In 2021, The Escape Game acquired Escape Room Live for a renovation in Georgetown.
Now, the same company has opened a new downtown location at 950 F Street Northwest.
“We’re on F Street, right around the corner from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, right around the corner from Ford’s Theatre,” Retail Marketing Coordinator Dylan Ward told WTOP. “We are right between the Metro Center and Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stops, so it’s a really amazing location, super easy to get to and we’re really excited abut it.”
Visitors can choose between four different games at the new location.
“All of our games are designed uniquely at our adventure factory in Nashville, Tennessee,” Ward said. “There’s surprises around every corner, they’re very story driven. Rather than being plopped in a room with a couple of locks and boxes, you’re given a mission. You have 60 minutes with your team to solve puzzles and clues and ultimately escape.”
The first game, “Special Ops: Mysterious Market,” turns you into a spy like 007.
“That’s one of my favorite rooms,” Ward said. “The scenery is beautiful. … You’re playing the role of a special agent given this mission of checking out this overseas spice market. You’re in this incredible environment … then as you’re checking things out, a story unfolds and you get caught up in this mission that you really didn’t see coming.”
The second game, “Prison Break,” will have you feeling like “Shawshank.”
“This is our hardest game to escape from,” Ward said. “You and your friends get split up in the beginning in two different prison cells. You have to communicate together to work together to get out of those cells and escape the prison before the warden comes back. … It’s very challenging. It took me two times playing this game to actually win.”
The third game, “The Depths,” recalls images from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
“This is one of our newest escape rooms,” Ward said. “The story is you get in this submarine with this mission about finding out what’s going on with this underwater laboratory … and escape before an underwater creature gets ahold of your submarine.”
The location’s fourth and final game, “The Heist,” is fun for fans of “Ocean’s Eleven.”
“‘The Heist’ I love so much,” Ward said. “You are trying to recover a stolen painting that this art curator has stolen. You start out in an art gallery, it seems like just another museum … but as you start looking closely at the art … all of a sudden this whole game opens up.”
All games at the downtown location last 60 minutes for between 2-8 people.
Tickets cost $34.99 per person with an additional upcharge for private events.
Of course, you can also visit the Georgetown location with five other games.
“We’ve got three one-hour games: ‘Dr. Whack’s Elixir of Life,’ ‘The Curse of the Mummy’ and ‘A Pirate’s Adventure,'” Ward said. “Then we’ve got two games that are 45-minute games, so maybe you’re crunched for time or want a shorter experience, we have one called ‘Titanic,’ which I’m sure you can guess what that is, and one called ‘The Cabin.'”
All games are family friendly, so need to worry about jump scares.
“What’s unique about The Escape Game that you’ll find different from other companies is that none of our themes are dark or scary, so they’re really great for any group,” Ward said. “Some puzzles are going to be challenging for people under the age of 13, but they’re fun for any group of friends or family. Anyone can contribute to some level of the game.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
