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LOCATION: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Photo above is property of Escape Manor Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📝 ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Covert Ops 📅 DATE PLAYED: August 27, 2026 🎬 GENRE: Thriller, Espionage, Spy 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 6 Players): 7/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 6-1`2 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: CAD $39/ pp (Thurs & Sun), CAD $41/ pp (Fri & Sat) ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private (if 6+ ppl, could be public if 6- ppl) 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 👀 THE LOOK Located in Carp, a small suburb of Ottawa, the escape room is set inside the Diefenbunker. Built in 1961 during the Cold War, this underground bunker was designed to house members of the Canadian government in the event of a nuclear attack on Ottawa. After it was decommissioned in 1994, the site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada and later converted into a museum. Today, visiting the museum feels like stepping into a snapshot of the 1960s and 1970s with the décor, design and items. People can tour the museum for free on the same day of their escape room, which shows how the bunker operated, the roles people would have held inside, and broader Cold War history. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📖 THE STORY An enemy spy organization has infiltrated the upper ranks of the government and is planning to detonate a bomb within the hour. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) does not know the spies’ identities, so they have called on your team for help. To stop the bomb, you must identify the infiltrators and recover the three access keys in their possession. 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE The game divided the group into three teams, Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie. Each group was responsible for finding one of the keys through their own stream of puzzles. Though we played with two people in each stream, this keeps each team to a maximum of four players at capacity, which is an ideal size for keeping everyone involved. The puzzles were layered over the bunker’s existing decor, making the experience feel integrated within the space. The puzzles were very approachable and process driven, making the room accessible to people who are less experienced with escape rooms. One of the three teams consisted of my two kids (age 11 and 13) and they were able to complete one of the streams on their own. The storyline blended with the Diefenbunker setting, which helped the game feel connected to its location. The game also stayed on a single floor of the bunker, which gave each team enough space to work on their own while still feeling connected when we crossed paths. A gamemaster was nearby and easy to reach whenever the team needed help, either through walkie talkie or calling out to them. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK There were no major misses with this game. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? The Diefenbunker is such a unique, historical museum and overlaying an escape room game on top of it was such a memorable experience. The puzzles were beginner friendly and the story blended well with the location which created an approachable game for anyone. As six experienced players, we were able to finish the game, but this would be great for a larger group of novice and intermediate players. Overall, this is one to check out if you are looking for a one of a kind experience or something fun to introduce beginner puzzlers to, as well as a great deal for a ticket to the museum and an escape room, rolled into one. ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO Free Parking On the day of the escape room, you receive free general admission to the museum. (Something definitely worth taking advantage of.) The room is only available to play Thursday through Sunday evenings only in French and English. Reaching the game requires walking down a long corridor, and the game itself involves a fair amount of walking. Photos above are 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 Escape Manor Ottawa for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #MatthewLui #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #EscapeManor #Thriller #Espionage #Spy #Ottawa #Canada

LOCATION: West Seattle, Washington, USA Photo above is property of Sure Lock Escapes Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📝 ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: Neon Shadows: The Polybius Files 📅 DATE PLAYED: August 10, 2026 🎬 GENRE: Sci-fi, Retro 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 8/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-10 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 90 Mins. 💰 PRICE: $42.00+/ pp (depending on # of players) ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes 📖 THE STORY In the early 1980's, the arcade game POLYBIUS emerged in the Pacific Northwest, associated with reports of strange player behavior and rumors of mind control and government conspiracies. The machines vanished mysteriously. Decades later, an abandoned storage unit filled with 80s memorabilia, including an eerie arcade cabinet, is found. Can you uncover the truth behind the Polybius legend? Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE When we first stepped into the game, we were convinced we had stumbled into a time machine set to the 1980s. Movie posters, games, toys, and the arcade machine itself—it was like the 80s had packed up all its belongings and moved into one room. It was a thrilling and nostalgic blast from the past! There was this music puzzle that was so much fun, we might have "accidentally" hit replay a few times just to belt out some tunes. Who knew solving puzzles could double as karaoke night? The game followed a relatively linear progression; however, the abundance of items in the room necessitated a "search and find" approach at times, fostering a collaborative team effort. We particularly appreciated the sound notifications and light cues, as they effectively guided us by indicating precisely where and what to focus on for the subsequent puzzle, whether it involved something that had opened or where to locate the next clue. The creators employed a variety of innovative methods in utilizing props to construct the puzzles. One particular prop evoked memories of my school days, and we were impressed by the manner in which the solution was unveiled. The game dynamically adjusts based on your progress, making it indistinguishable which puzzles are optional and which are mandatory. We appreciated this seamless integration, as it contrasts with other games that need to label bonus puzzles. This design also provides enthusiasts with a more challenging experience compared to beginner players. 🧩 MISSED THE MARK This game is certainly a highlight of our Washington escape room tour, and we have no additional comments regarding this segment. However, we suggest implementing a progression report, possibly on the arcade machine, to inform participants of the remaining puzzles they need to complete. 🏹 TAKE A SHOT? We absolutely loved this experience, especially me, being an 80's baby! It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane as I explored the game, bringing back so many wonderful memories. Brandon, being a 70s baby, probably recognized even more items since he has a few more years on me. But here's the thing: you don’t have to be born in those eras to enjoy this game. If you're from a younger generation, you'll likely be fascinated by some of these items—like, what's a projector? The fun is brilliantly built into the games and props, and anyone can have a blast playing them. The ending part gave us an adrenaline rush as the time counted down. We highly recommend giving this game a try when you're in the Seattle area! Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO There is a paid lot immediately outside the building or free street parking where available. Lobby with seating and locker Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Check out our YouTube video for a sneak peek of the other locations, interview with the owner, the room(s) (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 Sure Lock Escapes for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #IRLescaperoom #EscapeRooms #SureLockEscapes #Sci-Fi #Retro #Washington #USA

Photos have been provided by Escape Manor Company: Escape Manor Game: Taken: The Swiss Account Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Digital Escape Game 💻 Genre: Detective Date Played: June 14, 2020 Difficulty (based on 4 players): 6/10 Size of Team: Up to 4 Players Time: 60-90 Minutes (Approximately) Price: $19.99 + tax If your dream is to become a detective one day, this is the game for you! A high-profile personnel has been kidnapped! Our team of 4 will be working with INTERPOL to try to save him from the kidnappers and hopefully land a job at INTERPOL! This was a great game to be played on Zoom. Once you purchase it, you could host the game and play with friends anytime. There was a lot of searching that had to be done on different social media platforms (some we haven't even seen before). If you don't have LinkedIN, Spotify, Facebook and Instagram, your team would need to create one (free version is fine). There would be no need to add or follow anyone on these platforms. It's merely for clue searching. It would be wise to divide the different tasks among your team members. Some questions were very obvious and some would need a lot more digging. From first look, we thought we would be able to complete this game quite quickly but in the end, we completed it in about 45 minutes. This wasn't a game involving any logic puzzles. It was more of a mystery solving type of feel. It was still satisfying at times to be able to "unlock" answers from our cyber sleuthing results and the finale made us felt like we actually saved the day. Go Team! (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank Escape Manor for providing us with a sample of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #EscapeManor #Taken #TheSwissAccount #DigitalEscapeGames #Detective #Hacking #Hacker #Adventure

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