The clock was ticking… 60 minutes… 30 minutes… 15 minutes. Before we knew it there were 2 minutes left on the looming overhead clock and a jungle to be saved! We still needed to find the final clue for the sake of the jungle and, well, our egos. We were so close. This was our first visit to an Escape Room so we weren’t quite sure what to expect. What we did expect were puzzles and challenges, but little did we know you aren’t actually trying to “escape” out of the room. Essentially, an Escape Room involves a series of puzzles that you solve in order to find the next clue that eventually leads to your end goal, in our case it was finding the stolen golden skull.
We visited Escape This Live, a family-owned business in Boise and long time dream of owner Sherry Herrington. They are one of the highest-rated Escape Rooms in the Treasure Valley, and now we know why! We chose the Jungle Adventure but they feature 6 challenging themed rooms:
Jungle Adventure
Santa’s Workshop
Pirate Ship
Wild West Saloon
Wizards Final Exam
Zombie Escape
They are located off of Franklin and Orchard in an apartment-like business complex. It can be a little tricky to find, if you are looking at the street, they are on the left side, third door.
When we walked in, the employees were currently operating over a speaker, so you don’t actually see or meet anyone in person. We are unsure if this is due to Covid or if that’s how it usually is, but it honestly adds an eerie factor to the overall experience. The jungle room was located in the building next door, so we checked in, grabbed the backpacks that we were told would help us in the room, and followed the map to the jungle room. Once we were in, the game operator told us the story about the stolen golden skull, it was our mission to find it and return it to its rightful place. That was it. The clock started. We were on our own!
We looked at each other. Puzzled. But luckily, we’re a pretty dang good team. We reached for the backpacks that we had been given and immediately noticed that they were locked. And we had no keys. So the fun began. We put our heads together and began looking around for clues. The first couple of minutes were challenging since none of us had done this before, we looked around the room, and soon began to get the hang of it and found our first clue. Then the next. The countdown clock screen gave us clues throughout the game when it seemed like we were struggling. The clues were helpful, but not obvious so you still have to use your ol’ noggin.
The room was expertly decorated with music and props making it feel like we were actually in the jungle. We were in awe of some of the effects which really made the experience.
With the final minutes on the clock, we finally unlocked the final clue and returned the golden skull back to its rightful place. All was right in the jungle, and we escaped.
We were uncertain, at first. Confused as our blood pressure continued to rise with the clock counting down. But throughout our time in the room, we were having more and more fun. Working together to try to solve the puzzles. You know what they say, time flies when you’re having fun! Would we do it again? Absolutely! Escape Rooms are an excellent bonding experience for families, friends, and coworkers! We are eager to try out the other themed rooms that Escape This Live, Boise has. We are already planning our next escape, we do love a good adventure after all.
Some tips for your first Escape Room:
- Think outside the box. You will have to use your brain but in a fun way! Because of this, it is recommended for anyone over 12 years old. Children can still have fun, but they will need the help of an adult.
- Divide and conquer. If the clues don’t need to be followed in order, it can be helpful to have team members solving different puzzles or looking for the next clue.
- Follow the hints that are given. Remember to look at the countdown screen for hints.
- Have fun! It can be easy to get into the competitive spirit, if you don’t beat the clock don’t get discouraged, remember the ultimate goal is to have fun!
