Unlocked Escape Rooms: The Professor’s Basement
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Bottom Line
The Professor’s Basement offers an immersive experience with a fun plot, clever puzzles and a vibrantly colored landscape to race against the clock in.
Posted
November 13, 2016 by KC
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It’s always exciting to see new rooms open, especially in areas where there aren’t a ton of rooms to play already. Unlocked Escape Rooms is in Santa Clarita, which is further north than most rooms in Los Angeles County. It’s an easy drive from the I-5 freeway, and it’s got free parking, which is pretty sweet. When we arrived we headed to the second floor of a shopping complex and into a brightly lit and welcoming lobby. After some waiver signing and intros from two very friendly and enthusiastic owners we were ready to start The Professor’s Basement:
“Everyone knows about the house at the end of the street that the mysterious professor lives at but no one knows what it is he does. While you and your team were investigating, and snooping around, you wander inside to figure out what makes him so mysterious. You hear keys at the front door and as you hurry to the basement to hide, the door closes and locks you in. The professor is a mysterious man as you know, but you never knew he was hiding a secret this big. Get out quick before he comes downstairs and finds you!”
The look and feel of this room was top notch. It’s hard to write about it without giving too much away but when the game begins you no longer feel that you’re on the 2nd story of an office complex in Santa Clarita, CA. Instead you are in a basement, underground, trying to figure out the nefarious plot of the mysterious professor. The props were well constructed, the wall textures believable, and the furniture and other items all added to the experience. One thing to keep in mind is to not be afraid to pull hard on the combo locks, like most locks sometimes they require a harder tug. Also, a pro tip: Wear some clothes that look awesome under a black light.
This room is recommended for more experienced players, but at the same time don’t rely too much on previous experience to solve the puzzles. We didn’t escape because we were relying too much on lessons learned from different rooms. Be ready to think outside of the box and experience puzzles you haven’t done before. Even though we didn’t escape (we were 1 puzzle away, arg!) we still had a ton of fun playing with and solving all the different things. It takes an incredibly well put together escape room to be fun even when you lose.
Lastly, let’s talk enthusiasm. The people who made and run this room really care about the experience you have. They want you to win, they want you to have fun and they have an absolute blast watching how the game unfolds. With escape rooms popping up faster than you can blink there’s a bad trend of inexperienced or uninterested game masters running the show. You won’t find that at Unlocked Escape Rooms. The moment you walk in, they’re rooting for you.
So, is it worth the drive up to Santa Clarita if you live in or are visiting the Los Angeles area? Yes. The Professor’s Basement offers an immersive experience with a fun plot, clever puzzles and a vibrantly colored landscape to race against the clock in. You can book a room and learn more about Unlocked Escape Rooms here: www.unlockedescaperooms.com
Puzzle Types: WARNING POTENTIAL SPOILERS highlight the text in the black box below to view.
Lock and Key, Combination Locks, Logic Word Puzzles, Hidden Objects, Pattern Recognition, Black Light Puzzles
The Room Escapist was offered a free room in exchange for an honest review.
