By Aaron Gold | news@queensledger.com
Photo of the reviewer in front of the escape room
The atmosphere changes when you walk down the stairs to MyssTic Rooms, an escape room in Park Slope. The style is almost Sherlock Holmesian with a big leather couch and a chest you lock your valuables into. I’ve done quite a few escape rooms in my time, as well as worked for a couple of them. Aesthetics are crucial. You want to set the right mood for your customers, intriguing them to a mystery while looking professional and assuaging any idea that they’re about to be underwhelmed. Mystic Rooms on 794 Union St. accomplishes that with flying colors.
We took on the Montauk Project room, which was like embarking on our very own Stranger Things. The puzzles were challenging and clever, without ever taking gigantic logic leaps; everything flowed well. Solving puzzles to earn the next clue was a blast, and the game really rewarded you for paying attention. Teamwork was crucial for escaping on time, but no one felt their role was boring.
Everything felt creepy without being scary, so your younger ones will have a good time as well. With some word-based clues, it may be tricky for non-fluent English speakers, but as long as you have at least one person on your team who is fluent, everything should be manageable.
There’s a lot to harken back to what it was like to be a kid in the 80’s/90’s, including cassette tapes, board games, and an aesthetic that can only be described as of the time. I loved how varied the challenges of the puzzles were. Without giving anything away, we were challenged sonically, visually, and outside-of-the-box thinking was absolutely necessary.
Our cluemaster, Laura, was happy to accommodate our desire to only be clued when we ask for it, and she provided a very fun atmosphere, entrenching us in the lore without bogging us down with 10,000 things to remember.
One thing that set Montauk Project apart from many other escape rooms was that the smells changed depending on circumstances. It was a subtle yet palpable touch to creating the atmosphere that we all appreciated. If you’re looking for a challenge that will push without overwhelming you, I cannot recommend MyssTic Rooms enough.
