Can You Escape?
It was a cold, overcast day recently, when a group of first-timers arrived at Escape This Live, at 1036 1st Avenue, in the heart of Uptown Columbus. They were not entirely certain what was in store for them as they climbed the stairs to the second floor of the building; but as they mounted the stairs, their excitement mounted, too. On the recommendation of a friend, who had fallen in love with escape room games in another city, they were eager to try a game in Columbus.
The first-timers had a general idea of what to expect. Escape This Live is an interactive adventure game that puts your wits and determination to the test as you discover clues, solve puzzles, unlock locks and escape the room before time runs out. Each room has a unique theme and story. You have 60 seconds. Can you escape alive?
The friends played “Asylum,” in which they are searching for a journalist who had gone to an abandoned insane asylum to uncover its dark past but had never returned (you know the horror movie set-up). With the backstory told and rules explained (no phones, don’t break things), the friends were sent into a dark room. Over the walkie-talkie, provided to each group of gamers, they were told to search along the wall for a flashlight. Once they found their only source of light, the group quickly went to work. They rummaged through desk drawers and searched around a gurney. They found documents detailing the treatment of a patient at the now-defunct asylum. They conversed, considered their clues, and there it was—the combination to the first lock.
For the next hour, the team dashed through the first and then second room of the game, discovering clues, decoding messages, and working together to escape. Several times, stumped, they used the radio to call for hints, which helped them on their progress. The voice on the radio called out their time, “thirty minutes remaining—fifteen minutes left—five minutes!”
The friends, racing madly to solve the next clue—and laughing, too, at their own eagerness—were fully immersed in the game when time was up. They hadn’t finished the room, which was normal for first-time players.
“It’s like a video game,” one of the friends told the staff who came to show them what they had missed. “That got really intense.”
“It was also really fun,” another friend added, and the group nodded in agreement.
Though this group was small, rooms can accommodate up to twelve players. Though the backstory to “Asylum” is creepy, it wasn’t scary at all. The general mood of adventure and discovery was apparent when staff showed the players what they missed and the players followed all of the reveals, laughing, reprimanding themselves for not noticing a detail, and congratulating each other for things they had discovered.
“You just get caught up in it, finding the clues, solving the puzzles,” one of the players said. While the rooms are geared towards adults, children 10 and up are welcomed with adult supervision.
This group, who wanted to do something fun together, found Escape This Live as a way to get out of the ugly weather. For parties, ETL is a unique way to get the blood pumping. As one of the friends suggested, the games are also perfect for team building.
“This sure beats trust falls,” one of the friends said. “We worked together. We each developed roles in the group, helped each other. I was kinda surprised what a solid team we made.”
ETL changes games regularly, so return guests will always have a new adventure awaiting them. When you’re ready to test your wits and have fun, whether for date night, with friends or as a company team, call (706) 221-7903 to schedule a game.