60 to Escape (Schaumburg) - "Mystery Manor"
- Krista Jones
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
LOCATION: Schaumburg, Illinois, USA
Photo above is property of 60 to Escape
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Mystery Manor
📅 DATE PLAYED: May 13, 2026
🎬 GENRE: Mystery, Paranormal
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 4/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 4-8 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins.
💰 PRICE: $42.00 - $45.00/ pp (depending on # of players)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
You’ve been called to the manor under mysterious circumstances…the prior owner has passed and, for some reason, you’ve been told that you were designated as the inheritors of the estate! However, you’ll need to find the deed (and the supposed fortune) for yourself. How hard could that be?
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
Spooky but family-friendly: There is certainly a spooky atmosphere and skeletons abound, but (one mild jump scare aside) the game balances that with humor and remains family-friendly, with well signposted puzzles suitable for beginners and the space and flow to accommodate slightly larger groups.
Excellent flow: This room just works. The puzzles make sense, the tech all worked. There was very little to fault, and it delivered a seamless experience from start to finish.
Great use of the environment: There is nice set dressing appropriate to the haunted mansion theme, but with each space having a distinct feel, and they do a great job of concealing effects and puzzles within the setting.
Time for narrative: As players who are sometimes poor at pausing and fully taking in narrative, we really appreciated that the timer pauses and some electronic puzzles become inaccessible during the story exposition periods. This just allows more space and motivation to pay attention to the story without feeling torn or pressured to continue solving at the same time.
Ouija board sensitivity: There is a Ouija board in the game, which fits well with the theme. While it isn’t something we have any issues with, GMs have the ability to bypass use of the board if players are uncomfortable with it. We appreciated this additional effort to be more inclusive and the flexibility to help players feel comfortable and have a great time.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
There’s not much to criticize with this experience, but a few considerations for some players:
Visual and aural clarity: There was one spot where two colors were difficult to distinguish and match to their counterparts. This was a consistent issue we saw across a number of rooms at this location. There were also a few audio sections which were a little hard to hear, but nothing that really impacted gameplay. These are minor quibbles in an excellent game.
Out of world elements: As with many escape rooms, the GM intros include references to rules and gameplay. There is a large screen with a timer and where written hints are displayed as need after you hit the clue button. While none of these are necessarily problematic, they would be the next step in taking this room to the next level by heightening immersion with more in-world intros (costumes, acting) and hint systems. (It’s only mentioned here because it IS a game that is otherwise running at such a high level.)
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
"Mystery Manor" is a fantastic game. It’s a fabulous option for beginners, including larger groups, and we had a blast playing. We just didn’t want it to end so soon…it was only a 25-minute game for our experienced team of 2. If there were some kind of adaptive difficulty or additional puzzles that could be added for more experienced teams, it would make the room feel like a fuller experience for a greater range of folx. Nonetheless, we were very impressed by the design and well-roundedness of the game: smooth flow, fun tech that worked cleanly, developing narrative, satisfyingly tactile puzzles, some surprising reveals…it delivered them all! So if you’re ready to be a little spooked and go seek your fortune, take on the manor!
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
Large lobby with seating
Merchandise for sale
There are bathrooms (much cleaner and nicer than the main mall ones) and water fountains.
There are no lockers, but there are hooks and a spot on the floor in each room where you can leave your things.
Located inside the Woodfield Mall
Free parking (closest entrance would be one near P.F. Chang's (Middle Level, Grand Court next to "Cinnabon")
60 to Escape also has a 9 hole mini golf experience available - "Putt Portal Mystery Golf"
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
Check out our YouTube video for a sneak peek of their Schaumburg location, an interview with the manager & owner, and a look inside their rooms (no puzzle spoilers) and more:
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank 60 to Escape for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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