Ace Escape Game

If you’ve never done an escape room, this will be fun. However compared to what I’ve experience elsewhere in LA, this place has a lot of room for improvement. Overall my experience was pretty good, but there were some frustrating parts as well.
For a team morale booster, I booked the Pharaoh’s Treasure. I hyped up the escape room to my team because I had an A+ experience at Paniq Room
This escape room experience was more like a C+/B– experience
Here are some of the less enjoyable moments:
1) It’s very hard to find this place. We arrived in the early afternoon and were stumped to find the location of the Ace Escape Game. Some instructions by email would have been appreciated. This place is in the middle of a warehouse district in a barren part of downtown LA.
2) The moment we entered the actual escape room, I was surprised by how barren the whole place was. There weren’t many props and it was about ¹⁄₃ of the size of what I had experience before. It’s a spare room with a skeleton prop, a cupboard and a tomb. THAT’S IT. The previous escape room I’ve done had tons of cool props and items that really benefited the mood.
3) The instructor told us our first clue was to focus on one wall to turn on the light. After a wasted 10 minutes, my team gave up on that wall, searched the rest of the room and found the ACTUAL device to turn on the lights on the other side of the room. Why didn’t they just say search the whole room? We felt mislead.
4) A good escape room has you progress from puzzle to puzzle in a natural manner. This room laid out a lot of the puzzles in front of you in a confusing way. Case in point: You need a group of letters to open a lock. We found letters on one wall and for 20 minutes did our best to logically use these letters to open the puzzle. Suddenly the walkie talkier buzzes and the instructor said to look at a different wall. My question is WHY are we able to see both word puzzles at the same time? Maybe someone should have said to progress from left to right to save us all that wasted timed.
Or they should have somehow hid the second word puzzle with a lock so we’d get there when needed. Again, we felt the layout was poor.
5) We put together a puzzle that requires placing certain objects together. When we did so nothing happened. About 30 minutes later the walkie talkie buzzes us and the instructor says to shift the top part of the puzzle piece a little bit because apparently it didn’t «go off» like it was supposed to, and would then unlock another portion of the room.
Again, this was a fault of the puzzle makers, not us.
6) At one point we discovered a sequence that required us to do one action. Our team did the action perfectly. Then the walkie talkie buzzed and we were told we didn’t do it correctly. My whole team agreed we did the action correctly, but to suit the instructor, we did it again. We wasted about 60 seconds and felt like we were being toyed with.
A good Escape Room shouldn’t have these irritating moments occur due to poor instructions and puzzles that are easy to confuse.
If you’re looking for a fun escape room, go eslewhere. Paniq Room spoiled me because my experience was a blast.
This place is proud of a 10% completion rate. I don’t think that’s a good sign because of all the issues that I’ve described.
Overall, we made the best of it and had a pretty good time, but I was frustrated too many times to recommend this place to others.

We had a great time! The location is hard to find but just look for the Indigo sports wear sign and it’s behind the gates and on the right side of the building. We had a group of 4, our first experience doing a room escape and would definitely go back again. It’s a fun experience and great challenge.

This was my first escape room experience, and something I have been wanting to try for a while, but had no preconceived notions of what to expect… My hubby bought a Living Social (no issues redeeming & easy to book online) for a group of 8 of us to go and do the Pharaoh’s room (as I love Egyptology) as a Christmas present.
After reading the reviews I felt more prepared, and a few things of the «bad things» were very true: the walkie talkie is bad (very hard to hear/​understand anything being said; a PA system/​speaker in the room would be better), the faux battery operated torches do not work well, some of the items don’t work well/​easily and the area is a bit sketchy… BUT with that said the room was well painted/​decorated, the clues/​puzzles are somewhat difficult but not too much so, the staff was friendly and it was a LOT of fun!
We had a very diverse group of 8 and thankfully we worked well together and succeeded in «escaping» with a whole 3 minutes to spare!
In the end we all loved it and planned our next Escape Room visit while at lunch!

Parking: street parking and this place is kind of in the middle of run down area in downtown.
Location: The entrance is on the left side of the building in the hidden stairwell that leads upstairs.
Experience: we purchased a groupon for this place and the person helping us was very prompt. He gave us great instructions. You can have your bags with you at this escape room, they just ask that you don’t take your cellphones or items out, and they will know since they are watching you via security cameras. We did the Pharos room, it was really fun. And the guy helping us was really attentive. They said they’ll have two more rooms opening up so maybe my buddies and I will give it a shot.
I would come back!

This was our 3^rd «escape room» experience with my daughter. My cousin scored with a Groupon or so we thought.
First the location is not clearly marked and in a sketchy warehouse area of LA. We got to the location and walked up a scary set of stairs which led to a large open area that was reminiscent of a yoga studio.
2^nd the room itself was decorated very nice. We did the Pharaoh’s Tomb. That was about it. They threw us into this room with no introduction, told us not to touch the skeleton and other things. Which is silly since you are supposed to start with the items in the bag of the skeleton. We were confused and I am pretty sure we were shorted on our time.
Overall, would of been happy to do another room here if the introduction was better.

The guy who worked there didn’t really seem to enjoy his job so I’m rating it 3 stars. I think customer service is important. I wish he’d be more excited and maybe pump us up by talking to us. I felt like he wanted us in and out of there pretty quick. Overall, it was definitely a challenge but with this price it could’ve been better. Oh and he kept reminding us about the rules over the walkie talkie and it did get a little annoying.
P. S. His hints are useless

Terrible escape game. I’ve done over 25 or so different rooms in the Los Angeles area and this was the 2^nd to worse one I’ve encountered. The broken English Asian game manager was not friendly. We showed up 7 minutes late to our game and he deducted 7 minutes from our game time. No other location has done this. We did the most advanced room which had extremely poor lighting. This was located in a shady warehouse district as well.
Save your money and go to The Exit game in Monterey Park. They have way more sophisticated rooms and customer friendly staff. This place deserves 0 stars. Poor customer service and we were even rushed out of the building when it ended cause he wanted to close the store and go home. Quit already Fobby Asian game manager

Escape Games have become kind of our go-​to hobby. We’ve gone to about 6 so far, and they have all been so much fun. This was was just like it says, A-​Ok.
It was actually easy to find thanks to all the previous Unilocal reviews.
When we walked up to the room, it was a big space but no one to greet us. And when the guy did, all he kept asking was «did you pay yet». We could barely understand him. He was Asian and had a very strong accent. We are all complete goof balls and were trying to make him laugh but he wasn’t having it. Kind of just kept bringing the mood down. Once again, VERY hard to understand. He explained the rules and felt like he gave us WAY to much information. Granted, very useful but he was giving us so much information and nothing for us to figure out on our own.
My boyfriend got stuck on a puzzle with the notebook and by luck he picked a random code and got it open. That saved us a ton of time but we still got stuck.
This wasn’t the best escape room mainly because of the Asian guy that was there running it. He sucked the fun out of the whole experience. We’d be doing something and he’d start talking on the walkie telling us to walk away, come back to it later, get off ect.
The room is cold so bring a jacket! We were freezing the entire time.

Finding the business is the first puzzle! It’s to the left of a building called Indigo Sportswear on the east side of Staunton closer to the 16^th Street intersection.
This room is designed very well and has high production values (with an asterisk). You really get the feeling that you’re in a tomb with hieroglyphics and a stranded explorer. Though the symbols aren’t exactly Egyptian. The lighting in the room is perfect and there is some light background music that Disney would be proud of. And there was victory music when we escaped!
Puzzles and structure were fairly linear though they used some fairly cool technology to make some of the puzzles. A big plus is that they didn’t rely only on key or combo locks.
The asterisk comes in because some of the things functionally didn’t work quite as well as it should. They could have used some better sound mechanics to let the group know certain things unlocked. Some of the automated moving parts didn’t work and we had to that ourselves.
Like others have stated the clue giving walkie talkie don’t work very well and we strained to hear some clues. The area is an industrial part of town so some people think it could be sketchy since it’s sparsely populated.
Some of the things that brings this room down to a four star from a five star don’t have to do with the location. It mainly has to do with the briefing. Our moderator did not do anything to create a mood to help us get into character. This is in complete opposite of the design and production as it is spectacular. And they really need to get a new walkie talkie. They could even make the person on the walkie someone from base camp to make it more immersive.
Still, it was a fun experience and if the customer service and minor tech issues can rise to the same level as the production, this would be a five star room!

We didn’t escape! We were so close; we were on the last part!
Like all the other reviews have previously stated, the place is located in a not so safe area. So beware if you scheduled a late evening game. We came on a Sunday afternoon, so there were plenty of street parking (and daylight). I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to park in the small parking lot in front of the «indigo» sign so double check.
This was my first time doing an escape room. It was really fun! The room was designed nicely. Not to mention we got it for an excellent price from Groupon which came out to be almost $ 12 per person for the 6 of us.
There were a few things that I think they should look into fixing:
–Get the hole in the wall fix. Yes there is duct tape taped over the hole. And yes the guy monitoring the game stated do not peel the tape before we started the game. But when you’re into the game, tearing the place apart looking for clues and time is of the essence, people tend to forget what was said.
–Get a better walkie talkie /​PA system. I had no problem understanding the guy’s accent when we were face to face. However, when he was trying to communicate with us through the walkie talkie, it just sounded like garble. We had to ask him to repeat himself on several occasions.
–Wished more attention could have been given to checking the equipment. A battery operated torch is given to each person to use in the dark room. One of the torch kept on going out on us.
With that being said, it was a lot of fun. I wouldn’t mind coming back when they have the other 2 rooms ready.

Great concept. A lot of fun and best of all the Groupon deal was so good. It came out to be $ 11.87 per person which was awesome! Just remember to do everything in order and think everything thoroughly. Sometimes the easiest clues are staring you in the face. Can’t wait to see what other rooms they have!

My friends and I escaped the Pharoah’s Room with only a minute or so to spare, but we would have escaped earlier had we not been stuck on one of the puzzles that was broken. We had the correct clue, but the lock would not work, so one of the employees came in and helped us open it. The room itself is pretty small with some nifty tricks — the website is confusing as in one section it says a maximum of 6 people but then when you reserve, it says up to 8. Don’t be fooled — a party of 4 is probably optimum. We went with six people, and one said he barely had anything to do. However, note that they may put other people in your room if you have less than six (or eight? again, confusing — please fix this on your website, Ace Escape). The room before us only had two people and not surprisingly, they did not escape.
Beforehand, I had emailed twice to ask about the maximum occupancy recommendation with no response. Other reviews have mentioned the same — they have a very poor response rate with little or no communication, which is not exactly the best way to run a business. The walkie talkies were dysfunctional. We were told to hold down the button and speak, but then it would emit a loud static sound after holding the button down for more than two seconds. When the employee would speak to us through her walkie talkie, it would go in and out. Please purchase some walkie talkies that actually work — it’s a bit frustrating. The employees there spoke perfect English, so that was not a problem. Room is in a sketchy neighborhood, so be careful at night. The door is to the left and back of the building when you face it — you’ll see some wooden steps going up. It would be nice if they put a sign up.
The room itself was fun and linear. You go in order, which makes it better for novices. I’d say this room is somewhere between Beginning and Intermediate. I would be curious about the new room opening up, but I hope they really take all these complaints and fix them!

My friend found a deal for this company and we decided to give them a try. Driving to the place, you pass by some really «questionable» areas and it intimidated all of us a bit. When we found the place (thanks to photos posted on Unilocal by other Unilocalers), the main room looked like they had just moved in so it was a bit interesting.
On to the room… the game master had mentioned that there were a couple of places that needed to be fixed so at least we knew to expect that ahead of time. The room was pretty chilly so bring/​wear a sweater. The props and décor matched the theme of the room and the production value was definitely higher than some rooms I’ve been to. The puzzles were well thought of and made sense. There was one prop/​lock that may need to be revised because we were able to bypass the lock and get the clues/​props inside. Since I don’t want to give away too much, I’ll leave it at that. The game master also forgot to explain to us that the hourglass was the timer (we realized that after we had flipped it over), so we really had no idea how much time we had left since we weren’t allowed to use our cell phones.
We liked the technology and unique clues in this room overall though. We were a bit bummed we didn’t get our photo taken in the end since we did complete the room with a little over 3 minutes to spare but oh well…

tl;dr
Really cool effects/​decorations and we made it out. YAY!
Our group of 6 came in expecting to regret coming here because of the low success rate, but I’m glad we came. The success rate is less than 10%, but don’t let that deter you from trying this place out. We made it out with 7 minutes on the clock and were the only group to make it out that day. I think the max of 6 people is a good group size because if you add more people then it would be too chaotic. Our group has done three escape rooms so far and we’ve managed to succeed in getting out of all of them, although we tend to cut it pretty close.
PROS
–Easy parking. Even though the area seems shady, you have a group of 6 hopefully. You’ll be fine. When you arrive at the address, go to the left of the building and there is a door that leads you upstairs.
–Of the three escape rooms that we’ve done, the décor and special effects for this one was BY FAR my favorite. I have to give them props for really getting us in the mood and theme.
–You get three hints if you get stuck. Use them if you’re completely stuck for more than 5 minutes. Another Unilocaler said that the man helping them had a really heavy accent, but the guy helping us had perfect English and was very clear on his instructions and hints. He was really enthusiastic and did a great job.
–The room goes in an order so you know how to start and when you are close to the finish. Go in order so you don’t confuse yourself.
CONS
–The hourglass was not really useful in telling us how much time we had left. I prefer a big timer that counts down the hour.
They’re coming out with two more rooms soon. I can’t wait to come back because I know they’ll do a great job with the decoration and special effects.

Friend got a deal on Living Social and the experience was OK.
Pros:
— Cool theme, you can tell they tried to spice it up with motion sensors, fog machines, etc.
— Puzzles were challenging but fun
Cons:
— There were so many little quirks with the locks — even when we got the answer correct, the lock still wouldn’t budge. The man helping us had to radio over numerous times.
— Things in the room were throwing us off (we found a button in the wall that seemed to correlate with something knocking inside the box, but the man had to tell us to stop pressing that button… lol)
— The single flashlight we got was dinky. And the original torch flashlight we got was flickering and quite useless.
— Everything took place in a single room.
There is free street parking. The neighborhood seems a little sketch at night and the building is a bit difficult to navigate. You walk through the large black gate, walk to the left of the building (looks like an alley) and go up the stairs at the very end.

Someone call Brendan Fraser or Indiana Jones because we’re about to loot the Pharaoh’s treasure! This song was going on through my head the whole time:
Man, this place is freaking legit! We’ve been to a few others and this one was excellent. This place is unique due to it’s creative use of technology. It’s very advance and you will love it. I’m trying to avoid spoilers so bear with me.
We came here on a Saturday Night and the booking process online is relatively easy. Just pick a slot and sign up. Finding the place was a bit of a challenge, it’s located in a warehouse and I swore to God I saw a drug deal go down around the corner. They have a small lot that fits like 5 cars but there is plenty of street parking. Finding the entrance can be tricky, just walk around the corner and there is a door on the side and just go up the flights of stairs and you will be there.
We got to go through the Pharaoh’s treasure and it was very thematic. Most escape rooms look like they were clobbered together inside of a thrift store. This place is oozing with theme and you can tell they put effort into the presentation.
In the end, we escaped with 6 minutes left. We felt like the clues made sense and there was an order to it. I’m not saying it is easy because apparently there is a 10% escape rate and the group before us failed.
Overall, it was a great way to spend a night with a group of your friends. I would highly recommend this place and I look forward to coming back for future new rooms!

This room is filled with ambitious puzzles that either:
1. Haven’t been thought out enough to reach their potential
OR
2. DO NOT WORK
The technology in some pretty cool puzzles legitimately failed. We stood around A LOT waiting for the guy to «fix» things and it never happened. Another group went in after us and I’m honestly offended because there is no way the room was functioning for them. I’m willing to bet their experience was actually worse than ours. Doesn’t matter if you’ve done a ton of escapes or if this is your first one (our group had both), if your experience is anything like ours you will leave unhappy.
Fix these issues and add a story and this could be a cool room.

This is gonna start off bad, BUT keep reading:
This was my first escape room experience. Right before arriving, I saw the 1 star reviews and was considering asking for my money back I was so concerned.
That inclination got even stronger when we arrived cuz this building is SUPER SKETCHY. I mean they even have you walk down a dark alley to enter the locked, unmarked building. (If you see «Indigo» you’re in the right place)
I’m so glad I changed my mind and decided to stay positive. Once you actually get in the building, everything is better. This place was SO fun! The puzzles were doable but challenging. The staff gave us one of our hints at the perfect time even though we didn’t ask for it (You get 3 hints). The temperature was fine for us. Nothing malfunctioned. And we were one puzzle away from success.
My advice: don’t go with more than 4 or 5 people. It can actually slow stuff down. Don’t be surprised when you’re told NOT to do something over the walkie. They’re trying to make sure you don’t break stuff (which is probably what groups did right before the experiences of the 1-​star reviewers). Lastly, hustle!
Happy puzzling!

WE DID IT WITH 6MINS TO SPARE!!! they’ve been open for about 2 months with a 10% completion rate ^~^
This is the MOST CREATIVE and most HIGH TECH escape we’ve EVER been to!!! My boyfriend and I have been to more than 6 other escape rooms, but this is by far our favorite! It’s recommended to come in groups of 4 – 5 ^~^ we’re super excited for the other rooms! Will definitely come back: D
Super duper small parking (Fits about 5 cars) street parking is recommended. Entrance is left of building, 2^nd floor. Don’t freak out about the shady looking neighborhood lolx!

What better way to celebrate my birthday than to play an escape game with my closest friends. I’ve done several escape games before, and this one is actually quite challenging.
Not sure why all these escape games are always located in shady parts of town. Once your GPS says you have arrived, you will notice you are on a street surrounded by warehouses. There is no sign of Ace Escape anywhere. Find the building that your GPS says is your destination, and walk all the way to the back of the building. There will be a door that is open with a dark staircase inside. Take the stairs up to a door with a window looking into an empty room. Ace Escape is behind the empty room.
We went around 6pm on a hot day and the waiting area was super hot. The only A/​C they have was a portable window machine which only cooled the area that was right in front of it. Not sure if it was just an unlucky day where the A/​C broke down or if they just don’t have any A/​C.
We did the Pharoh’s treasure. The clues were pretty challenging. I don’t want to give too much away. But we were definitely not bored in the one hour we were there. However, I’m not sure if it was done on purpose to mimic an actual pharoh’s tomb, but the temperature in the room got a bit warm after a while and definitely felt stuffy. When we first entered, it definitely felt a lot better than the hot waiting area. But after a while, it started getting pretty warm and stuffy. Please get more a/​c.
Parking: Street parking.