ClueClock Escape — Attraction in Castle Pines

I recently visited ClueClock Escape with a group of friends, and unfortunately, our experience was far from enjoyable. We chose their easiest room, thinking it would be a fun way to spend time together, but it turned out to be frustrating.

Lack of Guidance: To start, our gamemaster didn’t provide any storyline or context when we entered the room. This is usually a fun part of the experience, so we were surprised to miss out on that. She seemed rushed and didn’t fully answer our questions before abruptly starting the game, leaving us feeling unprepared and slightly frustrated.

Confusing Setup and Faulty Puzzles: Once we were in the room, there was no clear indication of where to begin. We’re used to a smooth start in other escape rooms, but here it felt chaotic. Many of the puzzles didn’t work properly, which was incredibly frustrating.

One puzzle required three specific items, which we had. However, when we asked the gamemaster for help, she repeatedly asked if we had the items, despite us confirming multiple times that we did. This led to a significant amount of time wasted and increased frustration. It felt like the gamemaster either couldn't see us properly or wasn't paying attention to our responses.

Another puzzle was a memory game that we attempted multiple times without success. When we asked for help, the gamemaster’s clue was simply that it was a memory game. This was incredibly unhelpful, as we had already figured that part out. What we really needed was guidance on what was wrong with the sequence we were inputting, not a reiteration of the puzzle type.

Additionally, another problematic puzzle involved switches that we had to input in a specific sequence. Despite following the clues' instructions correctly and even holding them down as suggested, the puzzle still didn’t work. Once again, the gamemaster provided a hint about something we had already tried. We attempted this multiple times, but it seemed like the puzzle was malfunctioning.

Rushed Conclusion: Despite arriving early and having plenty of time, we unsurprisingly didn’t finish in time. Instead of offering any helpful insights or feedback about our experience, the gamemaster seemed more concerned about getting us out of the room quickly. This added to our disappointment, as we were left with unresolved questions and no chance to discuss our experience.

Overall, this escape room did not meet our expectations. With so many other options available, I would recommend looking elsewhere if you want a cohesive and...

I feel bad leaving this review, because I really like escape rooms and want them to succeed. I also recognize that they are almost always small businesses and it sucks to write a review not recommending a small business, but my experience here was disappointing and I feel like I need to provide feedback. I'll try to be objective.

We played the smallest room at this location. This room is more of an escape closet than anything, and to some extent it feels like an afterthought. It's cramped, the puzzles are essentially in locked boxes on the walls, and it just seemed like trying to maximize the space by adding a fairly mediocre room that they really didn't have space for.

The thing I disliked about it the most was that the room has an open top and the door doesn't even shut. It's about ten feet away from the front desk and front door. The result was that, while care had been taken to decorate the room appropriately, the sense of immersion was ruined by listening to other groups leave and, worse, listening to the two employees chat and giggle at the front desk while we played.

One of the clues was particularly poorly designed, and we asked for a clue to get started, then had to ask for a clue to give us more information because the thing was so difficult to see that we couldn't be sure of what the answer was. Another riddle required the use of an inspection mirror which was pretty broken, making it difficult to solve.

Also, can't I just ask for a clue? Do I have to call out some silly phrase? It's enough of a blow to the ego to not be able to solve something without help, I don't want to yell "Aaah, an alien!" to get to the finish line.

The other rooms may be better, but I probably won't be back. If I had known this would be my experience, I never would have spent my...

We completed both '10 Days in a Mad House' and 'Blood Money' with Caleb and Joanna (one of the owners) as our Game Masters respectively. We had an amazing time on all occasions! ClueClock Escape is clean and inviting, every employee was kind and professional, and they even worked with us in re-scheduling our initial reservation 3 different times due to family members getting sick without hesitation. The rules are simple and clearly stated, both rooms were well designed, the clues were a great mix of literal, puzzle / problem solving, and interactive. The Game Masters were consistently available and incredibly helpful in providing encouragement if we were on the right track or needed a hint. We came back because of how much fun we had the first visit and plan to complete the other 2 rooms soon. Thank you for such a great...