Escape Room Herndon - "The Graverobber's Dilemma"

Updated: Jun 8

LOCATION:  Herndon, Virginia, USA

Photo above is property of Escape Room Herndon

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Graverobber's Dilemma
📅 DATE PLAYED: November 8, 2021
🎬 GENRE: Horror, Mystery
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6.5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-7 ppl (Recommend Ages 13+)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins
💰 PRICE: $28-39 /pp (pending on group size)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

There's a gravesite where you and your crew believe a body possessing a very large diamond was recently buried. In an attempt to dig up the precious gem, you discover that you're too late! Someone has already stolen it and the thief replaced it with a box containing an address. It appears to be some kind of game that this culprit is playing. You arrive at what appears to be a cabin filled with taxidermy...Do you have what it takes to find the diamond or will you become part of this taxidermist's collection??

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

Don't be fooled by the title of the game. What starts off as a simple diamond heist planned by a crew of graverobbers, turns into a deadly game! There were so many twists and turns along the way the help built up to that final climactic ending.
We can always count on Escape Room Herndon to deliver a quality set design. From the fireplace to the bear skin rug, we completely forgot that we were inside of an escape room. There was also so much attention to detail between the taxidermy to the "collectors" items discovered throughout the game.
The creator utilized amazing light and sound effects to create "wow" moments throughout the game. We especially liked the "change in scenery" at one point during the game since we didn't expect that type of drastic change.
The utilization of spaces for puzzles was really clever. There was a point in the game when we said: "Really? We have to go in there? No way!"
Since the jump scares are manually triggered, it always got us at the right moments (well...more Cici than me).

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

There was one wording issue on a cluing which confused us when we're trying to come up with the solution but the owner took our feedback and changed it right away after the game. One other puzzle we noticed in the room that was a bit finicky was a maze puzzle that the owner is going to replace eventually. This is another reason why Escape Room Herndon is one of our favorite escape rooms as the owner truly cares about optimizing the player's experience by taking in their feedback and making the games better whenever possible.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

We first heard about Escape Room Herndon back in 2019 and everyone recommended us to go play "8-Bit Escape". Obviously, it blew our minds and easily became one of the most memorable escape room experiences that we've ever had. Since, then we've been back (2) more times - (1) to live-stream our gameplay of "Room 213" for our new series - "Escape Down Memory Lane" and to play "Magician's Workshop", (2) to play their newest game - "The Graverobber's Dilemma". We keep coming back to Herndon, VA because they never disappoint (even if it is a 4 hour trip for us) and we can always expect an incredible time! Plus, who can resist yummy Thai food? Be sure to check out "Nunu's Thai Dishes" next door!

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Free parking lot outside facility
Merchandise available for purchase
Lounge area with plenty of seating available

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

Check out our YouTube video for a sneak peek of the location, an interview with the owner, the room(s) (no puzzle spoilers) and more:

Video 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 Escape Room Herndon for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.