For most of us, the last time we were shut into a room with few chances to escape was when mom ordered us to go to our rooms until we could learn to behave again. Now, people are paying good money to be locked into a room in hopes that they can find an escape before anybody else can.
New to Michigan’s Great Southwest is the Quest Escape Room. It’s a pretty simple looking block building across from the Mark III Restaurant at the Scottdale Crossroads of Royalton Township, and one would think that “escaping” from that building would be a veritable piece of cake.
However, the reality is that Escape Rooms are more than searching for a hidden door handle, trap door in the floor, or which candle on the mantle triggers the wall to spin open to a secret staircase.
Quest Escape Room, now open in the former BJ Sports Building at 4298 Niles Road, in St. Joseph, is designed for groups of 2 to 5 players to test their teamwork, critical thinking, and logic skills according to the organization’s website, which is still under construction.
At Quest Escape Rooms, essentially you and your group are shut into a room for 60-minutes to solve a mystery. In order to solve things, you’ll need to rely on teamwork and quick thinking to find the solutions to the rooms puzzles.
The new adventure is, according to the website, “More than just an opportunity to solve puzzles and spend time with friends and family – it is a hands-on puzzle adventure.” They point out that the new opportunity is an excellent concept for anything from parties to team-building exercises and an afternoon of entertainment.
Each of several Escape Rooms is centered on a unique theme with a full story and puzzles designed for that specific room.
By way of example, the St. Joseph center is opening with an Escape Room called “Spies Like You,” wherein players have just 60-minutes to hack the systems of Dr. Dergun, “the world’s most heinous pharmacist.” You and your team, playing the roles of a small cleaning crew, end up being locked into the evil mastermind’s office and you have to hack his systems to escape or “the world is doomed.”
The new Quest Escape Room requires reservations in advance, and the first rooms available were booking for sessions beginning at 3pm, tomorrow, Monday, December 26th, however, the first day is already fully booked according to the website, so your next chance is for Tuesday the 27th.
Cell phones and/or recording devices are not allowed in the rooms, and – for the record – you are not actually locked in the room. In fact, you are welcome to leave at any time for emergencies, however any player leaving the room prompts an alarm and immediate loss of the game.
The new center is designed for ages 12 and up, however a room for younger kids is also underway.
Pricing begins at $30 per person, and there are no special skills or knowledge required in order to play. The concept is not one designed to frighten or scare participants, and if you and your team fail, you can always try again on another occasion.
If you happen to get stymied by the puzzles, you can request up to four clues during the course of the game, after which you are completely on your own.
You can book a room for play directly from the company’s website at the link below. You can also reach them by phone at 269-281-4867. The Quest Escape Room experience is open 7-days a week from 3pm until 11pm.
Here’s the link: www.questescaperooms.com.
