THE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience - "THE COURTYARD"

LOCATION:  Sylmar, California, USA

Photo above is property of THE BASEMENT - A Live Escape Room Experience

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: The Courtyard
📅 DATE PLAYED: April 23, 2024
🎬 GENRE: Horror
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 4 ppl): 6/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 1-8 ppl (ages 12+)
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 45 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $38.00 - $42.00/ pp (Min. 2-4 ppl required. depending on day of the week)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

You'll learn more about Edward Tandy as you work through their rooms - suffice to say, he had a very difficult and dark upbringing by a single mom with a penchant for cruelty and a tendency to practice taxidermy on the family pets. At this point in the story, you've escaped the basement in which Edward had imprisoned you, survived the elevator shaft, and made your way through the study. You're on the verge of freedom! You just have to get out to the porch, through the courtyard, and escape through the gate! If only it was as easy as it sounds…

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

The creep factor is in full effect from the moment you enter the room. It's dark and there are strange noises coming from…somewhere! Focusing is going to be tricky.
The courtyard itself is surprisingly large and has some impressive set pieces - properly dilapidated, of course.
There are a couple of opportunities for members of your crew to push themselves and embrace the fear.
The live actor interactions are high quality, adding a fresh and unpredictable element to the room. They are also skilled at improvisation, allowing your group to play and adding an extra dimension to the experience. They are on your side!
There was one unique puzzle that did a wonderful job blending the improv skills of the live actor with the solve, adding both realism and entertainment, as well as pressure to succeed!
The horror (including mild jump scares) is atmospheric and fully incorporated into the story, rather than simple gratuitous gore or screaming for little reason. This helped to make it a room that even Krista, who is not a horror fan, could enjoy and appreciate.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

Dim, sepia toned lighting made a color-based puzzle needlessly difficult.
While not relevant for our group of 3, the start of the game could be cramped for larger groups, before the world expands into the expansive courtyard.
Reveals weren't always telegraphed, resulting in occasional confusion as to whether something had happened or not.
There were a few instructions that implied a couple of things needed to be done that weren't actually doable. Don’t stress about fully accomplishing these.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

If you want to try an atmospheric horror room without getting grabbed, screamed at, and covered with blood, this is a great room to tackle! This is considered to be one of The Basement’s less scary experiences, but it still delivers on the creep atmosphere, some scares, and a satisfying conclusion - if you are able to escape Edward's clutches! It can please a crowd or a smaller group. Whether you want to play mad scientist, squeeze yourself into dark spaces, or have fun playacting with the live actor, this room has something for you.

ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO

Free parking available right in front of the building, which was easy to find, just next door to the adult store.
The entrance itself is right on theme! The lobby has a number of fun touches, like the subtly detailed numbers on the lockers, a bloody mannequin, and story-specific decorations to flesh out the backstory.
They have merch available, as well as drinks. All four of their rooms comprise a single, larger adventure, so they have some background info to introduce you to a couple of the main characters.
To facilitate this, they have special immersive experience packages for playing all four in one day! However, you don't have to play them in order (we played the fourth chapter, and then the second), as each room stands on its own as an experience and no knowledge of the other rooms is needed to be successful.
Even the GMs have a slightly peculiar, yet welcoming, nature. The owners and GMs were kind and generous about reassuring us that the goal is to have fun, not to terrify everyone.
There are panic buttons in each area if someone is overwhelmed, and they were happy to chat with us about points of concern ahead of time.
From start to finish you are in for a spooky experience with unexpected surprises lurking everywhere.

🔎 HINT

Some things are seen, but not heard. Others are heard, but not seen. Both have something to offer!

Photos above are 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 THE BASEMENT: A Live Escape Room Experience for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.