Bull City Escape — Local services in Durham

We love escape rooms and do about 15 per year for nearly a decade now. Unfortunately we were disappointed with our experience at Bull City Escape when we did the Lunar Lockdown Room. The theming was not at all immersive: we are FINE with inexpensive and homemade but it felt like there was barely any effort, especially in the first room, and our game master did not try to create any feel either: just explained "so the set is that you are..." We definitely did not get the impression that she enjoys escae room nor cares about this one. The puzzles themselves were pretty good and one was particularly fun. All automated tech worked great. The room would be a 3 star EXCEPT one puzzle required use of a backlight flashlight. We immediately tried doing what it turned out was the correct solution, but could see nothing. Over the next 15 minutes we tried the correct solution 3 times while becoming more and more frustrated looking for ANY other possible solution, before finally asking for help near the end of our time: at which point we were directed to do what we had been doing! It turned out the batteries in the flashlight were too low for the effect to work. Once we pointed that out to the game master afterwards she indicated this has happened before "batteries must be low, when they're fresh it really stands out" This is a known issue and yet Bull City does not test the battery power when resetting the game?! AND the game master did not notice us trying the correct solution in vain and speak up??!!! And then just shrugged it off without so much as an apology afterwards. Honestly, much more than theming, that sort of lack of basics really destroys...

A very well-designed escape room. However, we had a few issues with our experience:

The dry erase marker that was provided for solving puzzles on the whiteboard was dried out and made writing on the board/reading what we had already written very difficult, which wasted time. We tried using our phones to keep track, but without being able to visualize some of the puzzles in the space provided, we were at a bit of a disadvantage.

The room had not been reset properly. One clue within the room was misaligned from the start of our time (it was an element where we were supposed to follow a tracing/line), and the clue had been skewed so it was outside of the path. This prevented us from guessing the correct combination until we, as a last resort, guessed that the poster had slipped. (After having to confirm with our game master that we were solving the puzzle using the correct method but still getting incorrect results.)

Our game master, Stella, provided a few clues without being prompted, which we didn't love. We would have preferred to figure things out on our own, especially because the clues were provided in moments where we didn't feel stuck. Then when we did ask for clues, it seemed that Stella was a step behind us. For instance, we would already be investigating something, and she would tell us to pick up the same item.

Overall, I would love to come back and try another room, but I hope quality control can be improved to ensure that there aren't unnecessary roadblocks (like faulty pens and a reset error) to solving...

Absolutely thrilled with our experience at Bull City Escape Room! We recently hosted our team-building event there, and I can't recommend it enough. Angie and Michael were truly exceptional. From the moment we walked in, they made us feel incredibly welcome and set the perfect tone for the day. Their energy was infectious, and they went above and beyond to ensure we had the best possible experience. We had two separate rooms, and Angie handled one while Michael took charge of the other. Angie's enthusiasm and warmth really stood out - she made sure every detail was perfect and helped us get into the right mindset for the puzzles. Michael, on the other hand, kept us laughing the entire time! His humor and wit were thoroughly entertaining and added a delightful touch to the whole experience. It was clear that both of them were fully invested in making sure we had a blast while solving the challenges. The escape room itself was brilliantly designed, with puzzles that were challenging but so much fun to solve. We worked together as a team in ways we hadn't before, and I know it's thanks to the fantastic atmosphere Angie and Michael created. If you're looking for a memorable, unique, and thoroughly enjoyable team-building event or just a fun time with friends, look no further than Bull City Escape Room. Huge thanks to Angie and Michael - you both made this experience...