Escape Game SD

I came here with a friend for both of our first experiences with any type of escape room and it did not disappoint! They showed a cool little movie during the initial orientation which helped set the mood and make it scarier. When we arrived, we found out that the other small party that was supposed to participate had cancelled last minute so it was just me and my friend. This escape game was made for more people, so it was definitely more challenging with just the two of us. However, the game masters were really nice and understanding and since it was our first time they took a lot of extra time/​effort to explain things to us. One of them even came into the room with us the first 5 minutes to help us settle in and they also provided us with unlimited hints (but we chose to stick with the usual 3 given). The décor inside was done well and certainly scared my friend a few times. It took a little while to understand how the puzzles worked, but they were pretty interesting and made me feel like a detective. Overall it was a great experience and I look forward to trying more rooms like this! The game masters were great and we had a long conversation after game was over and they told us about other games in the area and were also interested in getting to know us. I would definitely recommend this to friends!

Hosted a small birthday party here for 9 people this past Sunday, and what a great success!!! Krina was fabulous… Super helpful and super accommodating. Not to mention, very patient with our group’s many questions!
We chose the Japanese thriller room and were not disappointed! For starters, it was kinda scary (but then again i scare pretty easily), and the scariness just added to the fun/​thrill. The puzzles were challenging, and exciting. Overall, it was a great experience, and everyone had a ton of fun! Will def be checking out more escape rooms with them in the future! :)

I first discovered Escape Game SD via Groupon & after reading the reviews, I knew that my husband & I had to try it out. I am so happy that I discovered this gem because we had the best time!
We signed up for the Japanese Thriller room & were paired with a group of four guys. We all meshed really well & worked well as a team which made for a great experience. Our host, Paolo, was friendly & his energy during the introduction, as well as after we escaped, made for a fun night.
The booking process was also easy & I was able to reserve our desired time via email. Additionally, I received a reminder email prior to our reservation date which included important information, such as parking and location details.
We will definitely be returning for the Einstein’s Office experience and for their upcoming third room. Thanks, Paolo & Escape Game SD!

We did this on Sunday ¹⁄₃₁ at 1:45 pm the Japanese one. Our host was awesome. Carina I think? She was super enthusiastic and was patient with language barrier confusion from our teammate Milind. He had so many questions. I couldn’t wait to escape to the actual game. Nonetheless he was probably our mvp during the game. We escaped with over 11 minutes left and placed number 7 or 8^th all time. Carina kept all scores confidential, which was both admirable and curious at the same time. I have ambivalent feelings regarding this issue. Nonetheless she was a rock star host and this was an incredibly fun way to celebrate my birthday. Don’t even think twice. Sign up and hope you get Carina.

The whole solving puzzles, putting clues together, etc, to get out of a locked room is pretty fun. I enjoyed it as a computer game, and I definitely enjoyed this in real life version.
The location is in Hillcrest. It was pretty easy to find. I appreciated how the reminder email mentioned that it was located above a tattoo parlor, definitely helpful and considerate to the customer.
The girl that helped our group was pretty nice. Explained things pretty clearly.
Overall, I really enjoyed the experience. We did the Japanese Thriller Room, and the setup leading up to the hour and the activities within the room were fun, exciting, and stimulating.
The one thing that I feel should change is the max number of people/​room allowed. I mean, if people ask to have a big group, it should be allowed, but the space is too small for a max number of 9, so having to combine 2 different groups shouldn’t have to happen. It made it more difficult to work as a team because of the space issue.
I would definitely come here again. The employee mentioned that they were coming out with a wizards/​magic themed room, and that is definitely up my alley.
I would highly recommend this place for someone looking for a new, fun activity. Also, check groupon/​living social for a deal.

This was a BLAST! Games and puzzles challenging but not to hard. Great way to spend an hour. Wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. Staff super nice and helpful. Five stars hands down! We escaped in 53 minutes.

Bought my voucher on groupon, super fun and worth it. Got out in 50 minutes and it wasn’t too hard, although my friend did all the work lol

This was my first escape room experience and I was pretty bad. We did the Japanese Thriller room and it was fun, exciting, and super challenging. Most of the girls in the group were antsy and terrified, but the men got right down to business and began finding clues and solving puzzles. It was a great time. I honestly cannot wait to go back and try a different room!

This was my friends and I first time doing one of these escape rooms and honestly we had so much fun! Satoshi did a great job of setting the tone and keep the energy up for all of us (we were all a little hungover to be honest lol) we did the Japanese thriller but definitely plan on going back to do the Einstein one next! I recommend this place to anyone looking to do something a little different. My friends were talking about the game the rest of the day, we all had a great time.

This experience was my first escape room and was one of a kind! It was an absolute blast. I brought my parents and friends for my birthday, and all of us being slightly afraid ended up having an incredible experience. It really is a thrill! And a fun and creative thing to do with your family and friends! We laughed, screamed, and worked together! Definitely will do this again!

This was my first escape room experience but it was one of the most memorable, challenging, and fun activities I have ever done!!! I mean sure, a lot of us go out and share cocktails or food to spend quality time with each other — but an escape room really takes it to the next level!
The place was really easy to find because they had a sign on the street.
The game and theme were very creatively set up. My party of 4 (all first time escape roomers), which was combined with 3 other fun and bright individuals were able to crack the Einstein’s Time Portal after much deliberation and clue-​finding. It was awesome. We had a great team! Everybody found their place in solving bits and pieces of the puzzle (s). We had an awesome flow and were able to work fantastically as a team.
Come with an open mind and BE PREPARED TO BE DAZZLED. Without giving anything away, (B/​C YOU SHOULD GO CHECK THIS ESCAPE ROOM OUT!!) I can tell you that you will be amazed at the level of set-​up, planning, execution, and involvement the owners of this escape room must have put into it.
We didn’t use any of the hints that were available to us — but it was nice knowing going in that it was available if needed. And Paolo, the guy who briefed us before and after, was super enthused, fun, and gave us great feedback.
We had such a good time that I insisted I meet the owners to thank them. I had the pleasure of meeting the 3 guys who started Escape Game SD and they were HOTTIES. I found out that this was a side project they started and they were SO NICE and down to earth. You could tell from the ingenuity of the game that it was created by very intelligent, thoughtful, detail-​oriented individuals. But to then have that confirmed by meeting them was quite delightful.
I can’t wait to go try the Japanese Thriller Room.
Thank you Escape Room SD for a great time. This was a great bonding activity!

This is super fun!
I got the Groupon for Two and had a great time. It’s very investigative and interactive — a fully furnished apartment that you can totally go through to discover clues.
The puzzles aren’t too hard, but team dynamics can be hard. My pair was put with a pair of stubborn guys and a bunch of underage girls with their mom. This doesn’t at all reflect on the business itself — but maybe think before you bring a group of screaming teenage girls, or book it out fully.
The room itself really immerses you in the story.
The moderator didn’t seem stoked about her job though, which sucks.
There are scary parts (especially if you get into it), but it’s worth the fright!

This was a fun escape room, though they need to maintain it a little better. I dont want to give anything away so I won’t elaborate much but things need to be patched up or fixed. Overall the puzzles were good and I enjoyed it despite my group not communicating at all. My only complaint is that I felt the puzzles should be more linear and one should lead to another. That may just be me being picky but because we were with a bunch of people we didn’t know, everyone just went in separate rooms and just tried to solve puzzles on their own. We did escape, although I don’t even know how half the puzzles got solved. Not necessarily the venues fault but just how I feel. Still, if you are in SD this is a fun escape room.

We had so much fun tonight! Thanks for a great night! The best part was when we were down to the last few seconds and me and my dad finally figured out the clues to get in our box! Loved it! Great adrenaline rush!

Had so much fun! However, we thought we would be participating alone with our group of 4. Instead they combined us with another group of 4 and it was a little hard working through the puzzles in such a big group. A group of 6 would probably have been perfect. The rooms could also use a little more décor.
Overall, though, we enjoyed our experience and would recommend!

This was my first «escape room» experience with my daughter. It was well organized, well planned and lots of fun. We were grouped up with 6 other people which was nice because two people definitely could have not figured it out in time as a first experience.

So we went here for a friends birthday. I honestly didn’t want to do this. My mind traditionally doesn’t work well with these kind of «puzzles», so I thought. We had a group of 8 plus a child, we gave him a goal for the easy stuff.
We had an absolute blast. Me and a friend figured out the most intricate aspect in order for us to get out of the room, which made me pretty stoked. There were a few scary aspects but it was just plain fun.
They give you a whole back story on what you are getting into, to scare you.
Work as a team to figure everything out. You get 3 clues, that they will help you with.
We want to do it again.
Go and book a trip!
Thanks for the amazing time.

THE BEST WAY TO ESCAPE IS TO SOLVE IT
LOCATION: behind the building without clear sign. DIFFICULT to find. We had to keep calling for direction where finally the host came out to the street to find us.
2 (two) maze rooms:
###JAPANESE MAZE: beginner level– horror crime theme. Designed for 3 (three) people.
###EINSTEIN MAZE: intermediate level – science theme. Recommended for group of people that already play this kind of game. Room fits up to 9 (nine) people.
The key is GAME PLAN: distribute tasks, e.g. if there’s 2 (two) rooms, assigned team members to split and solve each room tasks. Then, allow time for group to communicate and exchange info because sometime each room could have linked clues to solve the next puzzle.
SERVICE: Excellent!!! The host is still young funny friendly and very professional. He catered all of our requests and very polite. He answered all of our questions since some are new to this game and joking around here and there. I felt like visiting friend’s house to play games (that kind of feeling).
RESTROOM: 2 (two). One for each maze.
Where to put your belongings when you’re playing detective? There’s a waiting room where you could store your belongings, so no worries.
The gamemaster gives you 3 (three) FREE clues once you’re inside the room which you could utilize by pressing the intercom button and asked him/​her. After 3 free questions, your team will be deducted 50 points for each question.
The points system is for the business to honor the best performance team of the year. Each year they will draw names then invite 3 best teams to compete with each other.
ARE YOU READY?!

Awesome experience, I was a little skeptical going in because I had never done one of these before, but I would definitely go back. Great group activity with a little bit of mystery, suspense, and horror mixed in. I recommend this to anyone thinking of going. JUST DO IT! I would definitely go back if they have other scenarios!!!
The woman that helped us was also super friendly and accommodating, even though we were the last group of the night!

One of the best date nights I have ever been on! Escape Rooms are taking over San Diego & I highly, highly recommend making Escape Game SD your first stop!
I chose this location because it was one of the best rated ones that allow 9 people. The other ones have a max limit of 4 or 5 people. There were 6 of us & we purchased our tickets online (Call for the promo code for Unilocal to get a discount!) There is a parking structure nearby & you can purchase 2 hours for $ 5. Entrance is in the back & upstairs. We met the other 3 people in our group & our hostess, Amaleen? (I am sure I misspelled her name) was awesome! The game begins with an introduction video, & we are led to 2 rooms, with 2 rooms locked. From there, the fun begins! We did the Horror theme & me being the chicken that I am, was super freaked out, but it was so worth it! I will be back to check out the Einstein theme once it is finished!