Escape Room LA: The Alchemist
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Negatives
Bottom Line
A beautifully crafted and exceptionally fun room where you must thwart the Alchemist’s plan and escape his lair.
Posted
December 21, 2015 by KC
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I’ve said this before about other rooms and I’ll probably say it again at some point, but THIS room is my new favorite of all time. And no, it’s not just because we escaped and also happened to set a new record time. Granted, that definitely added to the entire experience.
The Alchemist, located at Escape Room LA, is the 4th room I’ve done at this location, and yes I still have to write the reviews for The Detective, The Cavern, and The Theater. Though you can hear me talk about the first in an incredibly awesome podcast by G.O. (Get Outside).
The website describes The Alchemist with the following blurb:
“An ancient library leads you through a secret passage and into a medieval alchemist’s mysterious lab. You must escape before the alchemist returns, but the only way out is to uncover and unite the four lost elements, releasing the hidden powers of the mystical Philosopher’s Stone.Will you succeed?”
When we first entered my group was absolutely blown away by the visuals in this room. You’re greeted by an area that actually looks like an Alchemists lair. From quality wooden furniture, to book cases, to tapestries and inlaid motifs every nook cranny and corner sells the story the room is telling and you’ve been transported into another world.
The puzzles themselves did not disappoint and have some of the strongest logic I’ve encountered. They’re tricky at times don’t get me wrong, but they use sound reasoning and principles. There were also some new puzzle types I’ve never seen before so if you’re a puzzle room addict like me be ready for some new challenges and fun surprises! My last thought on the puzzles is that I really liked how larger groups could divide and conquer in this room, in fact the one major tip I’d give for this room is to split into smaller groups and work on different things. That being said, don’t be afraid to ask for help from your various little pods of people, new eyes really help if you get stuck on something.
Another thing I love about this location is that they always have an actor in the room with you. In general they’re there to make sure you don’t break the stuff in the room or gently nudge you if you’ve managed to figure something out without using a clue. I really appreciate this since sometimes you are smart enough to bypass clues and if those actors weren’t there you’d end up burning time on something you didn’t need anymore. They also give you very subtle hints if you need them but it’s never more than something like, “What else was in the box?” or a, “I’d double check your work if I were you.” You can also ask them not to give hints at all if you want to go the hard core route.
We ended up booking this room on the very day it opened, which was SO COOL. We were the 5th group to play it and the 3rd group to have escaped. We also set the new time to beat at 57m 02s. Because it was opening day we had the honor of the man who designed the room being in there with us. He watched us play, laughed at our antics, pointed us in the right direction once or twice and we also got to tell him how much we truly loved his room. I hope this review finds its way to him because I sincerely enjoyed every aspect of this experience.
In general Escape Room LA is one of those places that’s setting a new standard for escape rooms. It’s easily on the same level as the rooms I’ve done at Room Escape Los Angeles, which is also in my top favorites. The biggest difference is the place where I did The Alchemist puts the puzzles a little more front and center. You walk in and it’s a puzzle extravaganza, you’ve been transported to some incredible place where this is how you live and breathe. For my other favorite spot where I did the Cold War Bunker it’s more like you’re walking into a real world location. The puzzles blend in a little more and are made to look a bit more organic to the room. I honestly don’t feel one is a better approach than the other, it’s just the only key difference I can really note.
At the end of the day if you’re trying to decide to do a room at Escape Room LA do the Alchemist, hands down. If it’s all sold out, do The Cavern instead. They’re actually designed by the same guy, so you’re in for a treat and an awesome time either way.
Learn more about The Alchemist and other rooms by Escape Room LA: escaperoomla.com
Puzzle Types: WARNING POTENTIAL SPOILERS highlight the text in the black box below to view.
Lock and Key, Combination Locks (word and number), Hidden Objects, Number Puzzles, Scent Puzzles, Weight Puzzles, Ciphers, Lasers, Riddles, Word Scrambles, Pattern Recognition
