Here you will find escape rooms in Los Angeles that include live actors. The characters may be placed in the game to scare you or to increase the immersion, make the game challenging or be your guide - either way, prepare for an unusual and memorable hour!
Latest reviews of escape rooms in Los Angeles with actors
First time doing an escape room. My friends and I had a great time! Definitely volunteer when asked.
Clifford D. Barnes
Don't be fooled by all the 5 star reviews!!!
Just finished the Zombie Lab tonight and let me begin by saying, the pervious reviews hyped the room so much, but when we got there it was a big dissapointment. I am an escape room enthusiast and this was my 19th room. I would rank it 18th out of 19 rooms. (Spoiler Free Review)
Parking/Lobby:
First off parking is hard to find but I suggest trying to find it on the street or at the lot at 11th and Olive. If you pass by that it will take to about 10 minutes to circle back around due to the one way streets and traffic.
When we got there the host was by the door which was very nice because we were slightly unsure where to go. We entered and were told that there were going to be 6 other people in the room with us (randoms). The lobby was nice; theres a bathroom, lockers, and a bunch of comic books that are for sale. After waiting a few minutes we were shown the safety video, told the backstory of the room and then walked to the room.
The Room:
Our first impression for the room was that it was fairly bland and lacking in decor. We got through the room fairly quick but we escape with 8 min to spare because we got hung up on a puzzle and because one of our locks was being finicky (The Game Master(GM) had to come in and help us with it since we had the correct combination in it and it still wasn't working). This room is a Gen 1 room, meaning the there is no technology puzzles in the room, just combos, locks and keys. The Zombie aspect of the room was one of the most hyped in the reviews but when we experienced it was sub par. The whole "encounter" is probably about 3-5 minutes since the zombie ends up leaving through the door (which didn't make sense in the plot line). I had thought that the zombie would be super scary and be with us until the end of the game but I was wrong. The actor playing the zombie did a good job for the time that they were in the room, I just wish they would have stayed in the room instead of leaving.
The Hint System:
You get 3 hints in this room, if you so close to take them. The are offered at the 30min mark, 15 min mark and 10 minutes mark (if i'm remembering correctly). During these time checks the GM would open the door and say "The doctor will see you in ___ minutes." I did not like that form of hints/ time checks at all, it really takes you out of the zone and pulls you out of the game mode. I think it would be so much better if they either had a screen with the clues and timer on it or a simple walkie talkie system.
The Staff:
Our GM was very friendly and courteous. She helped us get settled in and described the rooms to us very well. I did not like however that when you call the companies number with a question to ask, that no one picks up and it goes straight to a recorded message.
Overall:
I give this room 3 out of 5 stars because I felt like they could do so much more. The decor in the room was lacking and I honestly feel as though most of the room was wasted space. There were such few actual puzzles to solve in the room and the atmosphere in the room could have been better. The actor should stay in there room for longer, even stay the until the group escapes as that would add a element of rush and fear to the game. The hint system needs to be improved. Honestly, a $30 pack of walkie talkies would be sufficient enough because without it, every time you need a hint you're taken away from the game and brought back into "reality". I would only recommend this place to people who have never done an escape room before. After doing so many I just wasn't very impressed with this one. I'm hoping that their other rooms will be better. For the price though (we used Groupon) I would like to try to come back and escape there hardest room (The Office).
Kayla
I myself have done about 40+ rooms and I brought my friends after hearing about this place on multiple occasions from other people. The people I brought had mixed experience, one had done more than 20 and the other 2 have done about 4-6. That being said we all felt the same way (especially since we like to unwind and talk about the experience after and everybody gets to chime in about what they liked and what they didn't like.) Everyone agreed that this place keeps you on your toes! We L O V E D the puzzles and the added suspense only made the win that much better. If your a major scaredy cat, i still recommend this room, the scare factor is there but especially with a large group it wouldn't be unbearable. Our only complaint was that they didn't have a 2nd experience which one of the staff mentioned that the story line continues! It would've been awesome if their second room was open because we felt like trying our hand at another one of Isaac's (the killer) traps. I am definitely coming back to do the next room and I know I won't be disappointed. CHECK THIS PLACE OUT!
Jane
My group and I have done around 15+ escape rooms, and we all agreed that The Cromwell Estate "Den" game is one of the best rooms we've ever done.
The room is decorated in a manner that provides an eerie atmosphere which is relevant to the theme; while not being overly tacky or distracting.
The puzzles were logical; they were challenging but possible. The difficulty of the room is perfectly balanced with the horror/scare element.
I would highly recommend Cromwell Estate to everyone interested in escape rooms and is able to handle some scares. We had a great time and are looking forward to playing their next room.
Matthew
One of the best experiences so far. The production value is incredible. It really looks and feels like you are in a creepy house in the woods. The story unfolds as you go deeper into the room. The little surprises keep you on edge and make you want to finish the room quickly. I was completely immersed in this game. I really felt like I needed to get out of there!
The puzzles are lovely. Absolutely lovely. These are video game level puzzles. I liked how mostly everything in the room is utilized for a puzzle and you have to go back to things that you previously looked at to finish a puzzle. I really just loved walking around the room and admiring how everything was so well done.
The customer service is outstanding. Ethan is a charming dude and was very friendly to all of us. After we escaped the room he talked to us about all of the things in the room. He asked if we did escape rooms a lot and when he find out we are escape room addicts, we talked for about 15 minutes about all of the other escape rooms.
We escaped the room without any hints. It was fun and I easily give it a 10/10. I cannot wait for the next room to open up!
Ian
Such a fun escape room! We didn't make it out sadly, it was our first time doing one. It felt so real like you were actually in a home. The game itself was pretty difficult, not as easy as we expected it to be! We also only played with 4 players. We will definitely return and make it out next time! Thanks for having such an awesome escape room!
