EDITOR’S NOTE – JULY 2020: Since publication of this review, it has come to our attention that the owner of Quest Room has posted a multitude of racist remarks and disparaging comments about the Black Lives Matter movement to their Facebook page, and doubled down on them when called out on it. Here at HorrorBuzz, we do not stand for discrimination of any kind. While you are entitled to your own opinion on the matter, we cannot in good faith recommend their rooms any longer. We will leave the review as originally published below, but recommend you instead spend your money elsewhere. Thank you.

This past weekend, Team HorrorBuzz had a very exciting day. We traveled to Los Angeles, and set out to conquer all four of Quest Room’s fantastic rooms, and we had quite an adventure doing it. Before getting into the nitty gritty of the reviews, I do have to mention that Quest Room goes beyond your normal, everyday escape room. They go the extra mile to really immerse you into the story, and actually make you feel like you are there. Whether that is through the set itself, the (optional) costumes they offer you to wear, or other things, they set the bar high and keep it there.

Also, I have to give a shout out to our game master Daniel, who was our host for all four rooms that day. He was incredibly personable, super hilarious, and fit right in with our group. His easy-going demeanor, and ability to trade quips with us, made for an even better day. Kudos to Quest Room for employing such great staff.

Today, we’re going to look at the S. Western Avenue location, so travel with us back to the Inquisition and then later, the Renaissance.

BLOODY ELBOW

Set during a time of darkness, our team was accused of witchcraft (which, of course, was probably true), and sent to the dark, dank dungeons to await our fate. We only had an hour to escape before the famed torturer, Bloody Elbow, returned to make sure we never danced with the devil again.

This room was our first of the day, and perfectly set the mood for the level of immersion we were going to be in store for. Like I mentioned earlier, we were offered costumes to “get in the mood” of the room, and while it may seem silly to some, it definitely was a nice little touch.

After a bleak opening about the dark fate that awaited us, the team found ourselves spread out across the room, in various predicaments. I won’t say WHAT kind exactly, but I will say that, again, it went above and beyond to make you actually feel like you were about to get tortured to death by a sadistic man named Bloody Elbow.

Once we were able to help each other out of said situations, the task of escaping became prevalent. I was impressed with how incredibly innovative the puzzles in this room were. Sure, there was a traditional “lock and key” puzzle or two, but finding said keys was always in a new light that I had never seen before. In fact, everything was very non-traditional here: lots of new types of puzzles or twists on old classics. There was even a puzzle that had to be solved that went against almost every single rule we have learned in escape rooms…and it made it that much better (they did warn us beforehand of it, but it was still a pleasant surprise to see!). There were even some technology based ones, but always in-theme with the rest of the room set during the Inquisition. Sure, that may sound like an oxymoron (technology puzzles in a 15th century themed room?!), but trust me, it was done in such a way that you wouldn’t even really know they were tech-based.

Also, the set itself was incredibly detailed and themed. Mel Brooks may have made the Inquisition look like a delightful (and musical) experience, but that was the not the case here…in the best way possible. Bloody Elbow looked and felt authentic. A lot of hard work and, dare I say, elbow grease went into this room and it shows. With every new chamber or secret that revealed itself, the better it got.

This room’s in-room hint system was great, also employing an in-theme aspect of a fellow prisoner on the other side of the walls, nudging us along when needed, through the grates. Very clever, and a nice touch.

All in all, Bloody Elbow was a wonderful room, with great puzzles, a creepy theme, and one well worth your time. The threat of torture has never been so much fun!

DA VINCI’S CHALLENGE

Once we escaped the clutches of the Bloody Elbow, we time traveled to the Renaissance in order to see if we were worthy of training under the great Leonardo Da Vinci. In order to prove our worth, Da Vinci set up a series of challenges to see if we were smart enough to solve.

Yet again, Team HorrorBuzz was split up, but alas, not placed in precariously situations. Instead, we were divided up into two separate, but connected, rooms in order to work together to solve the challenges before us.

Our team set to work immediately, but not before the set caught our eye. Da Vinci’s Challenge was one of the more beautiful rooms we’ve ever been in, and we all commented on how nicely decorated it was. Comparatively, to the other rooms at Quest Room, it wasn’t much. However, for whatever reason, it really stood out for the small details. We did indeed feel like we were in one of Da Vinci’s workshops, as many of his famous creations were before our eyes.

I really liked the physical divide of this room, as it helped split up the tasks, and made us really stop & explore the sections we were in. Before we were able to eliminate the barrier between us, there was more than enough for each side to see and do. In fact, I feel it helped strengthen our dissolve, as despite being separated, we still needed to work together on certain things in order to win.

While there weren’t many other hidden sections of this room, I really liked how, when certain puzzles were completed, something else in the room “came to life”, for the lack of a better word. Things logically went from puzzle to the next, allowing for plenty of “aha!” moments, and making us really feel like we were accomplishing something. Quest Room did a great job of dividing and conquering here, really allowing each team member to have their own moment of puzzle solving satisfaction.

Much like Bloody Elbow, there were a lot of innovative puzzles in the room, going well beyond locks and keys. In fact, the puzzles required to eliminate the divide between the room were some of the most fun, and beautiful, I have ever encountered.

In addition to the “main” puzzles in the room, there was also an extra puzzle box that was on-hand to test our brains further. While it was completely optional, my son took it upon himself to go for it once he encountered it, and he felt incredibly accomplished when he did solve it on his own (not to mention the special treats waiting for him inside it)!

This in-room hint system was Leonardo’s assistance, Francisco, who was happy to nudge us along…but sometimes, not always in the most obvious of ways.

Da Vinci’s Challenge was a lot of fun, and definitely one that I feel is fun for the whole family. I found this one easier than Bloody Elbow, but we were told it was the more difficult of the two. Go figure! The complexity levels of the puzzles I think were perfect for our group size and experience.

All in all, the S. Western Avenue location of Quest Room is definitely worth a visit. Maybe make a day of it, and do both? You won’t be disappointed, and will definitely have a lot of fun! It also should be noted that they have their own dedicated parking lot, which is a big help for parking in the area!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the second half of our Quest Room review, with thoughts on the Santa Monica Boulevard location with Cannibal’s Den and my new favorite room of all time, Red Giant.

A big thank you to Quest Room for inviting us out to play the games!

For more information, and to book your visit, you can find them online at https://questroom.com