HomeTown Escapes - "Shady Lady Saloon"

LOCATION:  Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

Photo above is property of HomeTown Escapes

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝  ETR DECODER

• 🔑 GAME: Shady Lady Saloon

• 📅 DATE PLAYED: September 25, 2024

• 🎬 GENRE: Western

• 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6/10

• 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-8 ppl

• 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.

• 💰 PRICE: $25.00/ pp (Min. 2 ppl) (Children ages 7 and under are free)

• ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private

• 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
  

📖 THE STORY

The owner of the Shady Lady Saloon is out of town, but she’s been alerted that the notorious Richardson Brothers are heading to Hometown Gulch and planning to rob her saloon! She’s counting on you to break into her beloved business first and save her gold…before they arrive in just one hour!

🎯  HIT THE BULLSEYE

• The puzzles were a big hit in this room! While we’ve certainly played more difficult rooms, the challenges here were highly thematic and cleanly designed (for the most part). There was a nice variety and several really fresh ones that were a pleasure to solve.

• Shady Lady Saloon does a fabulous job of giving you a bunch of classic “Western” experiences. I never realized those were fantasies I wanted to play out until they were lived out here. It’s just a good time.

• The sets are not super elaborate but do a very nice job of setting the scene, and everything is elevated by the use of a number of very authentic-seeming pieces that are very rewarding to interact with.

• While some folks love searching, we appreciated that it was more restrained here. And what there is was thoughtfully done and very much on theme! It is rare that we laugh out loud upon finding something hidden, but Shady Lady provided that experience.

🧩  MISSED THE MARK

• There were a couple of minor tech glitches that briefly slowed us down.

• One recently changed puzzle had a bit of an arbitrary solution; however, upon discussion with the manager, I believe this is likely to be updated soon (Update 10/9/2024: According to the owner, this has been fixed).

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

We had an absolute blast playing "Shady Lady Saloon". It’s an example of elevating a common escape room theme through great design that blends clean puzzles with other experiential moments to create a very immersive game and multiple "A-ha!" moments. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, so it’s perfect for anyone looking for a lighthearted, rollicking good time. While there’s enough there for enthusiasts, the supportive GMs and light tone would make it suitable for less experienced players as well. It was our clear favorite of the games we played at Hometown (though newly-released The Island has tons of potential) and an easy recommend for anyone passing through the Charlotte area.

ℹ️  ADDITIONAL INFO

• Free parking spots available in front.

• There is a small lobby, as well as an additional waiting area with seating.

• There are bathrooms, free lockers, and a water cooler available.

• They also have a small meeting room that can be rented out for birthday parties or other events.

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

#KristaJones #IRLEscapeRoom #EscapeRooms #HomeTownEscapes #Western #SouthCarolina #USA