Locurio — Attraction in Seattle

GO! If you're even considering doing an escape or puzzle room THIS is the one! Book it right away!

So I was planning a trip up to see friends and every visit it's a hard balance of seeing everyone but not just having the constant train of brunch, coffee, lunch, dinner drinks to fit them all in. I pitched this as an idea to all my friends some of which know one another and other who do not. Hesitantly they one by one started to agree to doing the puzzle room with me. In the end I had a group of 7 friends meet me at an 11:00am Saturday appointment to challenge our minds and patience.

So here's the low down... Arrive promptly, it's a funny spot to find so give yourself some time. There is a sign on the front door that leads to a hallway. Find the stairs to the lower level and Locurio is at the front end of the building with their name on the door. A lovely host will greet you in the lobby, set you up with the waver to sign off on and once everyone is present and ready to begin will walk you through the expectations and do's/don'ts of the experience. You will feel well informed about what they are NOT trying to trick you with so you do not waste extra time with elaborate schemes to solve the clever mind games they play on you.

Following the brief the experience shifts and is started right there in the lobby! What ensues is a fun and elaborate setup for you and your team to work through. Having a diverse team of people from many backgrounds will bode well for you if you are to succeed. The puzzles range from one person to multi and there are things that I can't even imagine the path they went down to build and design. SO many great surprises and discoveries along the way. And just when you think you're doing great, or horribly things can change in an instant! I have one other escape room experience to compare this with but this blows it out of the water with authenticity, creativity and full submersion into an experience.

The gals who started this place are always happy for feedback and they have a whole host of employees who are actively engaged in building and designing the room and systems. My hope for them is that they build another space with an entirely new way to experience this kind of adventure. I know it is in the works and thankfully they have already earned a great reputations as one of the top in their field. Because once you have done the room despite how much you want to do it again you can't recreate that experience once you know the answers.

The best way to sum up this review is after dragging all of these friends into a collective experience not only were they all raving about it but they all agreed as a group to jump into Locurio's next room whenever it be built!

Some awesome pro tips for this experience: -Come hydrated, well rested and ready for fun! -Book a week ahead of time and you'll have your choice of slots. -Book 4 or more, it would be hard to beat this game with 6 or less and you may have strangers join your group if there are slots needed by the time you arrive. Do not fret! This is typically an advantage in these rooms to have other folks who aren't just friends on your team! -If you only have 4 or less to book you may be able to join another's group to have a full team!

Foods: -There is an amazing bakery "Flying Apron" to stop at beforehand if you need coffee or a treat and Jai Thai next door afterwards is an awesome debrief for you and your team!

If you had doubts whether this is for you I hope this review will make you reconsider. You're supporting a creative and amazing local business who will hopefully come out with more ways to trick and entertain us for...

This was the 4th escape/puzzle riddle room I have done, and was probably both the best and the worst. I would say its best for someone who has maybe done over a dozen of these and is looking for something truly unique, but beware---there were aspects to this game that were frustrating to the point of nearly ruining the entire experience. Positives: The curators truly care. The storyline was intelligent, unique, nostalgic, clever SOME of the tech used in the puzzles was very impressive and exciting Overall had a fairly good time Negatives: Arriving to the location is at first exciting as you are directed through a series of alleys and doors, but takes a creepy turn when you finally reach the reception area of the space and realize its an empty room with a folding table in what appears to be a LOOSELY renovated apartment space. Seems very unprofessional was quite off-putting. To add to the previous comment, you then sign a waiver that actually reads that you agree to be put in restraints...not even kidding about this. The curator explained that "that pertains to a different room that you didn't sign up for, and we assure you that you will be able to leave the game whenever you want'".... Some of the game mechanics were PROPOSTEROUS, in the sense that you knew how you were supposed to achieve a task, but the puzzle was made so physically or technically challenging that you spend ridiculous amounts of your time just to achieve. -In regards to the previous comment, some of the technology was overly clever to the point that it did not work properly and lead to sucking time.

This really is a well crafted experience and is definitely a trend-setter for this type of game, but some relatively small problems actually lead to a somewhat ruined experience for all of us. I would like to come back in the the next couple of years to see how they have improved...

I had a really fantastic time playing through The Storykeeper with a friend!

First: Difficulty level - it's pitched just about right for 3-4 people, but definitely doable with two (if you've a little prior experience, it sure helps). We did feel stuck on occasion, but that was more on us than the room, and the room has one of the most immersive AND adaptive hint systems I've ever seen, which makes it a delight to play through. Normally hint systems just take you out of the game, but not this one! Unfortunately, saying more would be a spoiler, so you've really got to try it out for yourself.

Next: Puzzles - there's a great variety of puzzles, from more mechanical ones, to searching and logic-based puzzles. I liked that there were a bunch that could be solved individually, and others that required cooperation. While there was one particularly fiddly puzzle, it did make sense in context for it to be that fiddly, so it wasn't a dealbreaker or anything.

Also important: Effects and immersion - truly top-notch. Yes, Locurio rooms ARE probably going to be one of the most expensive escape room experiences you'll pay for. Yes, they ARE also completely worth it (tbh, a bargain considering what's involved to develop and run them). The tech worked... dare I say, like magic, and was charming and intuitive to use. And the characters we ran into were great fun to interact with.

Overall: Whether you're an escape room veteran wanting to recapture the wonder and awe of your first few rooms, or new to escape rooms and want a smooth, engaging and frustration-free experience, or just looking for something fun to do in the...