We’ve done a lot of escape rooms, and for the most part, they have a spooky theme: from serial killers coming to get us, to ghostly children waiting to take our souls away. But never have we ever experienced a Colonial themed one. That is, until this past weekend, when we checked out Escape Room Era’s Benjamin Franklin’s Invention Room.
The story is simple; it is the Revolutionary War and you are a member of the Secret Freemason Society. The British are coming, and it is up to you to find Franklin’s latest invention, use it against the British, and win the war. You have one hour to go through his things, find the device, and save the day.
Right off the bat, the unique theme drew us to the room, and it only got better from there. While the room itself isn’t as highly detailed as others you may find, quite frankly, it doesn’t even matter. The atmosphere that is set, and the puzzles themselves, make for a highly enjoyable experience.
Since the room is set during the colonial times, there is no electricity. So, instead of lights, there are candles everywhere to help guide the way. In addition to the many in the room itself, each person is given their own candle to help them see. Of course, they aren’t REAL candles, but the battery operated kind. However, it’s a nice touch that definitely adds to getting you into the story. Usually for most escape rooms, having low lighting is a detriment, making it much harder to read and accomplish your goals. However, this room makes perfect use of its candle lighting, and not once was it ever a problem. In fact, there are some pretty great light-based puzzles that were really clever, and added to it even more.
Speaking of the puzzles, they were all really well-done and incredibly thought out. However, what really stuck out for us was how closely tied to the overall theme they were. Sure, many rooms out there have a theme they are presented as, but many puzzles within them don’t really deal with the subject matter. However, I think it’s safe to say that about 75% of the puzzles within Benjamin Franklin’s Invention Room were directly tied to the man himself. David Watermeier, owner of Escape Room Era, was all too happy to help explain the significance of the ones we didn’t understand to us afterward. This really impressed us, and added another layer of historical accuracy to the proceedings that really brought us in further.
On top of that, we had six people altogether, and there was enough to do in the room to keep all of us occupied at the same time. And they were challenging, too! Not hard enough to not be able to figure out, of course, but a few took a lot of brain power to solve. We always enjoy that kind of thing!
For the puzzles that were linear, each solution logically lead into the next step, making our accomplishments even more satisfying. Especially the end, which has a beautifully decorated conclusion left us all in awe.
Watermeier did a fantastic job putting this all together, and we all walked out of Escape Room Era chatting excitedly about our overall experience. While not the typical spooky experience we are used to, this was definitely a wonderfully done room, and a great way to spend our afternoon. Escape room enthusiasts will definitely enjoy this room, and should most definitely check it out.
While Escape Room Era only has one room currently, Watermeier does have plans for a second, and hopes to open it this summer. We are most definitely looking forward to what comes next from him, because we really did have a blast.
For more information about Escape Room Era, and to purchase tickets to Benjamin Franklin’s Invention Room, visit them online www.escaperoomera.com
Also, a big thanks to David Watermeier for having us out to check out the room!
