short of people or not. In this case, we've never been short so many people, so we didn't argue it. This room is great. Extremely challenging, yet definitely doable. I would definitely add a sidenote that previous escape room skill and knowledge is a huge asset (and practically a necessity) for this room. On the same note, this room is too good to pass up. DO IT. You won't be disappointed. This room far exceeds any other room in the Ocean/Monmouth Country area that I've tried. So why the 4-stars? A couple slight cons to note, but otherwise, almost all pros: 1) I've never encountered an escape room that requires force to open certain things. If anything, the rules are quite the opposite: "if it doesn't open easily, do not force it". We didn't get this disclaimer ahead of time, so I just assumed it was obvious. Well, there were two or so areas that I questioned the clue on the screen, as we felt we were going to break something that shouldn't be tampered with. This definitely accounted for lost time. 2) There was one particular lock that we had correctly attempted FOUR times, each time using different speeds (rapid, fast, medium, slow). It didn't work, so we switched around combinations in the clues. Eventually, we noticed a "hint" on the screen stating that we were originally correct, but we needed to try it more slowly. When we finally got it on the fifth try, we had entered it SO slowly. Like... an impractical speed for escape rooms. During an escape room with a countdown, the last thing I am is calm, cool, collected, and taking my time. Again, lost time for things that shouldn't have been. We didn't make it out. We were down to the last lock and 15 seconds remaining. If we had a minute, we probably would have figured it out. Such a shame! read more

One of the better Escape rooms in the area! Good location and a quality room I love the "sneak peak" we got of the Swamp Room after we completed the Speak Easy. Definitely makes me want to book again! read more

We had family visiting from Virginia and wanted to find a good indoor activity with the rainy weather. A few of us had done an escape room once before, but escape the puzzle blew our other experience away!! From the moment we walked in, we greeted by a friendly gentleman, Gabriel. He had us solve 2 practice puzzles and gave us a few clues we didn't realize were clues until we were in the puzzle room!! The detail and flow of the entire experience were impressive!! Tina, one of the owners was the mastermind behind all of that. We almost almosssst got out but missed one "simple" clue that was right in front of our eyes the whole time. All in all, we had a fantastic experience and would absolutely recommend this location to anyone! We've already started spreading the word. So, if you want a fun indoor, mind exercise, small or large group activity, give it a try!! read more

Escape The Puzzle - Review of the best escape room in Monmouth county!! - Escape Games Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

I booked Speakeasy for a group of 8 people. 7 of us have never done an escape room before and didn't know what to expect and we had such a great time! The clues were great but still took us 52 minutes to get out. Great theme and room set up. I liked that this place had so many room themes and could accommodate larger groups. I will definitely be going back! read more

Here I go once again ranting and raving about Tina but she just astonishes me more and more each time I visit! I have officially done every single room they have to offer! I have been an avid escape roomer for 3-4 years now and have traveled along the coast from north jersey to North Carolina escaping from rooms and Tina is by far the most talented. Amazing amazing amazing read more

Recently did the speakeasy room with my family and we all had a great time! Most of the group had never done an escape room but they got right into it and had a great time. We were even able to bring our 5 year old niece and she had a blast. The room is very well thought out and clues really help you when you are stuck. We got a sneak peek at the swamp room and I think we're all going to want to go back and try it. Overall, just a really fun and unique activity to do with family or friends! Definitely recommend! read more

Our host, Tina was absolutely awesome. Even before my group and I got there, she was very accommodating and returned phone calls quickly. When we did arrive, she explained the procedures thoroughly and took her time. Nothing about it was rushed. The puzzle room was great, definitely used up a lot of clues. Challenging but do-able. What I wasn't keen on was being paired with another group. The goal of doing an escape room was to try to communicate with my boyfriend and his kids. We were all kind of bummed we got paired with another group, especially because it was unknown to us that it would occur. Aside from that, would definitely do it again! Thank you Tina! read more

We decided to "Escape the Puzzle" as a birthday celebration. I was skeptical about the concept but we loved it. If you are looking for something to do as a family or with friends, this is a terrific option. read more

Great game! I've been to a bunch in NYC, but this one was great for a full sized group (we had 7). Super fun and interesting, and everyone (of all skill levels) was able to participate in the puzzles. We escaped with just a few minutes to spare, and some of the puzzles were quite hard - requires lots of thinking outside of the box. We're already planning on coming back to do the Swamp the next time! read more

Escape the Puzzle was the perfect adventure for family and friends. The facility was clean. The Carnival was challenging and appropriate for all ages. We can't wait to go to the other rooms! read more

We had so much fun trying Speakeasy!!! Most of us were first timers and we are already talking about returning!! A perfect mix of difficult and fun! Thanks! read more

Had so much fun! We did the Speakeasy room with four people and it was hard but doable, especially with the help of our gamemaster! Would definitely come back again and do other rooms! Staff was very nice and everything was very clean read more

Our kids surprised my husband and we went for his 60th birthday. We had no idea what to expect but Gabrielle gave us an overview. We did the "speak easy theme" and once we go the hang of it, it was so much fun. It was really entertaining and the clues were clever. We had to work together to escape and we managed to do so just in time. I like how they give you subtle hints when needed. Gabrielle showed us one of the other themed rooms and we can't wait to go back with more people and try "the swamp." read more

Amazing!!! My family and I had such a wonderful time. It was the first time any of them had done an escape room and they absolutely loved it! We did the speakeasy room and had an awesome time figuring out the clues together and we are certainly looking forward to doing another room. Gabe, Tina and the crew were so helpful and friendly. It's also cool that Tina creates objects in the room that are used internationally!! Well done!! read more

Was a lot of fun. My wife and her sister had gone previously and had fun so they wanted to bring me and her sister's boyfriend. The owners were very nice and hospitable and the game was really well done and more challenging than I expected. Would definitely recommend it to anyone. read more

Took my siblings here for their first Escape Room and it was such an awesome experience! We did the Swamp room and Tina set the mood really well. The game was very immersive and was very well decorated. It felt like you were really there. I've done a few Escape Rooms now in Los Angeles area and Boston, and this one is ranked as one of my favorite. We're looking forward to coming back to try the other rooms! Thank you Tina! read more

Visited with all of my coworkers as a team building exercise & also this was my first "escape room" experience ever. The hosts are super friendly and welcoming and make sure their customers have a great time. Although I don't have anything to compare it to, I would guess this is a superb experience compared to similar businesses, the puzzles were challenging but not impossibly difficult. read more

My family came here for an afternoon to celebrate a belated Fathers Day. My husband likes puzzles and games...thought it would be a fun afternoon.....we had a BLAST! I highly recommend this for an adventure that will please everyone, from 8 to 80. Take a chance! You'll have an amazing time! The hosts are superb...making an awesome time even more fun! Am totally planning to go again when the new adventure opens! read more

Highly recommend! Everyone in my group had a blast. It was so much more fun than I even expected. Tina and her husband are amazing and so welcoming. They put a lot of thought into this puzzle and it is very challenging but doable. We escaped with two minutes left on the clock. Can't wait to go back when they open the swamp room. Perfect for all ages. It's the most fun I've had in a long time. read more

I'm with Stupid...LOL. We got whacked but it was fun. Service was perfect. The mystery was creative. I recommend going. Looking forward to next time. read more

This is such an awesome place. We (8 of us) did the Speakeasy room and it was so much better than we expected. The puzzles were very clever and Tina and Gabe were helpful without coaching too much. They understand that everyone is there to have fun and they do their best to make sure that happens. What we really liked is that they designed the space themselves and Tina created the puzzles...some of them are pretty ingenious! I highly recommend trying it out; we will definitely be back to try the other rooms. read more

What a great experience! Was incredibly impressed with the customer service. Before we even went in the room Gabe and Tina had us cracking up. After we were out they reviewed some of our "special" moments and went through some things we missed, which we really appreciated the owners taking the time to make it that much more personal. Besides the customer service - the game itself is very challenging, and filled with unique concepts many rooms haven't incorporated in our experience. Overall would recommend in a heartbeat, thank you for a fun time! read more

Couldn't be more happier with this escape room. Not only were the rooms refreshing from the bigger known escape rooms. The owners went above and beyond to make our experience personal and fun. I'm in love with all the puzzles, they were easy enough for a newbie (with lots of hints ) but also challenging for a professional. Definitely coming back to defeat the Swamp ! The rooms are good for couples for a fun date night!! Ask Tina what Gabe does . Overall thank you to the owners Tina and Gabe for an amazing escape room experience. read more