Mission Escape Rooms — Attraction in Crofton

We love escape rooms but for about $40 a person, we had higher expectations and were left wanting. We have had better experiences (in terms of welcoming, immersion, time, space, puzzle count, surprises, game management, and wrap-up) for less. The rooms, Lost Temple and Mad Dog's Speakeasy, were okay, but it was not the overall experience that got us addicted to these escape room adventures.

This business only allows 50 minutes instead of the industry norm of 60, so be aware for time management and know that you're already paying for 15% less. There is no clock in the room. The gamemasters on both occasions, made announcements every 10-15 minutes to keep us on track, but it also interrupts the immersion a bit. One gamemaster seemed surprised to see us there despite having booked ahead, but he warmed up quickly and put some fun inflection with the introductory script. The second gamemaster showed little to no interest in being there... a little energy and charm goes a long way for the user experience.

After we were left, we realized that there was no offer to take the typical group photo, so I'm not sure if it's by design to prevent customers from feeling pressured or just oversight. We were also surprised that there was no evidence of tracking team escape times or records. The second visit yielded a photo (good improvement) and had a "best time" record, but our gamemaster didn't stop our clock after escaping and before she went to help a different group, so our record time wasn't actually captured.

The rooms were done up really well with the decor but were much smaller than expected... maybe 100-140 sq ft? They also only had six puzzles to solve. If you have more than four people, be prepared to have people stepping on each other's toes-- figuratively AND literally--trying to contribute. Nonetheless, the puzzles were indeed creative, logical, and required communication amongst the group members, which is a big part of...

This was a really fun experience, but it was very pricey for the 50 minutes we had to complete the mission.

Cost: We paid $158+ for four people to participate. In addition to the $36/person charge to play, there was also a $14.40 entertainment tax tacked on to participate- not mentioned in the initial pricing. That's an expensive 50 minutes for a family of 4.

Play: First, we LOVED that we had our own room and didn't have to play with strangers; that was an unexpected surprise! (Playing with strangers would not have been fun for us.) The clues- which were many- were a bit disjointed and ambiguous. The staff is able to give hints if needed, but there was only one staff/host working at our location. If the staff member is helping a group in another room, you'll need to wait until they're available to help you- which can eat up your time if you're really stumped. We liked the room themes available- very creative! The room was set up really well, but it was dimly lit. There's a series of combination locks you must open to get to clues. The room was so dimly lit, it was difficult to see the numbers on the locks. (You aren't allowed to take any cell phones or personal objects into the room, so the use of a flash light isn't available to see small things needed to solve some clues.)

Staff: Arden, our host at the Waugh Chapel MER, was amazing! She was warm, hospitable, helpful, and kind. We give her 5 stars!

Overall: I'm only giving this a 3 star review because it was too pricey for the time we had in the room. It was a fun experience, but the cost/time ratio would deter us from...

Update: After speaking with the owner on the phone, and explaining to me the perfect storm of events that took place for his company that day I can gladly recommend this place. I still cannot speak the the rooms at this location, but I can say the Annarbor locations rooms were well built and the puzzles were challenging and fun. Just make sure if you're running late, call them!

I should start off this review by saying my party didn't actually get to do the room at this location.

My party was turned away because we were roughly 30 seconds late. It was still 4:00 (on the minute). We were told that they are already start our time slot, and that we would be unable to participate. The staff member then said that no refunds would be issued, but she said she could offer us a much later time at the same location, but a different room. When we pushed back, she offered us another time at another location, and that we're lucky that she gave us the rescheduling and it's "not something we're supposed to do".

Our experience with this location seemed very unprofessional, and not like anything we've experienced at any previous escape rooms. We would not recommend this...