Escapism: Alien Zoo, Malice Manor & Funky Lab Escape Rooms — Attraction in Portland

Escapism remains my absolute favorite escape room company in the Portland metro area. Their rooms are always unique and every room with them has had a puzzle that is amazingly creative. I've done both the Alien Zoo and Malice Manor at this location and loved both.

Malice Manor was a great theme and done very well. One thing I appreciated is that you never had to guess what combination went with each lock, because each one was unique (i.e. 5-digit number, 6-digit alphanumeric, etc). What was also unique is that you don't quite know how to "beat" the room until you put the necessary pieces together. I'd also mention for folks concerned, there weren't any type of "jump scares" in this room, just creepy ambience.

Alien Zoo is honestly my favorite escape room. For one, the theme is absolutely hilarious and quite unlike anything I've seen before. What really sets this room apart though, is that no conventional padlocks or key locks are used anywhere in this room (it's on an alien spaceship after all). Which means that the room really reshaped how we tackle escape rooms, since we weren't looking for a conventional combination but had to solve things differently. Won't share much more than that, but...

We did the Malice Manor room with a group of 3, ranging in experience from "second time" to "old hand". It was a fun experience for all of us. I appreciated that Escapism guaranteed private booking and did not place us with strangers. Several more people could have fit in the room comfortably.

The room was dimly lit but headlamps were provided. Not wheelchair accessible since it was in a basement. The theme was well implemented and genuinely creepy without resorting to jump scares. Puzzles had a few snags, some on our part but also with a few clues that were ambiguous or obscure. Several props contributed to the atmosphere but felt like red herrings.

Our host Shelly was good, giving us a couple hints when we needed it but never spoiling any puzzles. Introductions at the beginning of the session were a little awkward and hammy but in debriefing at the end she answered all our questions and showed us around.

The lobby of the building felt pretty shabby, and the room's design spoke to a very budget-conscious mindset. But the overall experience was positive and I would look forward to trying more rooms here or at their...

A super interesting place. The best part is the building the escape room is located at - adds to the intrigue and spookiness of the theme. We went there as a family of 4. My kids are 12 and 7 and they had a pretty spooky time! (and I mean it well!).

The staff are warm and extremely accommodative. We are new to Portland and took time to get there with Waze sending us in circles; but these guys asked us to chill and mentioned there was no booking at the slot just after our's and were therefore gracious and kind enough to extend our slot times.

Well, the 'challenge' we chose though was a tad difficult for us as a group with kids that age. But overall we did have fun and 'live elements' while we solved stuff kept us engaged and 'spooked-up' all the time!

There are multiple escape rooms to choose from at this location and choose the best one that suits your age group and passion to 'escape'.

The place is a lovely cozy cottage that follows all the covid protocols and comes with the warmth of friendly staff members.

Definitely a recommended choice to spend a lovely engaging activity with friends, team members or...