The Escape Game (NYC) - "Playground"

Updated: Apr 27

LOCATION:  New York City, New York, USA

Photo above is property of The Escape Game

📝 ETR DECODER

🔑 GAME: Playground
📅 DATE PLAYED: September 16, 2020
🎬 GENRE: Fun, Adventure
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 4-12 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $41.99/ pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes

📖 THE STORY

School's out and Summer is here!! BUT... You're gonna need your final report card in order for you and your friends to leave for summer vacation! These final exams aren't like anything you've encountered before in class. You're in luck because you have friends that are here to help you to ace these finals!!

Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE

We first found out about "Playground" when we visited the Austin location to play "Gold Rush" and heard so many wonderful things about it. We were about to play it when The Escape Game New York City first opened up but decided on playing "Special Ops: Mysterious Market" instead since it was one of the few locations that had it (at the time). We finally had our chance to revisit the NYC location once they reopened (post-Covid) and it was so much fun. As soon as we stepped inside, we felt like kids inside of a classroom again. The decor was great and filled with props that contributed to the whole experience!
The set design not only captured what's inside a classroom but an outside playground too (I just wished it was bigger!)
The storyline was really unique and made the entire game entertaining throughout. The Escape Room company always manages to deliver a clever combination of both quality + quantity for those 60 minutes.
One of the physical aspect of the set design reminded us a bit of Gold Rush again and it's definitely one of the unique props we've encountered in escape rooms so far.
The puzzle challenges were fun to solve. We knew as soon as we walked in that there was going to be a lot to tackle so between the 2 of us, we hit the ground running. It was a great workout as I don't think we've sweat that much in a room before.

🧩 MISSED THE MARK

The music that was playing in the beginning definitely kept us in the zone and we were crushing it. After 15 minutes, the music just stopped and I think it also affected some functions of the room as well so for some puzzles we were not "alerted" when certain items opened.
Two puzzles in there were a bit confusing as it was expected to have an assumed knowledge of which direction to go.
Certain props will be a challenge for people physically so pending on what you are able to do physically, you might not be able to experience the game as a whole.

🏹 TAKE A SHOT?

If you've ever been in a playground when you were a kid and started to create your own scenario challenges and obstacles to overcome, this is the room for you! This brought me back to school during those the last few days before summer started, eager with anticipation. We had so much fun as the adventure just kept on going! It's great for kids but adult would probably enjoy it even more. Ideally, 3-4 people would be perfect for this room. Don’t waste too much time at the beginning as there’s a lot more to do moving forward. See you on the other side!

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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