Captured LV Escape Room (Allentown) - "Murder of '89"

Updated: Jun 7

LOCATION:  Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA

Photo above is property of Captured LV Escape Room

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Murder of 89
📅 DATE PLAYED: May 27, 2021
🎬 GENRE: Detective, Mystery
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-6 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins
💰 PRICE: $28.50/ pp (Min. of 4 ppl)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

The year is 1989 and there's been an unsolved murder! The victim was 18-year old Roxy Warner, a beautiful and popular senior in high school with a passion for journalism. The murder took place in her own bedroom where her body was found. Prior to the murder, Roxy discovered some secrets at school which began to make her feel unsafe and ultimately led to her demise. Although there's a police investigation underway, the parents of the victim strongly believe the evidence lies in her bedroom. That's where you and your team of private detectives come in...

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

We always love a classic whodunit murder mystery game. What's great about this storyline is all of the suspects that are being investigated. Was it the best friend, a counselor at school, the boyfriend, an arch-enemy, etc. This game is extremely story-driven with twists and turns that will slowly unravel as you discover more clues revealing the murderer and the murder weapon.
Since this game is about solving a murder mystery, the objective is not really to escape the room. This game was right up Cici's alley as she's a big fan of Criminal Minds and CSI type of TV shows and it really made her detective dream come true.
The set design was what you would expect from a teenage girls bedroom in 1989 - a bed, wardrobe, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, roller skates, dresses, posters, scrap albums, etc. It was amazing how authentic some of these props were and it bought back a lot of memories for us.
The puzzle designs were creatively implemented based on the props, the era and the room itself. We loved how Captured LV was able to incorporate evidence through puzzles. As we solved them, certain information would reveal. The physical tools to collect them nicely tied in with a solid "ah-ha" moment ending.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

One puzzle could be hard to detect and solve especially if there's a large group. I would be great if there could be a trigger in the room for the players to activate and reinvestigate it.
The way we gave the final answer felt less connected with the storyline as we didn't know who we're giving the answer to. Instead of voicing the answer to someone out loud, perhaps sending it in through some sort of device that could be given at the beginning of the game?

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

For those that are fans of "Clue" and other classic whodunit games, "Murder of 89" will definitely put you in the detective role. In this escape room, you'll have the opportunity to investigate the scene of the crime and analyze all of the data and evidence leading you to a final conclusion. Don't forget to check those wall posters and I'm pretty sure you'll find one of your teenage crush on there! (Full disclaimer: this last sentence was added by Cici).

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Merchandise is available for purchase in the lobby.
Free Parking lot right outside of the facility.
Lobby with seating available

Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

BOOK NOW

(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank Captured LV Escape Room for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.