A lot of fun get a good group of friends and kick some butt had a great time with 7 of us

I can't say enough great things about Escape This. I've done somewhere between 15-20 escape rooms and Escape This has all the things the best ones have to offer. 1. You can easily reserve a room on their website - their website is easy to navigate and gives just enough information about each room to give you insight into what the experience will be like, while still leaving you curious and wanting to know more. 2. The escape room we did was well designed and fully immersive - once we stepped into the room, we completely forgot about the outside world and were able to really get into solving the puzzles. 3. The puzzles themselves were logical, fun to solve, and numerous enough that our group of 8 could work on several puzzles at once without feeling like we were getting in each other's way. I really appreciated that all the puzzles made sense and fully aligned with the theme of the room as well. 4. After we finished, the staff talked us through the room and gave us great insight into the success rate of the room and how we did overall. Whether you're looking for your first escape room experience or you're a seasoned escape room adventurer, Escape This is the place for you! read more

Escape This - Fun props - always great for any escape room - Eight friends are gathered in an escape room with orange walls, some wearing costumes such as a pharaoh headdress and binoculars. They hold signs with humorous phrases like "I dig PHARAOH," "CURSED!" "Master Mind," and "SMARTY PANTS." The group appears cheerful and excited, suggesting they are celebrating or participating in a themed escape room activity. - Escape Games Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We were in Madison for the weekend, and we were looking for something to do. We found Escape This and signed up for a room. It was so much fun and challenging, and we asked the owner if she was open the next day. She said she wasn't. However, the following day, she texted me and said she decided to open for a few groups. We did another room, another fun and challenging experience. We love supporting small businesses. If you are in Madison, definitely check this place out! read more

Escape This - Escape Games Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Both visits to Escape This were great. The game hosts are friendly and the rooms are pretty challenging (Egyptian and Friday Night) so be prepared. read more

Fun time, well defined instructions / rules, intriguing mystery to solve. Clues could have been a bit more 'helpful' at times - they were very vague. read more

Great team activity! Had a group of 38 people, and we were able to all participate in 4 separate rooms! Everyone in the group had a great time, so it was easy and convenient to do a group dinner after! read more

This was an amazing experience for our son's birthday party!! Renee and Chris did an extra special touch and hid a chocolate bar with a happy birthday sticker on it in one of the rooms. Highly recommend!! read more

Honestly, I always feel bad writing a bad review, especially when I feel the company was well-intentioned and the staff that greeted us was exceptionally nice. However, I write this review based solely off of experiences from other escape room proprietors. From the onset of escape room mania that started 5 to 10 years ago, I will admit that I have always been floored by the admission price, considering it seems to be based largely off of fixed Company costs and certainly not the minimum wage employees running the event. When when I started to attend different escape rooms in various cities, I began to see quite a production. Unbelievable production value that seemed to rival Disney World rides and other major theme park attractions. When seeing such a movie style production come to life, that jettisoned participants into an Indiana Jones type adventure, or a horror movie type scenario, I begin to understand why these escape rooms had such an elaborate fixed costs, and thus high admission prices. But today was quite the opposite. I paid for myself and four children, ages 12 to 15 to visit the pharaoh room of Escape This in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. The woman who let us in was nice enough to open the business on a Tuesday, considering it typically was not open mid-week. She couldn't have been any nicer and thorough in explaining the rules. That said, my interest in the escape room ended there. The first room was nothing but a faux room that had stapled canvas sheeting to cover the wall. Granted, this might attempt to simulate a simple canvas tent in Egypt back in the early 20th century, but considering there was only one other room attached, similarly done as simply as possible- i.e. - some Egyptian wall sticker appliqués and some tin buckets filled with Walmart play sand - and you couldn't help but feel like this was a good cheap way to sucker first-time escape room players Who have no idea how high production value can run for such an industry. Other escape rooms I have frequented had enmeshed an elaborate mixture of Sophisticated, but not too complex, riddles that challenged players while done in environment that makes them truly feel in another world, another time, or at least out of their own mundane existence. Flashing lights, smoke effects, animated robotics, elaborate full size props. The escape room industry has made millions off of this exact premise. However, Escape This Madison's Pharoah room crescendos with a three foot tall sarcophagus (was this a dwarf king?) that once opened, reveals a Black-and-white photo copy of a mummy. Wow. No expense spared. Of course, I wouldn't feel so slighted, if I didn't pay $160 for the experience that left out all physical interaction and replaced it with 15 different word puzzles out of a Cub Scout book, which led to unlocking 7 different padlocks, and the need to wear sweaty plastic gloves, all while being trapped for 60 minutes in two small rooms that was Covered in bulk canvas. And did I mention the four Walmart buckets of sand, two Egyptian wall stickers, tiny plastic sarcophagus and photocopy picture of a mummy? I did already? Okay, we'll I'm sorry to do this to the owner of the Escape This Madison. I imagine the lack of room production value was due to rent in downtown Madison being exorbitantly high. Nonetheless, I wish I had read an account that was as blunt as I am typing this tonight. It would have saved me some money and my children would have been happier going somewhere else. If you want an Escape Room experience that dazzles you into another world, go elsewhere. read more

Escape This - The biz is cleverly hidden in an alley. Just look for the sign that wants your money - A sidewalk sign features the name 'Escape This' and advertises live escape games. The sign includes a large arrow pointing right with the website escapethis.com for booking. It is placed outside a brick building with a window showing a parked car inside. The sign is designed to attract pedestrians to the escape room business. - Escape Games Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The main things I look for in an escape room are unique puzzles, immersible atmosphere and great customer service. Escape This! is a triple threat. We've been on an escape adventure ever since our very first escape room, "Lost Friday Night" at Escape This! in Feb 2017. Since they started us out, we absolutely had to do our 100th room there. We were lucky enough that they have a new one called "Rock On". We've done all of their rooms now, and I have to say, they just keep getting better! "Rock On" was on another level completely. How great a theme is this?! I'm over solving crimes and helping the CIA. Bring on the fun of getting the band back together! As for their puzzles: Wow, just wow. The creativity of their puzzles is top-notch. After 100 rooms, you tend to see the same old stuff. Not here! The room is designed to keep 8-12 people busy. There were only 2 of us so we knew our odds of escaping were nil, but we don't go to escape. We go for the experience :) And experience, we did! We sung, decoded, laughed, and solved our way through this room. Cleverness abounded. And the atmosphere: They transport you directly into the story the minute the door closes behind you. You are THERE! They kept the theme throughout every puzzle and that is also rare to see. As for great customer service, Renee and Chris have it in spades. They are so welcoming, and you can tell how much they love what they do. They really walked us through the process when we first started out and it was so necessary because we didn't know what we were doing. Now that we have a few (lol) games under our belts, we still need the nudges, and Renee knows exactly when to give them and how much to help. They take the time to give you a good debriefing. We've been to several places with robot-like employees who just want to get you out the door once you're done, so it's refreshing when someone is so engaged in making sure you had a great time. Booking the game is easy, the prices are beyond reasonable, you'll be completely immersed in the room, and I can't think of a better thing to do with your friends, family or co-workers. If you haven't been to Escape This! yet, take it from a couple of seasoned escapees, you're missing out! read more

This was a really great time for my team building event. The hosts were helpful, informative, and friendly, and the games were difficult but not impossible, especially with the hints. We had two groups, one of 8 who did Lost Friday Night, and one of 7 who did In Check. Everyone had a great time, and thought it was an excellent option for team building and working together. The hosts also provided a recap afterward that was insightful and gave a hint of what they were seeing, which was fun. The one down-side to this location is that parking is a bit tricky, but if you plan on parking in the Government East lot nearby, it's not that long a walk. read more

To really have a great time at these types of places it really comes down to the company you keep but overall as an experience it was great! The host was very nice and enthusiastic! We chose the Ancient Egyptian themed room and of course I wont share spoilers but it was loads of fun and even if some puzzles were more difficult than others they weren't irritatingly difficult. This was my first attempt at an "escape room" and the fish out of water feeling goes away quickly and you can easily get to solving puzzles. I'm glad a place like this exists in Madison and I will definitely be coming back for their Sherlock Holmes themed room as it's said to be their most difficult. I highly recommend checking this place out even if your new to these types of places! read more

Escape This - Escape Games Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Renee and her husband did a fantastic job in hosting an escape room event for me and 12 other coworkers. It provided a great activity for all members to enjoy and get something out of! The location is also great given its proximity to the square, making it the perfect place for an activity before our team dinner. Renee also went out of her way to get me connected with the Tempest Oyster Bar, located right next to the Escape Room, for our team to have some appetizers and drinks. Couldn't recommend this place enough! read more

Fun little escape room. First time for several in the party, and everyone walked away talking about how enjoyable the experience was

I regret not picking a different room. I usually go to an escape room whenever I travel and this was possibly one of the lowest production rooms I've seen. We did the alice in wonderland 'In Check.' I'm used to multiple rooms with immersive sets, creative tech magic, puzzles that fit a narrative and rewarding surprises. This was one room, some checkered paint on the walls, and a bunch of standard combination locks with arbitrary puzzles to solve them. There wasn't much of a payoff for solving anything. It could have been created in an afternoon from stuff lying around a garage. The highest bit of tech was probably a UV flashlight. Another problem is the location, the hardest puzzle was finding the entrance to this establishment. You have to essentially sneak between people trying having a nice dinner and parked cars to even see a sign. read more

I thought that this would be a fun outing for my daughters and me. We decided to join the "sherlocked" room. Being that this was my first time, I was not sure what to expect other than we would be in a room and had to figure out something. It ended up being a great experience. After starting and just trying to get used to the room, we found that we worked well with the other group that was there and really had a lot of fun trying to figure out the mystery. I was a little worried at first that the experience might be either too overwhelming or advanced for a 13 and 11 year old. That was not the case. The staff was great and the adventure really resonated with them. Definitely something I would consider doing again. read more

We played the Pharaoh room in a group of 8 and we had a blast! We had done an escape room before and was a little underwhelmed when we first entered but realized as we played out the escape game, that the room was much more extensive than we realized. A group in the room next to our seemed to also be having a blast :) If there are some better priced deals, we would definitely be back. This was a fun 1-time deal for us, because there are actually cheaper options in the Madison area. We are going to a cheaper one this coming week, and if it doesn't hold up to Escape This, I will up the stars from 4 to 5. read more

It was fun. Our group participated in the Lost Friday Night room, and we didn't make it in time. Personally, I didn't really like that the manager/owner made us give him our cell phones before locking us in the escape room. I know the customers are supposed to enjoy the experience of the escape room and not be preoccupied with their phones. At the same time, phones are personal and expensive items, and I don't really like putting mine in a bin and not knowing where it went. Even though I've given Escape This a five-star review, I doubt I will return. While an escape room is an interesting group activity, it only takes one hour of time and doesn't really leave you feeling like you want more. And now that I've seen what the escape room trend is all about, I personally don't see the need to return to any escape room business. But that's just me! read more

Had lots of fun in the sherlocked room. It seemed to work well for our larger group (11) I can't see getting thru it with less then 6 people. Renee was great. I will do again. read more

The lady who greeted us at the beginning was very nice. They had a cool atmosphere when you were waiting in the lobby. The game itself is very puzzle solving based and can be hard. Our game master was rude before and after the game. Wouldn't be my first choice for an escape room but overall it was okay. read more

Went for a birthday party. Things seemed kind of disorganized at the beginning with the staff. The initial person who answered the phone and greeted us on arrival was not really friendly/sociable and still charged me an extra person when we already had the entire room reserved. Renee was great but I think we needed more orientation to get us started. It took awhile to get into the swing of things...so time was wasted at the beginning. The building itself is kind of musty, but being in a basement I guess that is to be expected? The place is definitely nothing fancy. The first room was bland and confusing, but once we got the hang of things and got into the second room, that was much more thematic and exciting. read more

None of our party of 10 have participated in an escape room before. We were not sure what to expect. First, let me say that we were visiting WI from MD. I spoke to Renee on the phone before our trip. I didn't even really know what to ask, but she gave me lots of information. We got WI and I was able to communicate via text with Renee. We were able to book our room on a Monday night. We had a blast. We did the Sherlock room. The puzzles were challenging, and one lead to another. Chris and his helper(I can't remember his name) made sure our game ran smoothly. I highly recommend coming here for some great fun! read more

Had a great time. We picked a difficult room with 6 of us. We needed all our hints but is was fun and challenging. Was a birthday gift from my kids and I really enjoyed it. Our game master was a great guy that went over everything for us once it was over. Will be going back. read more

This was a great experience, the lead in area and game room were very well well done. Went on a rainy Thursday night with 5 friends and had an awesome time (6 people turned out to be a good sized group but the group before us had 8-10 people and sounded like they had a blast). The game was a ton of fun, kinda of like playing out all of your "The Hangover" Fan-Fiction dreams. The room itself, without giving too much away, was geared towards adults, but the owners said they can also change elements of it to suit kids as well - so good fun for friends or family in town. The puzzles ranged from easy to fairly difficult but we were able to 'escape' in record time. Really like some of the more elaborate puzzles. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for something to do that is a little different or looking for a night to shake it up. There are a lot of bars and restaurants in the area to meet up at before or after to grab some food and drinks to discuss strategy or how you would have solved something quicker. We had a great time as a group and we can't wait to check out their new room when it comes out. - Group of friends in their late 20's / early 30's. read more

We booked the Escape This Sherlocked room for a party of twelve. Unfortunately, there was a traffic accident that delayed the guest of honor from making our reservation. I called and spoke with the manager at Escape This, who very pleasantly booked us for a later time. Luckily the room was available - probably because the weather was so nice! We arrived, a rambunctious group of all ages. Matthew was very friendly, very patient, and overall ready to make sure we had a great time. He was a fantastic host! Really could not have been better. The guest of honor had a blast (we all did)! As for the room - Sherlocked is difficult!! We definitely used our hints. Unlike other escape rooms I've tried, this room was not sticky or run down. There were no broken pieces, and the host was clear about the rules, so we didn't waste our time on unnecessary things. We can't wait to go back and try another room! read more

Great games! I've done two different rooms and they were both fun! The last Friday night room was my most recent, and we were able to solve it but needed some hints. Renee was so helpful and the recap was fun after. I'll come back someday I bet! read more

We did the "Sherlocked" room, with two teenagers and parents. It was fantastic, a thoroughly exciting hour with ingenious challenges, gadgets and tricks, far more complex than I imagined. read more

We had so much fun trying to escape! The clues, hints, puzzles and twists were so clever and put together so well. We were very impressed! And our host on 5/31/19 was so awesome! She was very sweet and made our experience so much more enjoyable. We could tell she enjoyed her job and that always makes for an awesome atmosphere. Loved it! We will definitely be returning very soon with more people to solve some harder escape rooms. 10/10! read more

Really fun! Great location downtown for getting dinner afterward. This was the cleanest/nicest condition escape room I have ever been to (sometimes they get run down from all the people digging around). read more

The only room I haven't done at Escape This was the Sherlocked room. I have however done the In Check, Forgotten Pharoah, and Lost Friday Night rooms. I've only been able to escape the latter. They were each very well themed and offered their own set of unique puzzles and challenges. Had an amazing time each time I've gone and would highly recommended this place to anyone looking for an escape room! The staff is super friendly and very welcoming! read more

I booked this as a bachelorette party, we did Lost Friday Night, and it was great! They were very helpful in the booking process and ensured all my questions were answered. Once we got there it was a great time too. I also love that it's a local family who owns and runs it, I truly believe that's why everything is great, down to the detail. I will be back again! read more

We did Lost Friday Night and had a blast. The reservation process online was easy and I had no problems. Showed up at the specified time with our group, signed a waiver and began the orientation. I liked that they had a coat rack available. The room had alot of fun puzzles and was well thought out. A very high quality escape room compared to others I have been to. I am definitely going back to try the other rooms available! read more

Fun experience - was a tough puzzle and we didn't solve it. Game manager was nice about giving hints, yu can tell they enjoy the business! Would be fun if there was an opportunity to sit down for a drink and rehash, but I guess there are plenty of places nearby for that! read more

Brilliant! We did the Sherlock room, and I'm impressed by how stumped we were. Lots of fun for our group- I felt genuinely accomplished when we found the killer! read more

Really impressed with this experience. Went with a group of friends, six total, which seemed perfect. Enough for everyone to do and we weren't tripping over each other. Sherlocked! was really challenging and we came so close to solving it. The operator explained about what each puzzle leads to afterwards, because we solved a few out of order. Gave us good insight for next time, because we all want to try another room in the future. read more

I was part of a group of 4 that came there for the first time Saturday. We did have a great time! one suggestion/comment for the owners was that it says when you book online to arrive 15 minutes before your start time to sign the waiver, which we did. we ended up having to wait another 30 minutes to get started. I know they have to reset the rooms and let people finish,but we just didn't like having to wait 45 minutes to start our room. it would be better to have start times at an extra 30 minutes. the room we did was comfortable for 4 people. I couldn't imagine having a large group in that room. not sure how the other rooms are. overall was a fun time, very challenging, and the owners are very nice and friendly! I will definitely be back to try the other 2 rooms. read more

There was 3 of us. It wad a fun time but don't over think the clues. There were other peoples with us and they were trying to take over the game. Sometimes people need to relax listen and just have fun read more

This was my first experience with an escape room and I had a great time! I took a group for my birthday back in March and loved the "Hangover" themed room. The waiting area was comfy and the owners were very excited for us to play; they were an lot of fun to chat with. Being my 22nd birthday, we all had a great time dealing with 21+ jokes and alcoholic clues to solve the puzzle (one clue requires us to really know our liquors!). At one point, we found a clue that also included a 'Happy Birthday' candy bar for me, which was a really nice touch. I think that I would return to this location repeatedly for its service and fun theme ideas. It sounds like their newest Alice in Wonderland theme is going to be awesome! read more

We had a great time. The room was challenging and the puzzles were creative. The owners were accommodating to our two younger players and even hid a surprise for our birthday boy. Lots of fun!! read more

I have done this several timers, it is such a gas. My friends and I have such a good time each time we go. Tonight we are doing it as a team building exercise. I am so looking forward to it. I just know it is going to be another classic night. The only bad thing is, someone invited Hank. I just know he will try to sabotage our escape. I went by his house this morning and peeped in the window. Just after noon, and he is already drunk. I recommend Escape This! I do not recommend Hank. read more

We booked a private game for a friend's bachelorette party. As we were getting ready for the night out, it was just impossible for us to get all of the ladies out the door & in their separate vehicles & parked in time! To get the best possible game overall, you need to arrive 15 minutes early as suggested upon booking! We were late! Much to my delight, our hostess was incredibly accommodating and warmly welcoming - despite our tardiness! Though we really wish we could have started on time (our own fault), the entire group found entertainment in our game! We shared plenty of laughs and we had a happy bride on our hands! read more