Escape Room 60 (Williston) - "Spellbound!"

Updated: Jul 8

LOCATION:  Williston, Vermont, USA

Photo above is property of Escape Room 60

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Spellbound!
📅 DATE PLAYED: April 30, 2022
🎬 GENRE: Fantasy
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-12 ppl (Recommend 2-6 ppl)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins
💰 PRICE: $28.00/ pp ($99.00 Min)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

The evil wizard Orlock has stolen the Sphere of Souls and hidden it away. Worse yet, he has locked up your wizarding tutor and stolen his wand! You and your team have 60 minutes to find the wand, locate your friendly wizard, and reclaim the Sphere of Souls.

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

We went in expecting a Harry Potter themed room and were pleasantly surprised to find it was an original wizard's lair. The room was rich in decorations, providing a lot of fun and interesting materials to scan and process (and play with) initially.
Once we had explored the room it was clear where to start, and the puzzles unfolded in a logical, linear manner from there. Although there were quite a few locks, each one was different in terms of number of digits or letters, so it was always clear which solution went with which lock. We were lucky to have a fun, optional puzzle added in!! (Experienced players can inquire about this option). Beyond the locks, there were several tactile puzzles that were fun to explore.
Each item is used only once, so it's easy to keep track of what is and isn't in play at any time in the game. Pen, scratch paper, calculator, magnifying glass, etc. are all provided should you need them.
There is one specific eye-catching centerpiece that provides a sense of anticipation, and delivers a quality pay-off. There were also several times where we expected a specific outcome and appreciated that we were totally wrong!
Great for families and kids both, thanks to the fun decor as well as the relative challenge level of the puzzles.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

The linear nature and relatively small room area could make it less engaging for groups of 8 or more.
For fans of searching, there's not a huge amount to hunt up.
We had a lot of fun playing, but if you're looking for a high degree of difficulty, this room may not be for you.
Audio is required to solve a couple of the puzzles (non-dialogue, so very difficult to transcribe in any meaningful way), which would make the room difficult for hearing-impaired individuals.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

I think this room is fun for kids or groups of newer escapists, or for experienced puzzlers looking for a fun and breezy night out. We cruised through a lot of the puzzles and locks during our hint-free escape (two of us, often tackling puzzles cooperatively). A larger group of serious puzzlers unopposed to taking hints could cut 10+ minutes off that time. We thoroughly enjoyed our 52-minutes in this endearing, magical game.

🔎 HINT

Numerous times, I thought the shifting portrait was of Jean Valjean.

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Parking is plentiful as this game room is located in a four-sided plaza around a green area, with ample spaces on all four sides of the green.
There are also restaurants and a movie theater in the same plaza, making for a full and fun night out whether it is date night or a more social outing with a group of friends.
Escape Room 60 is clearly marked and easy to find.
We had the same great GM - Turner, that we had for our previous game - "Vermonsters"