Strange Bird Immersive Escape Rooms — Attraction in Houston

Sorry for the paragraphs as a warning!

I've been to lots of escape rooms. And I had to simmer a little while to figure out what to rate this one. I hope this doesn't come off as negative, given it has so many 5-star review. Bottom line, it's good. The setting and immersion are top notch, and the puzzles are mostly intuitive without feeling too much like "find code, insert code on X lock".

HOWEVER, this will probably be a divisive escape room among people (or at least it was for my friends). The biggest knock I have is that there is A LOT of narrative to the room we did, way more than than the average escape room. Performed by very skilled actors that really played their part, but still a lot of exposition nonetheless. For people that enjoy being fully immersed and are into the story behind a room, it's really well done. For anyone that's in it just for the game and puzzles, it drags on a little too long. Half my group was uninterested in the story and theatrics, and another one or two were captivated the entire time and wanted to listen in on every word. I personally sat in the middle, and by the end, I felt the acting was overstaying its welcome in the interest of the group.

In addition, everyone in my group agreed that the escape itself, while thematically cool, was constricted by the space. The best escapes our group is used to are ones that require us to go through two or more rooms, and require a significant degree of teamwork and puzzling together. The room we had was a singular room, which meant that we never felt like we found as many new things, had less sense of progression and discovery, and had us wishing there were puzzles that required us to be in two or more different locations at a time. Most of the actual puzzles themselves fit the theme though. Nicely done IMO.

At the end of the day, this room really nails the theme and immersion. The only other Escape Room business that I've felt this with is at 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, LA (which to me is top-tier). And for anyone that has less escape room experience, this is not one to be missed. For my group which is full of escape room hunters though, we really wished the puzzles and mechanics were more up to par. So I'm landing at a 4, but for the right people, this is easily a 5+.

Props to the staff and actors for doing an amazing...

An absolutely transcendent, magical, thrilling, captivating, and (most importantly) human experience. For an escape room enthusiast such as myself who has played almost 200 rooms, this knocked me off my feet. From the set design to the puzzle integration down to the historically researched details of every element of the production, this was a truly revolutionary experience.

I am a geek for room flow and design to the point where I often become a "director" in escape rooms, stepping back from puzzle-solving to analyze how every element is flowing and put together. The way "The Man from Beyond" was constructed was so well thought out. The immersive theater aspects did not hinder the "puzzle play" aspects. In fact, the immersive theater portions enhanced the meaning behind why you were solving these strange puzzles in the first place. I never felt as if the actors or story were "getting in the way" of me solving a puzzle. Major props to Strange Bird for thinking through the logistics of their medium to deliver an experience that was anything but frustrating. Strange Bird has definitely created something that will hopefully become part of the industry-standard moving forward.

The cast and "crew" were all top-notch and delivered an experience that brought me to tears. Never has the agency I have felt in an escape room led to a payoff as emotionally rich and rewarding as this room. I don't want to spoil the ending, but suffice to say it will make you think about the most important people in your life (living and dead) and appreciate their contribution to your existence.

What is real? What is magic? Are those two mutually exclusive? All questions you will grapple with at this remarkable place. I cannot stop thinking about this experience and neither will you. Bravo Strange...

UPDATED: I have been waiting forever for The Strange Bird to do another project for what seems like forever... and they have! I just went to The ENDings with my husband last weekend - so clever, incredibly well-thought out, thoroughly entertaining, and so much deeper than I would have imagined at the outset. The inclusion of incredibly talented actors really takes it to another level.

AMAZING. Simply incredible. Beyond fabulous and so very well done. Six friends and I just celebrated my birthday this weekend by visiting the Strange Bird Immersive. I could not have been more impressed by the set up, the ambience, the props, the room, and the actors! While I am no escape room expert, I am a huge fan and mildly addicted… This is my fifth escape room and by far and beyond the best that I have experienced!

Madame Daphne was inviting and oh so mysterious… charming and slightly frightening all at the same time. She pulled us into her world immediately upon entering the room.…And we all willingly jumped down the rabbit hole! The addition of actores to the escape room concept is simply brilliant and both actors were marvelous and very convincing.

The puzzles and clues were well thought out and nicely set up so that we never felt lost in our pursuit. The devices were definitely much more clever than any other room that I have experienced, though all in all solving the puzzle was a bit easier than I expected. We finished the story with a full 20 minutes remaining.

I loved it so much that I want to do it again which makes no sense seeing as I already know how the story ends... it was just such an...