Once Upon An Escape - "Once Upon A Time"

Updated: Apr 13

LOCATION:  Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Photo above is property of Once Upon An Escape

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Once Upon A Time
📅 DATE PLAYED: August 25, 2022
🎬 GENRE: Fairy Tale
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7.5/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-6 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 90 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $49/pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

You've been invited to the "Museum of Fairytales" to observe their beautiful artifacts collection. As you entered the museum, you realized that all the artifacts have been stolen? You suspect it must be that evil Rumplestiltskin. Will you be able to recover everything in time?

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

Instead of a normal introductory story by the GM or a TV, we rather enjoyed the unique way this room opened its scene.
All the props have been carefully handcrafted to feel "magical". Everything truly resembled things that we would have discovered inside a fairytale and the creator did a great job bringing them to life. Our favorite piece was the giant fairytale book that we unlocked, as it was a beautiful centerpiece that provided a clear indication on where to look for subtle clues if we got stuck.
The room was unique and clever in the sense that it combined various storylines into one big, giant fairytale!
There was a really creative way of utilizing a transportation device that got us into "another world".

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

There was a puzzle in the beginning that didn't provide confirmation sounds for inputs so we were confused as to if our thought process was on the right track or not.
One of the props that we used did not fit into the fairytale timeline. Maybe a different prop could be used to implement the same puzzle concept?
An item used on a clue was fainting, making it hard to read.
One of the props used for a puzzle felt out of place as to where the it could be used since the prop itself would not normally be utilized that way.
The last thing we had to do felt irrelevant to the story. It could have just ended with all the artifacts being in place and a conclusion to the mission (maybe with Rumplestiltskin making an appearance?).
If some music could be added to the adventure, it would be like sprinkling the "magical" dust to the room.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

Fairytales are my favorite escape room genre, making it a little bias for me in terms of the review. Being that this is a family business and everything is build in-house, they did a great job with paying attention to the details of the decorations and putting their own little touches on their version of the fairytales. Although we've seen a lot of puzzle concepts implemented in this room, it was great to relive them through a "mythical" way! For enthusiasts, you might not need the entire 90 minutes but there's plenty of puzzles in the room. If you are a big fairytale fan like me, you should put on your princess dress (optional but highly recommended) and go explore this enchanted world now!

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

Photo above is property of Once Upon An Escape

We also tried their 5 minute game - "Rumplestiltskin" which is described as their "Power Room - 5 Minutes, 5 Riddles for $5.00" on their website. There was about 4-5 puzzles and being that it was only 5 minutes long, it definitely pumped up our adrenaline before playing the other games. So if you need a warm up, this is a great way to do so!

**UPDATE: We regret to inform you that "Rumplestiltskin" is no longer available. However, Once Upon An Escape is preparing to release their new experience "Beauty and the Feast"!

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

ADDITIONAL INFO

Free parking lot right in front
Lobby area with seating available
Merchandise available for purchase
Can do parties using the lobby area

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