Escape Room NJ — Attraction in Englewood

Unfortunately, this escape room had numerous issues that completely undermined our experience, especially considering it was our first-ever escape room and a birthday celebration.

First, many of the mechanical “codes” were broken, and some essential clues were missing altogether. A number of the clues that required color recognition were ineffective because the colors had faded so badly that they were no longer distinguishable. This was frustrating and made solving those parts of the puzzle impossible.

There was no intro or context on what to get started on or even what the overall goal was.

Additionally, the orange dots that were supposed to indicate “do not touch” were placed on things like outlets and switches, which made sense, but they were also placed on items that turned out to be crucial clues. Some of these clues were placed so high up that even a very tall person couldn’t reach or see them, leading to unnecessary confusion.

There were also covered switches for actual lights that seemed as though it was protection from electric not a part of the game. Overall you just didn't know what you could or could not touch.

One of the most frustrating moments was when we needed to use a black light to read hidden text. The provided key fob light was so worn out that it barely emitted any light at all, especially in a brightly lit room. We were repeatedly told to find a darker spot, but that was impossible given the room’s lighting. It’s hard to believe that after charging $70 per person, they couldn’t provide a functional $5 black light for their customers.

Our immersion was frequently broken by the host interrupting us mid-game to tell us where to go, even when we hadn’t asked for a hint. On top of that, several cases that were supposed to be locked were already open when we started, which confused us about how we had “solved” them.

Adding to the chaos, some items that were supposed to be clues were out of place, like rings that had fallen off their designated spot. There was no visible timer, so we had no idea how much time we had left without asking. We also noticed lighting fixtures hanging out of the walls with exposed wiring, which seemed unsafe and unprofessional.

The color indicators and writings on the walls were so worn down that they were unreadable, further complicating the puzzles. The loud music made it difficult to hear when we did ask for a clue, and the overall disrepair of the room left us feeling like we had wasted our money.

Ultimately, the entire experience was disappointing, especially for a first escape room on a birthday. The room is priced higher than any other in the area, so we expected more, but it was a swing and a miss. We left feeling like it was a poor experience and an absolute waste of money.

Finally, there are literal spider webs on things because this room has NEVER ONCE been cleaned from the looks of it. Stay FAR FAR AWAY. Wish we could get a refund. What a waste...

I wish I can give them a zero. My daughter was supposed to have her 9th birthday there yesterday at 2 p.m. and the guy called me at 11 to tell me we had to cancel the party because they had a flood. He said I could cancel or maybe go to another location. I paid extra to have my party private with no one else at the escape room and then he told me if I go to the other location it wasn't going to be private anymore I would have to share the escape room with other people. I told him if that's the case I need to get a discount because I paid extra to have my party private and now I had to tell all the parents I invited to go to another location. My location was supposed to be in Hackensack since it was flooded he told me I had to go to Pompton Lakes. I had to call all the parents to change the location but a lot cancelled because it was too far for them and as I was calling the parents I was like wait a minute this guy needs to give me a discount he actually ruined my daughter's party. I wrote back to him and I said I need a discount because it's not fair that you called me at 11 when my party was at 2 to make these changes I said I invited a lot of people and I need a discount this is inconvenience for me and you have ruined my daughter's birthday. So he tells me why don't you change the date I said how can I change the date when I have everything planned and I even have a cake and everything. The guy didn't want to work with me so I told him it seems you ant me to cancel so thats what we will do. They Don't cater to kids in this place because no one that knows what parents go through to make a special party for the kids will do what he did they will work with you. This guy wasn't willing to work with me he told me if you have to canceled then cancel so I did. He claims he will refund my money but if he doesnt the cops will be at his location. I do a party every year for my daughter and I have never had an experienced like this. I will never go there for anything their customer service sucks. And thanks to them my daughter didn't have a birthday party. Worst experience ever!!!! And please don't reply back with your stupid and childish excuses that I saw on your reviews. If I would have read the reviews before I booked my daughter's party in this location i wouldnt have booked this place forhwr party. Again, thank you for ruining her birthday!!!! #escaperoomnj please dont lie that i asked for additional discounts . That is a pure lie. I asked for a discount after the fact when everyone was cancelling . So dont lie . And as you said sarcastically i hope she has many more birthdays. ..She will, but not at your...

One star is generous. We went today. We arrived early as instructed and when we knocked on the door, the employee was confused be used she said the group for that time had already entered. After a few minutes she came back to tell us it was a shared room (which was fine) but it turned out the other group had already started and completed some of the ‘challenges.’ We felt like we were intruding on their family activity instead of working together. There were NO instructions or written clues. We were all guessing, pressing buttons, trying to pry things open. Although we had read the written instructions that were emailed to us, nothing was explained to us and we had no clue what we were supposed to be working towards. Every once in a while, the employee would give us a ‘clue’ which was basically telling us what we needed to do to open another locked door. There was nothing to escape or clues to follow just two families running around aimlessly. Our group ranged in age from 11- adult and it wasn’t enjoyable for anyone. We have been to other escape rooms that were actually engaging and created an environment of working together. Skip this! I appreciate that you responded but your response is inaccurate. We arrived on time- just because the other party arrived before us (more than 15 minutes ahead of time I guess- also if we are both instructed to pull into the same exact spot in the parking lot to receive the message of what to do, we both can’t arrive at the exact same moment) does not make us late. What made us late was that when we arrived the employee was confused and asked if we were the 1:30 group and when we told her we were, she then she closed the door while she tried to figure out who the other group was. WE knew we had a joint room, but your employee did not. So while she tried to figure out what was going on, we had to wait in the hallway and COULD NOT enter. She should have known that two parties were expected and should not have started until both parties were there. If we would have been late, clearly it would have made sense to start without us but we were in the parking lot at 1:15 to get the radio instructions. Your explanation is inaccurate and blaming us for your error does not make the...