Review: Avalanche, Maze Rooms, Los Angeles
Fun Factor 7
Maze Rooms
900 S Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
Date we played: December 21, 2024
Booking size 2 to 8; We recommend 2 to 4
Game time: 60 minutes
Objective: You’re ski trip took a turn for the worst…the only place to escape from snow is an abandoned house. But something else is up with this house - try to radio for help and survive until the rescue comes!
Horror Theme: No.
Difficulty: Intermediate
We recommend playing Avalanche by Maze Rooms and give it a Fun Factor of 7 because it features a well-made set that varies considerably with the progression of the story, which is very fun to explore. There are many puzzles - most are at the intermediate level, but there are a couple that are more advanced. One of the last puzzles used a variation we had not seen before - but its solving was hampered by audio that was muffled, and the three of us each had a different interpretation of what we heard. There is quite a bit of technology used, and everything worked fine (except for the muffled audio) - Maze Rooms does a good job of using technology to simulate interaction with other people.
All of the rooms were quite different— which we enjoyed. The scenario is straightforward and seems like something we have seen many times, but Maze Rooms’ description on the website, “…there’s something wrong with this house…” advanced the narrative of the Avalanche escape room in fun ways we did not expect.
Part of the fun set with many details that will make you forget you are on Robertson Blvd in Los Angeles!
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The puzzles are varied with clean, elegant solutions. There is a moderate to low amount of scavenging around for props. There will be one time when one team member will be briefly separated - but you will get to decide who that is. I typically do not like game mechanics that require a split team - as too often it adds arbitrary, unenjoyable difficulty — but Maze Rooms did this cleverly and organically to advance the story without adding unnecessary difficulty.
The puzzles are generally at the intermediate level - but we enjoyed two puzzles that required more advanced puzzle-solving. Many puzzles reminded us that we are in an escape room with puzzles designed for us to solve. Our favorite type of puzzle (the hardest to design) are those that are organic for the situation - meaning that you’re not just solving a puzzle - but you are using or repurposing the set and props in a way to accomplish a task - you will find several of those in the Avalanche escape room.
The set was varied in ways we found unexpected— which increased our engagement and contributed to our fun.
The hint system is over a walkie-talkie. Everyone will need to crawl or duck way down at one point to enter a space - if this is an issue, ask your game host if this can be avoided. Metered street parking has not been an issued for us the several times we have visited this location.
