Hatch Escapes - "The Nest"

LOCATION:  Los Angeles, California,USA

Photo above is property of Hatch Escapes

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Nest
📅 DATE PLAYED: April 28, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Introspective, Immersive Theater
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 1 ppl): 5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 1 (1-2 recommended; 14+ allowed with an adult)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $51.25-150/person (based on # of players and peak vs. off-peak booking times)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

You’ve won the bid on an unclaimed storage unit, and have come to get the keys and see what all treasures you may have just purchased…

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The set is excellently presented - starting as a more realistic but a bit absurdly narrow, overpacked storage unit, and later branching into some more dreamlike facets. You should be prepared for small spaces, and some bending/crawling by at least one of you. Despite the sheer volume of stuff, they do a nice job of delineating which components are more set dressing vs. those that you should be sure to investigate.
Storytelling takes center stage in "The Nest", primarily by means of cassette tapes that you find an play throughout the different areas (recorded since childhood by the previous owner of the storage unit). The voice acting is well done, and you have the space to really focus on the content of each tape. As her story develops, you are taken on quite the emotional journey. I appreciated the way in which the ending is open to interpretation, allowing you to view it in your own way.
The puzzles here are generally quite light, but worked smoothly for me. There was one unique task I got to complete as part of one that had the potential to go wrong (though they have a backup option in place), but was satisfying and something I’d not done in a room before!
At the end of the experience, you’re given a small moment to reflect on it and leave behind some thoughts of your own. This was an excellent opportunity to take a breath and do some initial processing before emerging back into reality, and it was also a lovely way to contribute to a sense of community with other players of the past and future.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

I was not fully prepared for the weight of some of the subjects touched upon, and these could make the room a very difficult experience for some. However, Hatch Escapes do a nice job of providing some more details on the topics on the website, if you check out the FAQs. So, this isn’t really a criticism of the game, so much as a heads up to players to be aware and consider if you want to look into those details before going.
While the experience is slated for up to 4 people, it feels like that would be too many - due both to some of the small spaces involved and to the emotional weight of the experience. It was a perfect one to do alone, but also could have been wonderful with Dave. Just be sure that you’re very close to (and emotionally open with) the other person if you go as a pair. It would have been nice to have shared the experience and be able to talk through and process a bit more after the fact.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

I’ve never had an experience quite like "The Nest"; while I wouldn’t use words like “fun” to describe it, it’s a beautiful, unique, and moving one that is well worth having as an adult. Though it does contain puzzles, at its heart it’s more of an immersive storytelling experience, and a very poignant one at that. There are some difficult subjects, so consider checking their site for more details if you like to be more aware of any potential triggers. While they have the means to check in and help move you along if needed, there’s no strict timer, and this is definitely a game to savor. I’ll admit we don’t always stop to fully hear narratives in some rooms, but - here - the narrative is the root of the experience. Whether you go solo or with a loved one, give yourself permission to sink into the narrative and some downtime afterwards to process

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Be sure to allow sufficient time to find nearby street parking. While I felt totally comfortable on arrival, I did feel slightly nervous as a woman walking alone back to my car after dark in the area, as there were not a lot of people around.
Hatch Escapes has a very comfortable waiting area, bathrooms available, free wi-fi, and games, books, and t-shirts for sale.

Photos above are property of Hatch Escapes

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(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 Hatch Escapes for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.