Escape into Fun-Locked Escape Rooms NYC

Midweek my husband and I do the same routine. We look at each other over the glow of Netflix and one of us says “what are we doing this weekend.” Over the next couple of days we go back and forth, but it seems we always land in the same place, we go out to eat at a favorite restaurant or hang at a bar with friends. However last week we really mixed things up! Locked-Escape Rooms NYC moved into the neighborhood last fall, and after a special invitation, I put a team of friends together to go through the game. I’m happy to report that the question of what should we do this weekend, just got a little more interesting.

Locked Escape Rooms NYC has two themed options Vendetta and Spooky Room 437.  My crew and I picked the latter. Without giving too much away; the story set up is about Sarah Jane who disappeared under unusual circumstances. Her dorm room remains empty and scares all other students away with sounds and overall spookiness.

You are assigned a Game Master that watches your teams’ progress and outlines the room rules and makes suggestions. Parker was assigned to our group, once he departed the door did indeed lock, and we watched a short (and sure a little cheesy) video that outlines who Sarah Jane was, what she liked to do, and of course tells you all about that boyfriend she loved. I immediately side-eyed that boyfriend btw. After that you and your team are on your own. I’m sure every team does things differently but my friends and I did some initial room review, calling out all the structures in the rooms that had locks with keys, locks with number codes, and things that seemed important i.e. a random keyboard and telephone. Then we just started digging. When we opened our first lock, the entire room cheered and whooped.

We had some moments that really stumped us, thank goodness our little puzzle guru in the sky gave us clues, for the clues. While nothing in the room was so challenging that we couldn’t figure it out, it did take some teamwork and creative thinking to understand the next step. Again because I don’t want to give anything away; there was a moment when we discovered we had so much work left to do and very little time to do it. We got a little stressed out, but it made us rally. We made it out of the game with only 37 seconds to spare…talk about a photo finish.

Important to note about Spooky Room 437 is that the light is on the dimmer side; and there are occasional lights that flash, and slightly scary (but nothing too crazy) moments from a talking head in a mirror, to seeing Sarah Jane’s ghost. I don’t like scary stuff and I was fine with all the special effects. We had six people in our group, larger groups should consult with the Locked team.

This was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We talked about the game for a long time afterwards as we celebrated our success at The Bonnie with drinks and snacks. We had a lot of fun, flexed some creative thinking muscles, and bonded with one another in a different way, assemble some friends and give it a try. Shout out to my puzzle solving team; Austin, Daniel, Eric, Marielle, and Pamela.

Thank you to Locked-Escape the Rooms NYC for the invitation to experience the game, we had a great time! Want to check it out for yourself? Make sure you use our We Heart Astoria Locked deal!

Locked – Escape Rooms NYC 22-56 31st St, Astoria | (718) 274-9700     
escapelocked.com | Facebook | Instagram