In Search Of An Exit — Local services in Portland

Wow. I cannot even describe how deeply fun (and truly clever!) this escape room is. Our group had seasoned escape room participants, one first timer, and everything in between… and we all agreed it was one of the best times we’ve had in ages! We did In Search of an Exit’s challenge called “Lombino’s Casino,” and the experienced players said it was easily their favorite one they’ve ever done! It’s not about it being super high budget (though make no mistake, there are some very cool technical moments you don’t see coming), it’s just about the perfect balance of challenges that continuously build on eachother, puzzles that never repeat themselves, and extremely committed world-building. Honestly, the hardest part about leaving this review is resisting the urge to spoil some of the hilarious and magical surprises! But the fewer details you know going in, the better. One specific thing we all appreciated is that the mechanism through which you receive clues never breaks the 4th wall; an element we were not expecting and was utterly charming! It really kept you “in the vibe” and we loved it. We also loved our host! His enthusiasm and again, commitment to story, really had us in the very best mood even as we were struggling (and you will struggle haha). We also kept remarking afterward how sincerely funny the writing was! With any escape room, you need to embrace a certain cheesiness factor, and while this of course is no exception, it’s also very clear that some very comedic and very smart people put this thing together. It’s just SUCH a good time all around! There is even one visual “special effect” that my friends and I can’t stop wracking our brains to try and figure out how they did it! I really can’t say more without ruining surprises you deserve to discover on your own. But we all agreed we wish we could UN-solve the room just to have the joy of doing it again! We will certainly be doing the other adventure currently offered, and any other experience these folks offer in the future.

Some stray thoughts: -Kudos to In Search of an Exit for also considering different accessibility levels! For example, very few escape rooms would take the time to describe floor treatments on their website, but it’s just so needed if you plan to include all types of puzzle-solvers.

-The entrance/threshold aspect is simply wonderful! Immersive from the jump, and again just so so funny.

-We are so impressed with what they did with a small space. It might not seem super elaborate as an initial set, but again it really builds and is very clever! We never felt claustrophobic or unsafe, even with 5 of us. You can go to the restroom at any point, but you won’t want to miss anything!

-It’s in a very fun neighborhood so it’s easy to fold it into grabbing a bite or seeing a movie at the Hollywood theater. We were celebrating a birthday, so we just laughed and talked about the escape room for an hour over drinks afterward!

Our one note: They should consider including a tip jar or something! Because you have to pay in advance, there isn’t really an opportunity to give the amazing host a little something extra that is very deserved. Especially because (and again, no spoilers) A LOT of cool 80s analogue items need to be reset afterward. We will bring...

This review is for Lombino's Casino.

If you're trying to pick an escape room in Portland, stop researching and book this one!

I've played 60+ escape rooms across the U.S. and Europe, and my group has played anywhere from a handful, to 25. We played 3 different Portland companies, but we all thoroughly enjoyed our experience at In Search of an Exit, and wish they had another game open!

Staff: Our favorite part of the experience was the owner, Patrick! He was friendly, funny, and accomodating, and chatted with us while we waited for the rest of our group to arrive. Incidentally, those two group members were running late, and Patrick was willing to push back our start time about 10 minutes to wait for them. He had water bottles set out for everyone, and made us feel very welcome.

Lobby: In Search of an Exit goes full immersion as soon as you enter. The lobby was completely in theme with the room we were about to enter, right down to the music.

Set Design: The set design of the room (the lobby too!) was very nice. It wasn't over the top, but it got the job done. Everything had a purpose.

Story: The story was fun and humourous. I love humor in an escape room, and I really liked the touches in the room that went along with the story (from small things like the text on the entry door to one of the big reveals). Even the clue system fit with the story and the time period.

Gameplay: After I play a well designed game, I like to map it out on paper and analyze what happened (yes, I know I have a problem). This was a very good game for several reasons:

(1) Use of space: The use of space was very clever. It wasn't a huge space, but the 6 of us still all felt able to participate, and didn't feel crowded into one particular area. I liked the way that the game sent you back and forth between things you thought you were finished with, and how it cleverly guided you to different places in the room.

(2) Tight non-linear gameplay: The game was designed intelligently with the number of players and space in mind. It started us out with some easier puzzles to build confidence and get the ball rolling, then it got progressively more complex and interesting. There wasn't so much going on at once to be overwhelming, but there was enough to make sure that everyone had a part to play.

(3) Delayed gratification: There were some cool moments where something we'd been wondering about for a solid chunk of time finally came into play later in the game, to make for some very satisfying solves.

(4) Puzzles: There were lots of them, and the variety was perfect. There weren't too many puzzles of a particular type, and there were one or two really clever ones that I had never seen before.

In conclusion, play this game! It was very clear from the moment we entered the building that every step of the experience had been thought out and passionately...

In Search of an Exit feels like a hidden gem that should be talked about much more than it is! My husband and I were lucky enough to play Operation Gryaznayavoda as our 298th game together (and individual 300th each). I cannot express enough how much fun this place was from the moment you enter the Lockbuster doors. Patrick seemed just as excited to have us there as we were to be there. He joked with us during the introduction and even while giving hints. From the start the mood was very lighthearted and fun.

The room itself had incredible decor, unique puzzles and props, and a storyline that carried all the way through to the end. We were warned that it would be difficult with only two players and it definitely was. We didn’t make it out with the 60 minutes, but I am very appreciative that we were allowed the opportunity to try! I would have been sad to have missed this room and would recommend anyone in the Portland area to make sure In Search of An Exit is on your play list. We weren’t able to find an open time slot for Lombini’s Casino that worked with our schedule, but will absolutely be playing it next time we’re in town.

Furthermore, Patrick gave us some room recommendations at other company’s that he thought fit our schedule better and we would like. I love the support of the escape room community and we wound up having a blast in one that was suggested. Incredible...