I've been watching Tom and the Dice Tower for over 5 years so I say the following with the utmost respect. I'm the manager of an escape room in Houston. I've played several escape room board games and have been to over 30 escape rooms across the US and enjoy both. I agree with you, Tom, that buying 4-5 tickets for your family/friends to go through an escape room can be expensive, but so is the board gaming hobby. I would say the escape room board games are a good starting point if you're unsure about the escape room experience. But the experience of an escape room is much more immersive than the board games.
I've only been to two escape rooms, each from a different company. One was wonderfully immersive and had a twist that actually gave me all the best chills. Certainly worth every penny. The second was a bit more disappointing, but still fun. I consider games like this a way to enjoy the concept when you're trying not to spend quite so much money. Though not as immersive, still fun and more affordable.
Our decoder/timer didn't work properly. We had to loosely set the keys into the slots, then push them all down at the same time for it to work correctly. If we pushed them in order, it would say incorrect even when the solution was correct (as confirmed by the hint cards).
Biggest issue I had w/ the components were that you were given a _really_ small image to try to solve puzzles among 4 people. I enjoyed the puzzles, but wish we'd had multiple copies so everyone could work at the same time instead of passing paper around or trying to crowd around the really small papers. That said, I enjoyed the experience and agree that this might be a little hard for younger teens to do without help.
I just picked this up before Thanksgiving to play with the family over the holiday. We have only done the first one and we really enjoyed it. We did it with three people and because of the size of the clues going much above that could be challenging to see the clues but I've read other people that will copy the clues as soon as they pull them out of the envelopes or take pictures to make it easier. I will say - one big advantage of this over the actual escape room experiences is I have a couple of family members that are not big fans of enclosed spaces so being able to do this in my dining room is a HUGE plus. It also allows me to do it with my younger child who can come and go if they lose interest. They have already announced the first two expansions (that will use the existing chrono decoder) so hopefully that will continue. For families with kids I give this a huge thumbs up.
I'm an escape room junkie and have been trying to find a way to introduce my family to them, even though they live in a small town without any real rooms nearby. This sounds just about perfect!
Another great video. Double Trouble is quickly becoming a favorite video series. Keep it up! I saw this at Target and was very curious about it. This looks like something that would be great for my family. I introduced Love Letter to my mom and step-dad on Thanksgiving and they loved it. This looks like the next step.
Depends. If you didn't defeat the room you could go back through it and try to figure out the parts you didn't get through yet. But if you've defeated the room...then yeah, what's the point in going back through it? You'll already know all the answers to the clues and stuff. I think that's why it comes with 4 different rooms in the base game. Plus there's a bunch of other expansions.
Hi, I really like escape rooms and am thinking of adding this game into my board game collection. However, in the review it seems like replay value is really low due to the "destruction" of game pieces. I saw on their website that there are some downloads available. Just wants to know if the provided downloads replace every "destruction"
I feel the puzzles that were altered Legacy style was done so just to prevent people gifting the game to others after use. I hope it's not more than $40, since escape rooms tend to cost around $20/person, & there's only 4 hrs of game ($10/hr.)
All of the pieces that are destroyed can be downloaded and printed out again if you want to gift it. You won't though, you'll keep it until the expansions come out
Dude this is very helpful I have ordered the three game one the one with virus and two others I can’t remember I was so confused on how it would know which game I would play
On the website of the game, you can download the pieces of paper you have to write on during the game. If I download these, will the game be replayable? (not for me, but for another friend group).
Do you think this game could be played with a larger group? Maybe 10 or more? Of course the players would be as involved but do you still think this would be fun for a larger group team building activity?
Hey guys, we've been watching you for the past decade and always love your reviews! The Esc Room Addict team also reviewed this, and we agree with what you've shared. With lots of new in-home escape room board games coming into the market, I'm sure we'll see more reviews of this genre pop up in your catalog soon! :)
How expensive are escape rooms in the US? Because they are also here in Slovakia and I think the experience is equal to the price. It usually costs around 6-10 euros per person and you get around 60-90 minutes of great fun. I mean I believe this board game is fun (and I really want to try it) but there is a difference between solving a puzzle on your couch and literally moving a book in a bookshelf which opens a secret door.
In quebec, there are really pricey for my taste, like 20-25$ per person. quite crazy for only 1 hours. I am not sure how "fun", how "stupid" or hard those puzzle can be to really be interesting at that price in comparison for around 75$ per person you can get 3-4 hours paintball
Actually I know for sure that some of them can be done in English as we went one time in a form of team building and we have some English speakers in our team. The guy gave us all clues in English. You just need to make a reservation a few days/weeks ago and ask them about the language.
That's about right, based on my city, they run about 2-2.5 times as much as movie tickets, but unlike movie tickets, you usually won't have options for student/child/senior discounts, you don't have a matinee (early day/evening) discount, and many movies are much longer than escape rooms. Now granted, it may be much more fun than a movie (this will of course depend on the particular room and the particular movie; although the escape room will have much more interaction between the group during the activity), but I wouldn't call it a cheap activity. I wouldn't call going to the movies cheap either though. If a couple were to do escape rooms every weekend, they'd be spending about $200 - $250 a month; granted they'll soon run out of rooms unless they're traveling (in which case travel costs will probably eclipse room costs), but I'd say that's quite expensive for a non-"luxury" hobby.
Quentin Christensen Well yes but that means that they are twice the price for a quarter of the time(?). So the experience needs to be eight times as enjoyable to break even...(if my fun maths is working).
You could do it with one person who can understand English, translating clues. On the first one there's a 300 word story (not really important) and some clues with 20 words on. Most puzzles were numbers, shapes etc.
I've been watching Tom and the Dice Tower for over 5 years so I say the following with the utmost respect. I'm the manager of an escape room in Houston. I've played several escape room board games and have been to over 30 escape rooms across the US and enjoy both. I agree with you, Tom, that buying 4-5 tickets for your family/friends to go through an escape room can be expensive, but so is the board gaming hobby. I would say the escape room board games are a good starting point if you're unsure about the escape room experience. But the experience of an escape room is much more immersive than the board games.
I have been to an Escape room, and they are quite fun. But it's hard to justify that amount of money for an hour of fun. For me.
Michael Maringuran have to say the one escape room I've been to (Birmingham UK) was amazing and worth every penny. Expensive, yes, but unique.
Michael Maringuran I agree it is per person very reasonable and only becomes expensive when it is a family activity
I've only been to two escape rooms, each from a different company. One was wonderfully immersive and had a twist that actually gave me all the best chills. Certainly worth every penny. The second was a bit more disappointing, but still fun. I consider games like this a way to enjoy the concept when you're trying not to spend quite so much money. Though not as immersive, still fun and more affordable.
Our decoder/timer didn't work properly. We had to loosely set the keys into the slots, then push them all down at the same time for it to work correctly. If we pushed them in order, it would say incorrect even when the solution was correct (as confirmed by the hint cards).
Biggest issue I had w/ the components were that you were given a _really_ small image to try to solve puzzles among 4 people. I enjoyed the puzzles, but wish we'd had multiple copies so everyone could work at the same time instead of passing paper around or trying to crowd around the really small papers. That said, I enjoyed the experience and agree that this might be a little hard for younger teens to do without help.
I just picked this up before Thanksgiving to play with the family over the holiday. We have only done the first one and we really enjoyed it. We did it with three people and because of the size of the clues going much above that could be challenging to see the clues but I've read other people that will copy the clues as soon as they pull them out of the envelopes or take pictures to make it easier.
I will say - one big advantage of this over the actual escape room experiences is I have a couple of family members that are not big fans of enclosed spaces so being able to do this in my dining room is a HUGE plus. It also allows me to do it with my younger child who can come and go if they lose interest.
They have already announced the first two expansions (that will use the existing chrono decoder) so hopefully that will continue. For families with kids I give this a huge thumbs up.
Well done Melody, you're getting more and more confident in reviewing and show stronger opinions than before!
I'm an escape room junkie and have been trying to find a way to introduce my family to them, even though they live in a small town without any real rooms nearby. This sounds just about perfect!
This game was so fun I got it as a gift a while ago. I played all four.
Thanks Tom for giving my Takenoko hoodie to Melody. Glad it made it to one of your videos. :) Hope she enjoys it! ~Rachel
1977rsj it's great! do you sell those? I'd be interested.
I picked this up and played the first scenario with just my fiance. It worked out really well. We had the same problem as you guys in the last puzzle.
Another great video. Double Trouble is quickly becoming a favorite video series. Keep it up! I saw this at Target and was very curious about it. This looks like something that would be great for my family. I introduced Love Letter to my mom and step-dad on Thanksgiving and they loved it. This looks like the next step.
Looks awesome!
Melody...more hoodies!! :)
you guys reviews are getting much better. Melody is really becoming a great reviewer, it's good to see.
I find that these are A LOT harder than the Exit game series. Some really challenging puzzles!
Really appreciate this review. Your excitement was palpable. Thanks!
I have the other one escape the room with the submarine and behind the enemy lines how do u set that up?
If you already played a room once that means you can't play it again forever?
Depends. If you didn't defeat the room you could go back through it and try to figure out the parts you didn't get through yet.
But if you've defeated the room...then yeah, what's the point in going back through it? You'll already know all the answers to the clues and stuff.
I think that's why it comes with 4 different rooms in the base game. Plus there's a bunch of other expansions.
Love the dark wing duck hat there, Tom.
Hi, I really like escape rooms and am thinking of adding this game into my board game collection. However, in the review it seems like replay value is really low due to the "destruction" of game pieces. I saw on their website that there are some downloads available. Just wants to know if the provided downloads replace every "destruction"
Yes, I think you can.
I have this, and it’s honestly really fun
Awesome review! Really looking forward to playing this one now ^^.
When you guys play a one V one game, call it "Hats vs Hoodies!".
Does it self detonate when it gets to 00:00 ?
Great review! I'm going to now order this for my son.
I feel the puzzles that were altered Legacy style was done so just to prevent people gifting the game to others after use. I hope it's not more than $40, since escape rooms tend to cost around $20/person, & there's only 4 hrs of game ($10/hr.)
All of the pieces that are destroyed can be downloaded and printed out again if you want to gift it. You won't though, you'll keep it until the expansions come out
As long as expansions use the base game component(s), you have a good point there.
Actually I think it retails at 29.99 and the box says it has some expansions coming out next year.
if you fail one of the rooms, can you replay it?
Ken Shafer i think only the first one as you don't destroy anything.
but you can still take your time and finish the other riddles.
Thanks for the review! I was actually thinking of buying this before the review was put up. :)
Dude this is very helpful I have ordered the three game one the one with virus and two others I can’t remember I was so confused on how it would know which game I would play
and a like for Melody's Double Fist Boom sign off. Keep that.
Did it give you the same feeling or at least a similar feeling to going through an escape room?
We just played PRISON BREAK and found it to be REALLY hard. Like way harder than EXIT.
On the website of the game, you can download the pieces of paper you have to write on during the game. If I download these, will the game be replayable? (not for me, but for another friend group).
Great review!
Keep seeing this at Wal-Mart. Love escape rooms too. Now I'm sold, Tom.
Do you think this game could be played with a larger group? Maybe 10 or more? Of course the players would be as involved but do you still think this would be fun for a larger group team building activity?
Hey guys, we've been watching you for the past decade and always love your reviews! The Esc Room Addict team also reviewed this, and we agree with what you've shared. With lots of new in-home escape room board games coming into the market, I'm sure we'll see more reviews of this genre pop up in your catalog soon! :)
How expensive are escape rooms in the US? Because they are also here in Slovakia and I think the experience is equal to the price. It usually costs around 6-10 euros per person and you get around 60-90 minutes of great fun. I mean I believe this board game is fun (and I really want to try it) but there is a difference between solving a puzzle on your couch and literally moving a book in a bookshelf which opens a secret door.
In quebec, there are really pricey for my taste, like 20-25$ per person. quite crazy for only 1 hours. I am not sure how "fun", how "stupid" or hard those puzzle can be to really be interesting at that price
in comparison for around 75$ per person you can get 3-4 hours paintball
OK that's like 3 times the price we have here. I'm sorry to hear that. That would be too much for me as well.
Do the Slovakia games require understanding the language? Because that's very good value, could be worth a trip!
Actually I know for sure that some of them can be done in English as we went one time in a form of team building and we have some English speakers in our team. The guy gave us all clues in English. You just need to make a reservation a few days/weeks ago and ask them about the language.
It's sad that board and video games are so expensive 😭
Im glad to play if it helps the delevoper make the game better
Its like 25 bucks at walmart yo. Aint that much.
It costed me 40 euros = 42 dollars.
I didn't get the part about replayability ; the first one can be replayed and the others not? or the opposite?
Can more people play it? I’m thinking of getting it for a group of 8 to play
Escape Room are not expensive if you're a 4 or 5 people group ! It's more or less the price of 2 cinema seats per person.
That's about right, based on my city, they run about 2-2.5 times as much as movie tickets, but unlike movie tickets, you usually won't have options for student/child/senior discounts, you don't have a matinee (early day/evening) discount, and many movies are much longer than escape rooms. Now granted, it may be much more fun than a movie (this will of course depend on the particular room and the particular movie; although the escape room will have much more interaction between the group during the activity), but I wouldn't call it a cheap activity. I wouldn't call going to the movies cheap either though. If a couple were to do escape rooms every weekend, they'd be spending about $200 - $250 a month; granted they'll soon run out of rooms unless they're traveling (in which case travel costs will probably eclipse room costs), but I'd say that's quite expensive for a non-"luxury" hobby.
Quentin Christensen Well yes but that means that they are twice the price for a quarter of the time(?). So the experience needs to be eight times as enjoyable to break even...(if my fun maths is working).
Cthulwho? Twice the price for half the time. And yes, an Escape room is clearly 4 times better than a movie !
Are the codes the same for every game or do you put in what game you're on? It would suck if you could just remember the keys
all different. the decoder is quite clever actually, you don't have to tell it which game you're doing it figures it out from the first code you use
is there a VR version of this. Seems cool.
Anyone know about Canadian availability? I want to pick it up for my wife for Xmas.
Matthew Penner it's at toys r us. do you have those?
Melody is adorable!!
Awesome
yo
πού το βρικατε και ποσο κανι
Would not-smooth-English speaking people be hindered much?
You could do it with one person who can understand English, translating clues. On the first one there's a 300 word story (not really important) and some clues with 20 words on. Most puzzles were numbers, shapes etc.
6x5x4x3
No, there are duplicate keys.
God this game looks boring
Can you play multiple times each scenario