Exit2Escape: Quest For The Crown (Dublin, CA)

Excellent craftsmanship and unique props

"Exit2Escape" is East Bay's latest room, joining Omescape in Richmond and Limitless Escape in Livermore. Exit2Escape is family run by a woodcrafter, an interior designer and a math major who all chipped in their various skills to create "Quest For The Crown". We played this game in November 2017, just a few weeks after opening. From their site:

"You are the elder sibling born into a Royal family. It was your birthright to inherit the crown upon the King’s death, but an evil secret plan executed by your younger brother and some corrupt castle guards has left you exiled from the kingdom. The corrupt guards were given strict orders to kill you if you ever returned to the castle. When the King and Queen died, your tyrannical brother ran the kingdom into despair. Disgusted by the decline of a once-prosperous and peaceful land, you decide to risk your life to set things right. Disguised as a pauper, you’ve managed to make it back to the castle undetected, and with your knowledge of the secret passages within the castle walls, you’ve made it to the King’s study. In the next sixty minutes, you must now find proof of your birthright and escape undetected before the castle guards return."

Puzzles, Technology & Set Design

The puzzles were smart and a lot of the physical contraptions were custom built, demonstrating great craftsmanship and creativity. Multiple puzzles could also be solved in parallel which made it perfect for our group. Often, 10-player rooms have bottlenecks that leave people with not much to do but that was definitely not the case here. Not only was there a lot to do, there was also a unifying factor in each puzzle that brought the group together as the game progressed. There wasn't a lot of fancy tech but puzzles provided a strong sense of accomplishment when solved.

The decor was immersive and gave us the excitement of entering a medieval castle. Overall the room certainly had a "mom & pop" feel to it. While there were some elements that felt homemade, they were well executed and in a charming way that made us appreciate the time and effort that went into the creation of everything.

Memorable Moments 

The puzzles were complex enough that solving them gave us a rush of excitement and pride. Midway through the game, the team comes together to reveal the next step which is a great way to bring everyone back together.

Room For Improvement

Overall, everything was solid and if there was one thing that I had to come up with that would make this room better would perhaps be to add more grand reveals.

Overall Thoughts

With satisfying puzzles and great puzzle pieces, everyone had a great time at "Quest For The Crown". The entire group appreciated the creativity of the puzzles and the set pieces.

• Set design: Great
• Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
• Price: $30/person
• Number of players: 4-10, (we recommend 5-6), public
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★

See their website here: http://exit2escape.com

Winner of a 2017 Escape Rumors Achievement unlocked Medal for Most Creative Escape Room!