Escape room review: ‘Legend of the Yeti’ at The Escape Game Orlando
When a team of explorers disappears while chasing a mythical artifact, the only things left behind are a frozen outpost and whispers of an ancient myth. In The Escape Game Orlando’s newest experience, “Legend of the Yeti,” players are tasked with discovering what happened to the doomed expedition, recover the legendary jewel, and escaping before the snowstorm (or the Yeti) traps them forever.
The Escape Game Orlando invited the Attractions Magazine crew to try out their all-new escape room and see if we could weather the storm or if we’d freeze under the pressure.
One thing The Escape Game does well is not let an overly complicated story get in the way of their experiences. While many of their room names can feel basic (“Playground,” “The Depths,” “The Heist”), the simple nature of the themes mean that players don’t have to waste time understanding a bunch of lore and instead can jump right into the experience. “The Legend of the Yeti” is no different, as the game begins in the snowy wilderness immediately outside a locked outpost.
The Escape Game does a good job theming out its rooms, and each location in the experience looked and felt great, from the snowy wilderness to the abandoned cabin and beyond. Both scenery and props were solid and fun, and gave the room a tactile and immersive feel which served to heighten the experience.
Having recently toured The Escape Game’s scene shop and design facility in Nashville, I know firsthand the care and effort that went into the creation of this game and all of its elements. Special effects including a snow machine, projections, secret panels, lights, audio, and maybe a jump scare or two added to the experience each step of the way.
The game featured a good variety of obstacles including physical challenges, lateral thinking, scavenger hunts, and puzzling. For the most part, clues flowed logically. We were able to eventually figure out what we were intended to do. After a few particular realizations, we did get that ever-coveted “Aha!” moment that keeps us coming back for more.
We did get stuck on one of the last tasks for a bit before a hint nudged us in the right direction. After the game, I asked how we were supposed to know to try that specific thing and our game master was unfortunately unable to explain how we were to solve it without just trying random things. I chalk this up to the newness of the room and inexperience running it, and hope that eventually they will be more comfortable with explaining the flow and nudging based on the intending logic. I will say, in hindsight, I did eventually realize what the intended logical path was and while it was a bit of a leap, it did make sense.
That moment aside, we did have a few other quibbles with the experience. “Legend of the Yeti” took place in the same location and used the same general build as a version of the “Gold Rush” escape room, which we had done previously. This meant we already knew the flow of the rooms and so we lost a bit of the surprise since we already knew where the secret passages were. Being the same footprint as “Gold Rush,” one of my original complaints remains with the second room being inaccessible to those in a wheel chair due to steps leading in and a slide leading out. If there was another way to access this room, I could not see it, and while I appreciate the use of unique elements, I’m always a little disappointed when a full third of the experience is inaccessible to some people with physical disabilities.
All told, “Legend of the Yet”i is an enjoyable experience and fits well in The Escape Game’s collection of experiences. I would put this roughly on par with “Gold Rush” in my hierarchy of The Escape Game rooms. Our team of very experienced escapers made it out with 14:00 minutes to spare with only the aforementioned couple of nudges to get us through. I particularly enjoyed the wide variety of puzzles to tackle all at the same time, which meant there was almost always something for everyone to do and we seldomly found ourselves just standing around waiting for one person to finish something.
We played this game less than a month after it opened and I expect the experience to continue to improve as the game masters gain experience and the designers improve the flow through feedback and iteration.
“Legend of the Yeti” is now open at The Escape Game Orlando and other locations around the country. To read a detailed description, see more photos and a partial tour of the room, or book tickets, visit The Escape Game’s website.
Follow @Attractions on the Morty escape room app
We like to use the Morty app (www.Morty.app) to track and rate all of our escape room experiences. You can find our reviews featured in the editorial section of any room we’ve done. And of course you can follow us on Morty at @Attractions!
Stay tuned to Attractions Magazine for daily coverage of theme park news, trip reports, and exclusive interviews from Disney, Universal, and independent attractions around the world.
More Attractions Magazine stories:
Follow us:
No matter where you want to go, our trusted partner MEI-Travel will handle the planning so you can focus on the memories. They offer free vacation-planning services and have nearly 20 years of experience creating memorable vacations. Visit MEI-Travel for a fee-free, no-obligation quote today.
