When we emerged from the room, a friendly, smiling employee was there to greet and congratulate us. It all worked out well and we figured out the room, not a guaranteed thing there. The employee was very sympathetic to our situation and instantly issued us a credit toward a next escape room encounter. And it isn’t a gimme-you still have to think it through! Our private party started as a 7, so I booked a closed group (with 6 or more participants, this is an option), but due to winter flus and teenage lassitude, we were down to 4 on the reservation day. All people in the party must signal agreement to being given said clue before it is shared (smart plan!) and then a clue comes on a tv screen in the room. There is an option there, if you find yourself stumped, to ask for up to three clues. Since we are life-long gamers, we opted for the intermediate Copper Saloon room and we LOVED it! The set up there was such a cool experience with the game master watching us problem solve. An escape room game may be a good activity for families on Halloween this year, or for any old time! My daughter didn’t talk us into attending an escape room session that day I mentioned earlier in the article, because many of them required a little more notice than “right away”, but my family and I will be choosing one to do very soon.This was our first time. Not to mention research supports the idea that many benefits arise from escape room activities such as: increased problem-solving skills, increased cooperation, increased communication, increased use of senses and fine motor skills, along with an increase in memory and concentration (, 2020). The small group sizes also work well in this time of a pandemic when it is recommended to stay in small groups. The elements of mystery, excitement, and maybe a little fear would make for a nice, spooky way to spend one’s time. I would imagine that an escape room situation could be regarded as a Halloween activity. The website states that they are taking safety precautions such as sanitizing each room after each visit, requiring masks, and offering gloves to participants. The cost is around $25-30 per person for each experience. Each of them have unique storylines and clues. The Ritual Room is in SW Portland, the Magician’s Menagerie is in NW Portland, and Malice Manor is in NE Portland. The offerings are in different locations in Portland. There are 7 different escapes that are usually offered, but currently, there are only three available 1) Malice Manor 2) Magician’s Menagerie and 3) Ritual Room. Mental Trap’s Facebook page states that there is currently a 20% off promo code: MT2020. Teams with 4-6 participants work together through Zoom to escape within the hour time limit. Currently, Mental Trap escape room games is offering a 60-minute virtual escape room experience that is hosted by an avatar! The imaginary setting is called “Hotel no Vacancy”. This business is located in Downtown Portland. I’m not sure what’s going on with the mini-golf and axe throwing, but the escape room is still operating in a virtual sense. In the pre-pandemic days, this company offered three adventures in one place 1) Mental Trap escape rooms 2) Wicked Axe Throwing and 3) Glowing Greens mini-golf. Escape Games PDX is located in NW Portland. The number of participants allowed vary between 2-12 depending on the escape. There are five different choices of “escapes” offered: Portlandia, Amnesia, Film Noir, Prison Heist, or Sherlock’s Secret. These guys are open with a very limited schedule for in-person games and also have virtual options. Players must have access to Zoom, Chrome, or Firefox. The Edith game is in a different format and is described as a mix of a video game, an escape room, and a great “who-done-it” story. The Boonabo farm is about working together, communication, and team work to complete the tasks in the least amount of time. I looked in the “frequently asked questions” and found that the two games are very different. “The Truth about Edith” is $80 for four players, “The Boonabo Farm” is $15 per player for 8-16 players. There are two choices: “The Truth About Edith” and “The Boonabo Farm”. This company prides itself on its unique virtual game experience. Below is a list of local and virtual suggestions. I looked into it and was surprised to see that while many are temporarily closed, there are still virtual escape room options in its place. Suddenly, my daughter suggested an escape room. We wanted to do something “Halloween’ish” but it was too rainy for the pumpkin patch, we had already been to the Halloween store, and we had already watched a ton of scary movies. My family and I were having a hard time trying to find an activity this past weekend.
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