LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Photo above is property of Escape Factor
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge
📅 DATE PLAYED: November 27, 2022
🎬 GENRE: Game Show
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 PPL): 5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 3-9 ppl (Recommend 3-6 ppl)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins
💰 PRICE: $139.99 (3 ppl), $32.99-$34.99/ pp Above that
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
You can’t believe you’ve made it to the final round of the game show - this could be your chance to win big! But somehow things don’t go quite as planned…and you’ve got just 60 minutes to play all the games and set things right.
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
Live out your fantasies of being on a game show, with lots of your classic games (e.g., "Plinko") and elements, along with some you probably haven’t seen before! You might expect to see Bob Barker pop out at any minute. The games also brings a nice mix of puzzle types and a lot of tactile elements, as well as some more physical challenges. (Not physically strenuous though.) Having watched a lot of game shows as kids back in the 80’s, it was awesome to really feel like you were on the set of your own show and getting to be the actual contestants!
The playful theming and difficulty level make this a great room for families or less experienced players. Though we still had a blast! It would be a fun room for a birthday party for a group of precocious kids.
There are a lot of non-linear sections of gameplay so that people can be working on multiple puzzles at once. This is always particularly great for large groups, where extended linear sections can leave a lot of players unengaged.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
This room has a lot of locks, and it’s occasionally hard to know what codes/keys go where. We actually don’t mind lots of physical locks in circumstances where they make sense, like this vintage-style game show! However, trying codes and keys in multiple locks is less rewarding, so we love when it’s clear what should go where.
The GM is in the room with you the entire time, as your game show host. This would make it really easy to get hints, if needed, and there is a fun bit of an acting element at times! We felt like there was somewhat of a missed opportunity to further enhance this and take advantage of the GM’s presence to elevate the game with more human interaction elements. Though, this can be tricky, as it can require reading the group to see what level of interaction might be welcomed vs. distracting or annoying.
There’s a fun narrative surprise right at the start of the game, but otherwise no major reveals as you progress.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
"Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge" definitely delivered on the fun times. It is a light-hearted room that makes you feel like you really are a game show contestant, getting your 15 minutes of fame and a shot at the big money! While we enjoy a variety of kinds of rooms, we often wish there were more rooms that fell on the whimsical and silly end of the spectrum, and this one is right in that zone. It is also a very accessible room in terms of both difficulty and wheelchair-access, and one with plenty of opportunities to divide and conquer. So, if you’ve always dreamed of having your shot on The Price is Right or one of the other classics, it’s your turn to come on down!
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
The lobby/ waiting area where you check in and have your rules/intro also has lockers and seating. There also are bathrooms available. There is paid street parking available, or it is an easy 11 minute walk from the blue line. The lobby and games are all wheelchair-accessible.
Photo above is property of Escape Factor
(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 Escape Factor for providing us with a media discount for this game. Although a media discount was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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