I was pretty sure I was going to hate escape rooms. I like to skip the puzzles in video games, and…read moreI hate being trapped, constant noises, or kept on a strict time limit. Kinda seemed like escape rooms would be the worst thing on the planet for me.
But a friend loves the cyberpunk-esque vibes, and I was going to swallow my hatred to try my first escape room here with the Immersive Machine.
I leave the experience virtually speechless.
(No spoilers here, so read away!)
Why it was great for two people new to escape rooms:
-You can book the place solo. You don't need to be partnered with strangers who are going to speed run the place.
-There is no clock anywhere. Time flies (serously, wow, it went so fast), but you aren't feeling rushed.
-I was worried about it, but there aren't any "HOLYSHIT GO FAST YOU'RE GONNA DIE" vibes like some of the "escape to live" ones I've been told about. There's an alarm going off when you first get there, but it's like, a casual alarm that just reminds you that it's going off every 5 minutes or so with a light "beep". Like a friendly alarm. Nothing in here is on a time limit, constantly flashing, or constantly making noise. Nothing is designed for a panic response. This was huge for me.
-The gamemaster's involvement is fluid and very immersive in the universe (but they're not in the room), so if he sees you're struggling, he steps in, in-character, to gently guide you without making you feel stupid.
-Puzzles make sense, but they're also just really fun. It was a lot more of paying attention to the room's details and exploring the space than trying to solve a Rubik's cube or a slide puzzle. There were a few moments that required some actual hard, focused thought, but most of it was trying to pull together details of the space and alternative universe you're in (that are all easily available if you look around again).
-There is nothing to memorize or "called back" throughout the place. You don't need to remember something that was told to you 50 minutes ago or else you can't finish it; everything you need is always easily accessible, and all the puzzles are "solve it and move on". We started by taking tons of notes on our phones just in case, and we abandoned that quickly since it wasn't necessary.
-You mostly stay in the same areas, so you can put down waters or drinks and take breaks as needed. It doesn't cut you off of any of the areas, so you don't have to stress about constantly moving.
-We finished it, two person, in under the average time, despite never having done an escape room in our lives.
Why it was great, overall, in general:
-The "alternate universe" makes it a lot more fun. At one point, you'll get to see a calendar the team made, complete with holidays and other details specific to this universe that doesn't exist in ours. It's these small touches that made me super excited (and sad I couldn't just sit and read them).
-The gamemaster (Randy, I think?)'s personality was absolutely amazing. He was super friendly, and getting into his character really made it easier for us to feel okay getting into them too.
-I'm not super into LARPing or playing pretend, but if you wanted to, there are free costumes and the over-the-top vibe of the gamemaster makes you feel less silly about trying it for yourself.
-There's a little personified "friend" that pretty much everyone is going to fall in love with.
I now think I love escape rooms, but I'm not sure any other escape room will ever compare to The Immersive Machine. There's no way for me to go but down; there's no way any other escape room will be as good as Immersive Machine was.
It entirely converted me, and now I think escape rooms are the coolest thing ever. I see why it has a straight 5 stars on every review platform AND wins annual awards from the escape room social network. This is amazing.
