Incredible experience in this historic bunker bank vault from 1880. It has a real feel with a great story and some very cool actors that stay in character the whole way. I love that they have continued chapters to the story for a returned experience. I appreciated the variety of locks and codes throughout the rooms and attention to detail. It felt like I walked myself into a fallout meets resident evil vibe. We'll be returning for sure. For parking, their site gives primo instructions and we ended up parking by the Scientology building with excellent affordable rates for the time needed to experience the escape room. Not a good place for those physically impaired. read more

We enjoyed chapter 1 (out of 4) so much we came back for chapter 2! Chapter 2 made all of us scratch our brains because it was very different from chapter 1! Located in the heart of Old town pasadena, this is a must try with your friends! If you are attending this during the summer, bring a neck fan! It does get really warm inside. If you run hot, I suggest to bring a fan. If youre claustrophobic, dont have 8 people in your party. I wish there was a discount code for each completed chapter to move on and complete all 4 chapters! read more

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Came here with friends on a Saturday but we made reservations online for the time we wanted to do the escape room and purchased tickets online. There's a parking structure next to it for $15 for the whole day, which isn't bad since there's plenty of places to walk to for drinks and food too! I'm sure there's other structures near by for cheaper if you want to look but $15 isn't bad for a Saturday. There's no waiting room. As you walk to the building, there's a sign telling you what to do. When it's your time, you come to the door and someone will come out and get you for your escape room experience. There's not restroom inside so let them know before you go in so you can use the restroom or else you just gotta hold it. The escape room itself is very dark and hard to see when looking for clues but we managed. Haha The room is smaller than I expected and there's a person who helps you with clues throughout the game if you need it. The person is in character too and will let you know if you're close as well and call out time remaining. Overall it was a fun experience with our friends and we made it out with 4 mins to spare because we couldn't see well lol read more

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SO SO fun! Definitely a very unique escape room experience! We booked chapter 1/4 of the experience for a birthday celebration and definitely well exceeded expectations. Booking process was easy online. They do have 4 different escape journeys and while you do not need to do them in order but it is recommended that you do them in order to get the most out of the experience. Once you arrive do your time slot you will be met by one of the staff members whom might I add is always in character. If you need to use the restroom they'll kindly remind you of that before the experience which I appreciated. They'll lead you down to the bunker and explain the experience, do's and don'ts. There are lockers to put your stuff down as well which is helpful. Without giving too much away I thought the experience was amazing. Story is set in post apocalyptic world where you need to escape vandals and preserve mankind. The decor, music, lights, down to everyone who was very much in character from the minute you enter made the entire experience truly unforgettable. You are accompanied by a mission guide who can give you hints if you need. Guide is again, always in character as well. They'll also periodically remind you of the time you have leftover so you have a good idea of where you are in the journey. Don't be afraid to ask for hints! They do have jump scares which you can decline before you start. Definitely will be back for the rest of the chapters!! read more

No phones allowed. This was a super fun experience with great actors doing the Lord's work trying not to judge. I picked infected and it was so hard, and so good. My date and I did not survive the escape room, but it was a really good first date ice breaker. Located in Old Town Pasadena. There are meters and garage parking nearby. But if you are in town after 6p don't mind walking. You can find free street parking, no meters. Highly recommend the Bunker experience for events, dates, or a random Tuesday. read more

The Bunker Experience - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

Booked the Bunker Experience for a friend's birthday - we were celebrating in the Pasadena area and she had never done an escape room before so we wanted to take her to try one. The theme seemed fun and unique and was different from any other escape rooms I've ever done. One unique aspect is they have multiple rooms (chapters) following the same story but different levels, so you could easily come back and play another room and continue the story. We decided to book the chapter one room: the Bunker which noted that a live actor would be part of the room - something I've also never experienced before in an escape room. The minimum players for this room was 3, which was how many in our party so I knew it would be a challenge. We arrived and were greeted at the door with a staff member in character. We were brought down to the lobby where they had lockers to store our belongings. We were told that our room included jump scares which we were not aware of at the time of booking. We did not want jump scares as part of the experience but thankfully they gave us the option to turn them off. We got a quick briefing of the storyline and our mission and then followed the staff into the room where the door was closed and we were with another actor in character who was there as a "game master" to observe and give hints when we got stuck or help point us in the right direction. The rooms were very elaborately designed with lots of props and challenging puzzles. One area of improvement I'd suggest is a bit more variety of things to solve. There were many puzzles that resulted in a four digit code for a lockbox, or a physical key. I've been in plenty of escape rooms where there are more variety of things to unlock which keeps it interesting. Some of the puzzles were extremely challenging even for two of us who have done many of these, and we ended up relying on hints almost every step of the way. Nonetheless, we did escape before the end of the clock! Something that was awesome was our game master stayed in character the whole time until the end and then gave us a mini debrief where we learned how we compared to other groups. Definitely on the pricier side of escape rooms, but worth it for a fun unique experience! read more

Brought my 4 other friends with me for their first Escape Room. I read in the reviews that it's scary and my friends and I are big scaredy cats, but it was fine! We had loads of fun! We did have to use our character resource who trapped us in the game. Helpful hints and was pretty funny! We enjoyed our time, we did the chapter 3 the Gate keeper, it was really tough but pretty good. We definitely would love to do the combo and even probably do the games in chronological order. All-in-all we will all definitely be back. read more

The Bunker Experience - We escaped with 28 seconds to spare! ..and a ton of helpful hints ! 10/10 great character who trapped/helped us! - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

Did chapter 1 with a group of 4, and would not recommend at this player count. It felt like the puzzles were good streamlined and you couldn't do multiple puzzles at the same time. This meant that 1 person was basically watching 3 other people do the work. The props and scenery bumps it to a 3 star, but this is kind of a gimme because the venue is in one of Pasadena's oldest buildings so things are naturally musty, worn, and claustrophobic. The live actor is a bit awkward as they stand their silently for the entirety of the 50 minutes with maybe 10 lines total dialogue. Probably one of the first few escape rooms that made me wish I hadn't booked. read more

Fun experience. The live actors help integrate a timer and hints better than a camera and speakers.

This was so fun! Love the Jump Scare add on The staff is great and the puzzles are really fun and well thought out. read more

My team went to The Bunker as part of our team building activity. We had a great time and we succeeded on our mission with 5 min to spare. Fyi if you are claustrophobic, I don't recommend this activity as it is very dark down there and also has a distinct smell. Aside from that, it was a good time! read more

The Bunker Experience - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

This escape room was amazing! This was my first time trying an escape room experience, and we tried the Bunker (moderate difficulty). Everything was awesome, from the entrance looking like a literal bunker with stairs going down, the jump scares, the actors that go with you everywhere and bring the experience to life, give hints, and make the experience unforgettable. I will definitely be going back to try some of the other rooms! And make sure to tip your actors!! They don't ask for it, but they deserve it! They make the experience awesome!! I would give it more than 5/5 if I could. read more

This is my first escape room experience and it was part of a team bonding activity for work. I've been avoiding escape rooms because usually the theme/room design is horror. My co-worker made a reservation for us as a group and although they were busy, they were able to squeeze us in for a 1 hour slot. The staffs are friendly and helpful. A staff member will greet you at the door and you need to complete a liability waiver form before entering. We walk down the stairs and the path is narrow and it gets darker as you get closer to the main room. They do provide lockers to store your purses but it will not fit a backpack. If you carry a large purse or a backpack with you, you will be bringing this with you inside the escape room. There is no jump scare, which is good for me. I'm still scared of the dark and the atmosphere though. I won't spoil the activity part. My team and I were able to complete the activity with 5 mins left to spare! The rooms we were in are dark and there is no flashlight so it is hard to see. It is hot in these rooms too. Personally I don't enjoy this type of environment so this is not something I'd come back for. However, it was a great bonding experience. We were holding hands, screaming at times, and worked together to find a way out. Overall, a good experience! read more

I had an awful experience. The actor's involvement was more intrusive than immersive, adding too much time pressure without providing helpful clues, which quickly turned all the fun into only stress. I could hear him making negative comments into his walkie which made it feel like we were being judged. When we asked for a hint, he raised his voice in frustration at us. Completely ruined the experience to the point we left early. read more

This escape room was unlike any I've done before and I wanted to review it to let the staff know how impressed we were and to let other customers know that it may be slightly different to other escape rooms you've been to! The Bunker Experience is set underground, and your team have to escape from a bunker set within a nuclear apocalypse. To make things worse, there are vandals who are trying to break in. This room is not for the faint of heart (though you can request no jump scares, which I thought was a good option from the team) as there are live actors within the complex and you have to operate under that pressure. This made it all so much more entertaining! You also have a fully committed actor guide with you in the room, which makes asking for hints slightly more fun (if you need them, that is). The design of the room was great too, with every object feeling authentic and the whole place feeling right how it was intended. I don't want to say too much about what was there as this would spoil it for a first timer. I'd love to do another of their games as the live element made it so much more fun than normal escape rooms. read more

It was my first escape room ever so I didn't know what to expect. We opted for the only one that had jump scares and the suspense had us running around fearing for our lives. The staff was friendly and I appreciated the clues that staff provided without giving away too much. It felt like we were going overtime but finished with 8 minutes to spare. Our guide also complimented us on how well we worked together, which was nice bc they were all my coworkers from work :) read more

My son wanted to come here for his bday with friends. He made his own research and decided this is the place. The escape room is in old town pasadena. There are street parking right in front of the entrance if you are lucky to get these. Reservation was very easy to make online. Just click into the available spots listed. There are 3 different experience rooms and each room has 8 people capacity. My son invited 7 friends so 8 of them just have a room all by themselves. The experience is 50mins. The staff had been waiting for everyone to arrive on the street prior to the starting time. She was very friendly and accommodating. I didn't do the escape myself. The 8 thirteen year-old came out excited and happy. So I know it was a good experience. My son told me that they actually couldn't escape successfully because without the staff's help Super recommend! read more

The Bunker Experience - Entrance Looks like a bunker - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

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What's up: The gang decided an escape room would be a fun activity to do. We had a mix of newbies and a couple people who have escaped from a room before. Let's see if we're able to escape together! Parking: There are parking structures nearby that has the first 90 mins free. We used the Park & Walk Schoolhouse Garage accessible on Fair Oaks Ave and E Green Street. There's also metered street parking. Environment: Wait at the front door until your scheduled time. Someone will pop up and walk you through the instructions, fill out waivers, etc. You're also required to show proof of Covid vaccination. If anyone is late, they won't be able to join. We walked down a dark stairway and were told to put our belongings in the small lockers for safekeeping since we're not allowed to bring anything in. The staff members were friendly and really into their roles. The Bunker Experience is based off a post-apocalyptic world so there can be some scary moments. You get briefed by the staff and you'll get 50 minutes to solve the clues to get out. There is one staff member inside with the group to provide hints and announce the remaining time. Lighting is dim so be sure to look closely for any clues that might be hiding in plain sight! What was ordered: - All games are by private party and they charge per person with a maximum of 8 people. Reservations must be made ahead of time. We did Chapter 1: The Bunker and came back for Chapter 2: The Hive. Yay/Nay/Meh: Yay. Wow, this was a very cool experience. The staff members were super friendly and totally into their character. There were a few jump scares in Chapter 1 which we did not expect. It's a very immersive experience. But we were able to survive and escape in time! Chapter 2 was a bit more difficult because there were a lot more clues to deal with at once but we made it out too! Yay!! Super friendly staff members. Looking forward to the final Chapter. Credit cards are accepted and were reserved online. read more

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THANK YOU BUNKER EXPERIENCE!!! I never leave reviews but I had so much fun I just felt like I had to share. My fiancé, brothers and I were looking for something fun to do and last minute decided to come check out The Bunker Experience. What a great decision! This truly is an experience with a fun 'escape room' component. The story, LIVE actors and props made us feel like we teleported straight into an apocalyptic video game. Left sweating with sore cheeks from smiling so much - couldn't have asked for more. Friendliest staff (when not time to be in character - they take it seriously and clearly enjoy what they do). Thanks again for creating a blast of a night for me and my family! read more

We did it. We nailed all 3 chapters of the Bunker Experience. Honestly, I wouldn't have picked any other place to have such a memorable experience with my group of friends. The theme of this activity was clever. You are literally in an enclosed area looking to solve puzzles and crack codes in order to escape by a certain time limit. The workers here are accommodating, knowledgeable, and very interactive with the groups. I cannot wait for chapter 4 to come out. Here's a cool fact. The Bunker Experience is located in an old bank building with some eerie myths and stories. It is also the oldest standing building in Pasadena. Do a Google search and you'll find out about its spooky past. read more

SO very much fun! Staff was great, made the whole experience rich. The rooms were very realistic. Game was challenging, and we escaped with only 1.5 minutes to spare! read more

Staff was amazing (The Bunker)! Very immersive! We elected to have optional jump scares. First time doing a room with this option, and it really elevated the experience. Appreciated having the initial option to include them or play without. Also, you can choose at any time to stop having the jump scares. The puzzles kept our group puzzling the entire time. We had a really great time and were talking about it after. We're looking forward to solving the next chapter! Again, the staff really makes this place great!! 10/10 read more

This joint is worth EVERY. FREAKING. PENNY! Easily the most detailed and thorough escape room I've experienced. They spare no expense in the build of the set, the costumes, and props. There aren't many actors, but the ones there are fully committed to their roles and are at times terrifying (the jump scare warning is REAL, y'all). My two friends and I just completed chapter 1 with 5 mins to spare (gotta pat our own shoulders for that feat, tyvm). We WILL be back for chapter 2. I will say the only qualm I had is that some of the props serve zero purposes...but it's up to you to figure out which ones! read more

The Bunker Experience - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

Brought my 17 year old for his birthday with his older siblings and the rest of our adventurous family. None of us had ever done an escape room before, and I accidentally signed us up for the hardest room (Chapter 3: The Gatekeeper). Thankfully they went easy on us and gave us LOTS of hints, but thanks to that (and our awesome teamwork) we made it out just in time! Everyone loved the experience and we were talking about it the rest of the night. Go! You won't regret it! read more

The Bunker Experience - Selfie with the Gatekeeper after our escape - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

GREAT experience. We had to miss our initial reservation due to our hotel messing up our reservation, but the people here were extremely accommodating and moved our appointment over instead of making us eat the payment, and wow was it worth it!! Our room had a live actor inside who remained in character the whole time (even while providing hints). He made the experience that much better for us. THANK YOU and we will be back !! read more

Our Sales & Services team went to the Bunker for some team building fun. Charlotte was fantastic helping us organize an event for 30 people, with great suggestion for food and helping make sure we knew when to arrive and what would happen when we got there. It was way more fun than I thought it would ever be. With everyone staying in character and teasing us and helping us along as we kind of flailed around to figure out all the clues. It was challenging and incredibly satisfying to figure things out. The team that put this together gets props for being very clever. 10 outta 10 thanks so much Bunker crew! read more

The group escaped with 3 second to spare! Great thanks to the NPC in the room very patience and helpful!! Providing all necessary guidances and hints to complete the task. Great team building and confidence booster! read more

The Bunker Experience - The escapee with the Gatekeeper!! - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

My son and I just did chapter 1. I highly, highly recommend this experience, we had a blast. I was sweating (not because of the temperature), we will definitely return for chapter 2. Go do this! I'm in my 50's so my eyes are not as good as they use to be in the dark (it's very dimly lit), so my son and I made a good team. They do provide you with an "apocalypse survivor" who can give you clues if you ask for it, and you will need them, it would be impossible to complete in the 50min without some kind of help. read more

Really challenging! As a group in our late thirties, we were looking for something that wasn't cheesy. We did the most difficult room- chapter 3. Someone said they haven't had a single group make it out of that room without clues and I can see why. We had a great time! read more

Oh I thoroughly enjoyed this. Immersive, challenging, and ridiculously fun. The actor was super good, too...keeping up the intensity and keeping the plot line moving, while delivering always in-character and hilariously entertaining (especially if you're way off course) cues during the course of the game. Absolutely worth your time. read more

The Bunker Experience - Made it! With 62 seconds to spare! - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

Our family had a great time at The Bunker Experience. We did a combo of Chapters 1 and 2. Our teens loved it. The live performers made it way more intense than other rooms we've been to. The immersive set adds suspense and gives it a legit Mad Max or Fallout feel. This place is a must for sci fi and futuristic horror fans. I recommend this place for group dates and family outings. We're definitely going back to do Chapter 3. read more

Amazing time here with friends and our friend's kids! It was fun, scary and a great time!! We were definitely stumped and needed some hints. Our guide / character guy was soooooo good. Highly recommend it. But be brave! read more

I enjoyed the Bunker Experience theme! It fits so perfectly because the location takes you downstairs into a real life bunker. The acting by the NPC was spot on and he provided helpful hints when my group asked. Website says there is a live actor included. However, sometimes, it felt like he was blocking our view of certain puzzles and on top of that, the environment is REALLY dark. Afterwards, perfect area to enjoy walking around Old Town Pasadena! Parking -- Street or parking structure! Restroom -- an escape room too haha read more

First escape room experience. Wow super impressed! Actors helpful and very "real". Everyone in our group was totally into it, definitely hooked, we will be back for chapter 2! read more

First time entering and experiencing an Escape Room. I must say that we had an amazing time! We booked Chapter 1 for our first time and we were told this is a level 4 out of 5 in difficulty. My girlfriend/partner and I decided to try this Chapter together, not thinking we would complete it but just to have the experience of trying. The staff was awesome! The bunker and setting was sooo realistic. It's as if you have been taken to a real underground bunker, you get closed in and have to figure out your mission. The staff was there to guide you along the way. They don't give you any answers, but their brief hints (if asked) do help guide you along the journey. My girlfriend/partner and I completed Chapter 1, with 3 min. 21 seconds to spare :) We were so happy with ourselves. We will definitely be returning for Chapter 2. I highly recommend this Bunker Experience. You won't be disappointed. It was incredibly difficult but not impossible. Give it a try! All staff deserves credit, but a special THANK YOU to Connor. Our Bunker buddy! You were FANTASTIC! read more

Very interesting escape room experience. I've done my fair share at other places and I have to say this one is different. The main difference is that it's more interactive, meaning there are actual actors that are playing a part in your escape room adventure. Now I will say that makes it somewhat harder in a sense because I, at least, didn't feel totally comfortable there with the actor in the room. It's hard throwing out crazy ideas about how to solve something when the guy who knows how to solve it is right there (basically you don't want to feel like an idiot lol). I will say we got some good scares out of this place, and they move you from area to area at a nice pace. We finished pretty early, and though we got some clues, I think the first room (which is what we did) is actually pretty simple. I would definitely go back to finish the other two rooms. They all continue from each other so I'm excited to see where the storyline leads. Stay Cheerful ;) read more

Escape room #10. We did the room with 2 people with 2 minutes to spare. This room has a sci-fi post apocalyptic theme. From the second you arrive, the experience will start and feel like a civilian in a hostile environment. You really feel like you're in a movie, as everyone you encounter will be in costume and character. The experience is not scary, but it places you in an urgent and desperate situation. You need to get the the safe bunker before the alien/other creatures come back to the civilization area. I forget the theme exactly, but you know these creatures are coming, and you have to keep moving. Don't forget to ask the game master for hints. I believe there are unlimited hints, but they do it in character and do it right. To me, about the 4th step in, the clue that we got didn't make that much sense because we were looking for something that wasn't really there. Not saying to break anything, but some obstacle needed more strength. Wow, it gets harder from there. Some puzzles in 2nd half were fun, and one was not that intuitive, but the many electronic distractions increased the difficulty. Think simple. There were so many objects and decoys which also made this hard. One lock is also frustrating, where if you enter the code wrong, it will set you back for 90 seconds. Difficulty: My take is that the puzzles are not that difficult. if you have experience with escape rooms, you should be ok. One challenge is not well designed which we would not have gotten it without the hints of our in room actor. Overall, it was a great experience. You can do this with a group of 2 or a group of 10. I think if your group exceeds 6, there will be people just standing around. read more

What an absolute blast of an experience! We were nervous going in because of the live actors but wow did it really make the experience! The actor who went in with us really made the experience immersive. He never broke character and was awesome at giving hints to us. We are so glad we did this escape room and hopefully we can go back to do the other two chapters! read more

The Bunker Experience - Escape Games Near Me - Pasadena, California

My boyfriend and I tried out this escape room one date night. We love escape rooms so we were eager to give it a go. So much fun! The live actor was great with the hints and staff was super friendly! We can't wait to come back for the next chapter! :) read more

I was so impressed with this place. The puzzles were excellent, made even better by keeping everything on-brand with the post-apocalyptic storyline. The actors were also so fun, making the whole thing feel immersive. I tried to make the guy who came in with us break character several times, like a Buckingham Palace guard. He passed the test. But the best aspect was how they adjusted on the fly to accommodate my ten year old. This was a real daddy/daughter outing, for my kid who loves puzzles and escape rooms. Clearly, part of the "Bunker" experience are the jump scares and the overall terrorizing atmosphere. The team was so happy to bring down the fright levels to the right amounts. Honestly, my kid thinks The Goonies is too scary to watch, just to give you some context. So none of the scariness took away from the puzzle solving. Highly recommend to anyone, but in particular to any parent of a precocious "tween" who wants to feel like they're doing something "adult." read more