Great Escape Ent. - Escape Room — Local services in Elgin

We were a group of 4 with two rooms booked at 2:30 and 4pm. I have done approximately 100 rooms and the rest of the group approximately 50 rooms. We would consider ourselves experienced and above average “Players”.

The first room was “Great Bambino”. Once inside, our game master advised us there was no audio in the room and the cameras didn’t really work. So we had to use a handheld radio and if we needed a clue, we had to tell him what we were working on in the room. Right away we noticed the door to the next room just had a keypad deadbolt on it. The decor of the room was “Hobby Lobby-ish” with the price stickers still on the back. One of the puzzles including 4 baseballs with a different shape drawn on each one with a different color. To solve the code, it required a different color that corresponded with the shape. However, 2 of the same colors were used and we just had to guess which one it was “supposed to be”.

Once we finished the first room, we were advised by our game master that the group for the next room we had booked at 4 just arrived and were 20 minutes late. So that would push our starting time of the second room back. While waiting for the second room. We asked about the second groups time. The game master advised us they were 20 minutes late, but he could only take 10 minutes off their time per the owners. So by the time the group finished and the game master reset the room, we started over 20 minutes late.

The second room (Viva Las Vegas) had a slightly better feel (decor) to it, but by no means impressive. Just in comparison to the first room, it didn’t just feel like a “room with stuff in it”. We started out nearly immediately needing a clue due to one of the props stuck and us not wanting to force it open. Once we were told to check it, we did break it to get it open. The clues for this room were very vague and had no direction to them. The “additional room” was literally just a decorated closet with another keypad deadbolt on it. Then inside was a rough looking file cabinet that really had nothing to do with anything, but was clearly just used because you could use multiple locks on it. At the point, we were just ready to be done. We did complete the room but we were so disinterested at this point, we didn’t really care if we did or not. We were just ready to leave.

The game master was very nice and did his best to assist us along the way. He just didn’t have much to work with. There was absolutely zero “tech” in both rooms. Not that it’s a requirement, but the rooms felt very cheaply done, badly organized and just thrown together without making a whole lot of sense. I could come up with the same quality of “Escape Room” in my basement. We wished we had just left after...

When you book an escape room for 25 dollars per reservation, you expect an immersive experience. We did Casino Heist because my daughter loves heists. This was not a heist. This was a handful of mediocre puzzles in two unfurnished rooms. I say unfurnished because an empty room with a couple of thematic rugs and a few locked filing cabinets and another room with a desk with some shabby props on it does not constitute an immersive set. We had a cabinet hanging on the wall that we actually spent time trying to open before we were told that it wasn't part of the room. Then there was some confusion with our "game master" over whether or not we actually needed to figure out the code for the lock to the other room. At one point, she was actually in the room repairing an unreadable clue as we were trying to work the room.

The only thing that made this room a "casino" heist was the fact that some card faces were stenciled onto a filing cabinet and they had a couple of money rugs lying around. And the fact that we were supposed to be opening a safe full of money. Literally that was it.

What do people do when presented with a safe full of money? They kind of throw a few handfuls of it around to celebrate. So our youngest party member did just that and was told by the gamemaster that he had to pick it up. Which I thought was just flat-out bizarre. I'm thinking for the $150 I spent in this place that they didn't bother to build a set with, at least they could have done was kept their puzzles in decent working order, and not expect paying customers to do their house cleaning for them.

If you're looking for a good escape room in this town, keep looking. There are three of them that cost the same and are actually worth the price of admission.

As for this place, I hope they listen to feedback and step up their game. And if they don't, at least lower their price to reflect the fact that it's not a full escape room experience.

Sorry, guys. You dropped the ball...

I’ve been to 10-15 escape rooms and this place was just awful. I got a deal on Groupon but I should have known that it was cheap for a reason. The room barely had anything in it. We were just walked into the baseball room like it was an ordinary living room or whatever. The girl who took us there pretty much told us how one lock needed to be opened and told us that mission was to find the glove....we were out in 28 minutes.... the room was incredibly easy. If you want an exciting room full of mystery and pizazz - go to the final door in Cayce. It’s worth spending the money & it’s so much fun. This place was not worth the money I paid. Even though it was a Groupon. Save your time, miles and money. Paid $36 for 28 minutes of opening locks where the combinations are literally so easy that the numbers were IN PLAIN SIGHT!

I had called ahead of time to ask about the rooms ADVERTISED ONLINE! I’m like hey it won’t let me book this room but it says available - girl goes oh it’s under construction - I’m like oh ok. So I hang up and look for another room. It says everything is booked except the bambino room. We get there and she says that the other rooms are no longer open....so why advertise them?

It’s like the staff there just shoves people into a room, and the room is so easy that they only deal with the customers for 20 ish minutes. We have never escaped a room with so much time left. We thought it was a prank.

I’m telling you - go somewhere else. This place was just...