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.

This was such a fun escape room! When you first arrive there's a lounge room to wait in, pick out…read moresome costumes if you want, and there's a mini "warm-up" puzzle. Then, they take you into the escape room where there's some cubbies to store your personal belongings. There is only one escape room here and it's called Sal's Cybernetics and is for 2-6 people. The theme was really immersive and there were some really cool puzzles to solve! The staff increases the difficultly based on the teams progress so we got the hard version and solved everything in 42 minutes.

amazing time running about and working together. We had a…read moregreat time working out clues and taking great pictures!'

Super fun team building exercise for our tech company, would 10 out of 10 recommend…read more Price was right for the Phoenix area, again can't recommend enough. Staff was nice, tasks were in depth, but not too complex to where it wasn't fun.

AMAZINNNNNGGGG!!!!!! This is a multi-room place you can go and bring your friends for fun…read moreactivities. The rooms range from activities that have strength, brain teasers, teamwork, and more. It's such a great bonding opportunity and allows you to have fun with whoever you bring with phones down. Parking is NO issue at all at this location. They have so many spots available given the strip outlet location it's in. I do recommend not wearing any thick or heavy clothes and bringing as little items as possible, because you will be moving A LOT and sweating will be your enemy. They have a bar and restaurant as well, but we didn't get a chance to go. Definitely will be back, and next time need to go for 4 hours! I think we did 2 hours and it didn't feel like enough time.

We went to Bam Kazam on a Saturday at around 8 PM. There were 4 of us total, 2 have been there…read morebefore, but this was my first time. The premise is similar to an escape room, but there are several themed, interactive rooms that you try to progress through. Each room has a 3 minute time limit and if you pass the first challenge, a door opens to another room. Each themed room has 3 challenges total. We all had a lot of fun working together as a team. The rooms are hard to complete (at least for us lol) and some of the rooms required more physical ability. There are employees there to help you as requested, which helps if you get stuck on what you're supposed to do. The rooms are well put together, theme-wise, which adds to the experience of the challenges. There were a lot of people there, which meant a long waiting time. I feel as though we did more waiting than we did inside the rooms. Although, it didn't help that several rooms broke or weren't functioning correctly throughout the night. There's also a bar in the back where you can grab drinks and food, if you so choose. I would recommend waiting until after the experience since you have a 2 hour time limit. Overall, Bam Kazam is a unique activity to get a group of friends or family together for a night of fun and challenges! I would definitely go back again, but perhaps on a weekday or a time that would be less busy.

This concept is unlike anything I have seen or heard of! It's such a unique way to blow off some…read moresteam and help you release the negative/stressful energy you deal with on the daily. Feel free to bring items that you want to destroy, or choose from their supply. You even get to choose a song to break stuff to! I chose "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit, naturally. Next time I will probably choose a crazy dubstep song with lots of screeching, just to set the mood. Also love the fact that it is mobile and can travel to YOU...genius I tell ya. Insanity AZ is a place you can smash your feels...the right way!

If I could give zero stars, I would. I had spoken with the owner and scheduled a time for them to…read morecome to a work team building event. They called the morning of and said their van broke down and asked if we could reschedule. We rescheduled for 2 weeks later and they didn't show up! My entire team was excited for the event. What poor customer service!

Had a great time at Game Show Battle Rooms in Phx/Chandler…read more Carmen and Will were wonderful. They kept our group energized and we all had fun. I recommend Game Show Battle Rooms for your events.

We booked this for my husband's 40th birthday! This is our 3rd time hosting a family event here!…read moreIt's our go-to for adult birthday parties in our family! The adults in our party loved getting the chance to act like kids and our teenagers thought it was so cool! Even grandma had a blast! We have made some incredible memories here! Our host was so fun and full of energy! He really got our entire family laughing and fully engaged the entire time! The games were so fun! Everyone got a chance to play and participate the whole time! I highly recommend this place!

Amazing super fun take on escape rooms! I have never heard of something like this and Charlie our…read moreguide was super funny and amazing with me and my girlfriend! Overall would go again and recommend to anyone!

My group and I from work had a great time doing this. We did the puzzle ride and it was tons of…read morefun. Nice to work together to solve some riddles. Cruising around Old town Scottsdale on a nice clear day is hard to beat. I would definitely do this again.

This was our first time here, and my uncle was visiting from Texas, so we thought it would be a fun…read moreplace to check out together. We had an absolute blast! The axe throwing was so much fun, and I'd highly recommend giving it a try. A huge shoutout to our instructor, Alex, who did an awesome job teaching us the proper technique and made the whole experience even better. Even with his great instruction, I think I only managed to hit the target about 5 out of 50 throws (haha), but that just made it more entertaining! We were laughing the whole time. If you're looking for something different, fun, and memorable to do with friends or family, this is definitely the place to go. We'll absolutely be back!

Haley, sorry if I spelled it wrong, but she is a Rockstar!! She was responsible for taking care of…read moreeveryone there, preparing the food, serving the drinks, checking people in, and training for the axe and knife throwing. Here is what I liked about it: There was no age requirement for Axe and Knife throwing so my 10yo god daughter was able to enjoy something new and different. A lot of places have age restrictions. It was not packed so we were not rushed out and even given a little extra time. They have a pool league. Since they have a very limited menu they allow you to bring in your own food, not alcohol. We got Dickys BBQ but also ordered the chicken tenders and fries here. Plenty of parking It's very neat and clean inside Haley was amazing If you come here and Order food place your order as soon as you get in they air fry everything for a healthier option so it takes a little longer. 45 min and Haley told us that ahead of time so we knew what to expect. But once we got everything it was cooked to perfection! We had chicken tenders, fries and churros. This is a hidden gem, been here almost 10 years, next to RTO Sullivan's and a few restaurants in the area. They are doing construction as some businesses next to them closed down. Hidden in the corner this is a great place for family hangout, dates, girls night out, or just to come practice pool. We will definitely be back!

Brandon and his team at Office Recess are terrific! We hired them for our year-end corporate team…read moreevent last week, turned out even better than we expected, and all of our colleagues kept telling us that we should do this again next year (planning on it) and loved it. From the start, Brandon was responsive, clear and thorough, thought of things we didn't (aaaaaand that's why we hired him/them, because we wanted to enjoy our event and not have to work as much during it), and they just made it more fun and exciting than we ever could have. We opted for the "Field Day" package which was perfect for our group, and Brandon listened to our input and made appropriate game selections for our team and even those who said they "may come, but not play" - were playing lol. Thanks again Brandon & Team, see you again soon!

I wish I worked locally b/c I'd definitely advocate using Office Recess for a team bonding and/or…read morebuilding event. All the activities were fun and engaging for kids and adults alike. Just silly enough to get everyone chuckling but not so much that you're concerned about embarrassing yourself.

What an AWESOME family experience at Taroko! We came as a…read morefamily of six, with ages ranging from 10 to 40, and EVERYONE had an incredible time! From the batting cages, to pitching, to the arcade games, and to food and drinks there was something for everyone. We laughed, competed, played, and made some great family memories. But what REALLY stood out was the customer service from Tallon (sorry if I butchered your name)! He was absolutely fantastic! He continuously checked on us throughout our visit to make sure we had everything we needed and were enjoying ourselves. What impressed us even more was how attentive he was to all the other customers too. You could tell he genuinely cared about making sure everyone was having a great experience. That kind of customer service is RARE and deserves to be recognized! Tallon truly went above and beyond and made our visit a great experience! THANK YOU!

Visited Taroko Sports last night with my husband and two kids (5 and 7). We came across their Yelp…read morepage and knew we had to pay a visit during our mini vacay in Scottsdale / Mesa. Our son is a baseball fanatic and we knew he would have a blast here. As a pitcher, he LOVED the pitching cage. The cage measures your pitch speed and also scores based on your accuracy. What a fun concept. In addition, there are a good amount of batting cages. Each cage is equipped with different sized bats and a helmet. You may also bring your own gear as well. There are softball and baseball cages and speeds of 50 - 80 MPH. We all had a fun time practicing our swings with the virtual pitcher. * Note: Batting cage for left handed hitters is cage 9. There are basketball games in the back along with bowling lanes and arcade games in the facility. Our 5 year old loved the driving games. We couldn't believe the great deal that they have. For $64.99, you can get 90 minutes of unlimited free play for 4 people with a pizza and choice of drink. Yes, UNLIMITED. It was a perfect choice for our family of four. The customer service was top notch and very informative / detailed. Huge thanks and props to Talon for all of his help and ensuring that we enjoyed our time at Taroko!! He was so great and so patient for answering our many questions. Taroko will definitely be a regular stop for us when we are in AZ. It is a perfect spot for tons of family fun for all ages. We cannot wait to come back!!

What a blast! This spin art spot is pure family fun -- the kind of place where you can let loose,…read moreget a little messy, and walk away with something beautiful to show for it. They provide everything you need to unleash your creativity: paint guns, splatter brushes, and a rainbow of colors ready for action. We had so much fun spraying, splattering, and laughing together while making our own masterpieces. It's messy in the best way -- the kind of place where memories are made as much as art. Perfect for families looking for a hands-on, colorful adventure that everyone will talk about long after leaving. Can't wait to come back and do it all over again!

My husband brought me here for a date last week and it was a lot of fun. We did the spin art room…read moreand it was my first time. They give you all the protective gear which is great because it's super messy. The stations have paint and popsicle sticks for mixing paint. I was wishing there were more items to paint/drag with like brushes or palette knives. The employees were cheerful and and helpful. They have an ingenious way to pack up wet canvases that ensured they got home safely with no mess. Definitely a fun activity!