Universal’s Great Movie Escape

[Evan]

Attractions has a great review up. Seems like it’s a success.

Escape Room Review: Universal's Great Movie Escape not your typical escape rooms - for better and worse

I was invited to Universal's Great Movie Escape to experience Back to The Future and Jurassic World. Here's my spoiler-free review.

attractionsmagazine.com

Also, seems they got Christopher Lloyd to record new dialogue for the BTTF experience. Unexpected but cool.

This quote solidified for me that I need a private experience

“There is a chance you will be put in with strangers as you go through the rooms, which is always a bit of a minus for me (especially with one specific puzzle in Back to the Future requiring all the players to touch each other), but private room buyouts are available.”

 

[Parkscope Joe]

It frankly sounds a lot like Delusion haunted experiences in that the experience dynamically simultaneously moves multiple groups through the same sequence at different stages, with escape room-like interactives in lieu of performer skits. Like Delusion, you cannot "fail," and "stall" tactics are available to keep a group seamlessly occupied if the next room is not clear for whatever reason. It's legitimately neat tech/design and resembles something I worked on (but was never able to perfect or fully execute), so this alone is an achievement.

It is very similar to their The Repository (take a shot!) upcharge in 2016. Multiple groups would enter the house/escape room/VR thing with live actors and go through in waves. This seems to streamline it with no actors, which kinda sucks at the price point, but I also get it. I'd like to see the room in "action" outside of any puzzle solutions to see how it all works.

 

[Dustin]

it was fun!

 

[TheCodeMan95]

This quote solidified for me that I need a private experience

“There is a chance you will be put in with strangers as you go through the rooms, which is always a bit of a minus for me (especially with one specific puzzle in Back to the Future requiring all the players to touch each other), but private room buyouts are available.”

That's... interesting.

I mean, since you can't fail.. just refuse, I guess? lol

 

[Jwhee]

So, @Dustin and I did the Jurassic one tonight. Now we’ve completed both.

I have to say, I was not impressed with the Jurassic world attraction.

Maybe i liked BTTF much more because I love the film? But looking at the attractions themselves, the BTTF one has better theming and more exciting games.

In the first room of Jurassic we did the same puzzle probably 5 times with different dinosaurs. In the second room, we did the same puzzle 4(?ish) times.

Although not the case with all the rooms, in a few, each time you’d successfully complete the puzzle, nothing would happen. It felt as the transition would occur after a time limit expired or something.

There is one fantastic room with physical props in it and lots of interactivity. The scale and scope of both attractions are small, but it really shows in the Jurassic one.

—
To add, when I heard they were building escape rooms in The Groove I expected the building to be gutted bare and for them to really maximize the space. This was not the case in the slightest bit. I do not think any structural changes were made to the building. The bars are the same, the stage is the same, you can even still see the dance floor on the ground. This is all fine, but it leads to the sizing of the rooms~ one of them is shoehorned into half of the upstairs balcony from the Groove, while the other is squeezed into the bottom left of the former dance floor. I imagined that the building would be unrecognizable after the transformation with massive escape games, not small attractions shoved into corners.

 

[Dustin]

So, @Dustin and I did the Jurassic one tonight. Now we’ve completed both.

I have to say, I was not impressed with the Jurassic world attraction.

Maybe i liked BTTF much more because I love the film? But looking at the attractions themselves, the BTTF one has better theming and more exciting games.

In the first room of Jurassic we did the same puzzle probably 5 times with different dinosaurs. In the second room, we did the same puzzle 4(?ish) times.

Although not the case with all the rooms, in a few, each time you’d successfully complete the puzzle, nothing would happen. It felt as the transition would occur after a time limit expired or something.

There is one fantastic room with physical props in it and lots of interactivity. The scale and scope of both attractions are small, but it really shows in the Jurassic one.

—
To add, when I heard they were building escape rooms in The Groove I expected the building to be gutted bare and for them to really maximize the space. This was not the case in the slightest bit. I do not think any structural changes were made to the building. The bars are the same, the stage is the same, you can even still see the dance floor on the ground. This is all fine, but it leads to the sizing of the rooms~ one of them is shoehorned into half of the upstairs balcony from the Groove, while the other is squeezed into the bottom left of the former dance floor. I imagined that the building would be unrecognizable after the transformation with massive escape games, not small attractions shoved into corners.

well said, my sentiments are pretty much the same

 

[Clive]

So, @Dustin and I did the Jurassic one tonight. Now we’ve completed both.

I have to say, I was not impressed with the Jurassic world attraction.

Maybe i liked BTTF much more because I love the film? But looking at the attractions themselves, the BTTF one has better theming and more exciting games.

In the first room of Jurassic we did the same puzzle probably 5 times with different dinosaurs. In the second room, we did the same puzzle 4(?ish) times.

Although not the case with all the rooms, in a few, each time you’d successfully complete the puzzle, nothing would happen. It felt as the transition would occur after a time limit expired or something.

There is one fantastic room with physical props in it and lots of interactivity. The scale and scope of both attractions are small, but it really shows in the Jurassic one.

—
To add, when I heard they were building escape rooms in The Groove I expected the building to be gutted bare and for them to really maximize the space. This was not the case in the slightest bit. I do not think any structural changes were made to the building. The bars are the same, the stage is the same, you can even still see the dance floor on the ground. This is all fine, but it leads to the sizing of the rooms~ one of them is shoehorned into half of the upstairs balcony from the Groove, while the other is squeezed into the bottom left of the former dance floor. I imagined that the building would be unrecognizable after the transformation with massive escape games, not small attractions shoved into corners.

Your experience with the Jurassic room is kind of what I was fearing this could turn into: Puzzles that feel more like time fillers than something essential to the experience. If there's no cause-effect to successfully completing the task, you're going to lose the satisfaction inherent to problem solving.

It sounds like the transitions do basically occur within a set timeframe. If you take too long to solve a given puzzle, the program just allows you to progress (I'm sure making up excuse along the way). But if there are delays ahead of you (and it sounds like there were), you're forced to repeat a puzzle multiple times.

Also, fair to assume no AAs? Not that I think anyone was expecting any, but I was curious how they would execute the dino that's supposedly hunting you...

 

[OrlLover]

Well isn’t this the first time Uni has done something like this ?

Maybe lessons learned here can translate to better experiences going forward with any expansions of this concept.

 

[Dustin]

There’s a lot of potential here. Maybe this was a proof of concept? I don’t know.. But I think if they really want to cater to expansive true escape rooms one day this at least shows us that they are capable from a thematic and set design standpoint (which we always knew) would just be nice to bring it all home with a game that has real stakes, results from your actions, etc because that is where the current lacks

 

[Evan]

Not sure if anyone cares, but they did the private booking, and it seems they weren’t setup properly in the game for a group of 2 and had a not great time with tasks impossible for just 2 to complete.

 

[Alicia]

Not sure if anyone cares, but they did the private booking, and it seems they weren’t setup properly in the game for a group of 2 and had a not great time with tasks impossible for just 2 to complete.

Definitely sounds like the room settings weren't set up properly for two people, as there is supposedly a way for a few of those challenges to be adjusted based on party size. Some of the other hiccups were definitely first day issues, like the room not being ready on time or a Team Member not getting them after briefing video, because that all went very smoothly for us last night. Agree on some of the sound level complaints though.

This experience is MUCH better with 6 people, which is how many go for non-private bookings. I fear 8 would be too many, and 2 is certainly too few.

(I have not yet done the JW one.)

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Not sure if anyone cares, but they did the private booking, and it seems they weren’t setup properly in the game for a group of 2 and had a not great time with tasks impossible for just 2 to complete.

A lot of the operational issues he had sounds like it can be resolved after a month or two of trial and error/working out opening day kinks.

The point on the tasks themselves being unengaging is a different story. I wonder if they can implement some sort of score card. Obviously the game needs to be set up to progress you through each room regardless of puzzle completion, but if there was a way you could score more points for doing things faster/better/more efficiently and compare it to some sort of leaderboard at the end, you’d introduce that element of competition and add repeatability without compromising the logistics.

This is definitely one of the more interesting additions to either resort in the last few years. I hope it grows.

 

[Alicia]

A lot of the operational issues he had sounds like it can be resolved after a month or two of trial and error/working out opening day kinks.

The point on the tasks themselves being unengaging is a different story. I wonder if they can implement some sort of score card. Obviously the game needs to be set up to progress you through each room regardless of puzzle completion, but if there was a way you could score more points for doing things faster/better/more efficiently and compare it to some sort of leaderboard at the end, you’d introduce that element of competition and add repeatability without compromising the logistics.

This is definitely one of the more interesting additions to either resort in the last few years. I hope it grows.

We only had one room we "failed" at and had to get the backup resolution from the characters to be able to move on, and trust me, it stung. Knowing we actually "succeeded" and moved on on our own for the other rooms really added to the experience. A score would seem irrelevant to our experience, as you kinda keep an internal score of success vs failures in your head anyway lol.

 

[Tbad556]

There’s a lot of potential here. Maybe this was a proof of concept? I don’t know.. But I think if they really want to cater to expansive true escape rooms one day this at least shows us that they are capable from a thematic and set design standpoint (which we always knew) would just be nice to bring it all home with a game that has real stakes, results from your actions, etc because that is where the current lacks

Yeaaaah. I've been excited about this since it was rumored, but I can't see myself dropping the money at this point. It really feels like they dropped the ball here. An escape room with no stakes is just... off. They can fix the operational issues over time, but I don't do escape rooms to be treated with kid gloves Kind of a massive bummer and feels like a cheap way to just usher more people through to make more money tbh.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

We only had one room we "failed" at and had to get the backup resolution from the characters to be able to move on, and trust me, it stung. Knowing we actually "succeeded" and moved on on our own for the other rooms really added to the experience. A score would seem irrelevant to our experience, as you kinda keep an internal score of success vs failures in your head anyway lol.

but if there was a way you could score more points for doing things faster/better/more efficiently and compare it to some sort of leaderboard at the end, you’d introduce that element of competition and add repeatability without compromising the logistics.

 

[Alicia]

Yea there's no way I'd re-do this escape room, even if it had a leaderboard... Although, not sure I would re-do any escape room?

 

[graspthesun]

Yea there's no way I'd re-do this escape room, even if it had a leaderboard... Although, not sure I would re-do any escape room?

The idea of repeatability is strange. I know they want people to come back and do it again from a financial standpoint, but that's not how these sorts of things work. I hope they're already developing replacements or additions to roll out in the next 2-3 years.

 

[Dustin]

The idea of repeatability is strange. I know they want people to come back and do it again from a financial standpoint, but that's not how these sorts of things work. I hope they're already developing replacements or additions to roll out in the next 2-3 years.

even that seems questionable to me. I thought the same thing but then I started to consider what the actual profit margins are here considering the cost to build the rooms, staffing etc, and it seems like these things need a run of a few years to really be worth while. Unless I’m seriously overestimating the cost of these rooms and under estimating the ability to sell tickets but even in the most ideal of scenarios this still seems to be the case.

ie. a run time of 2-3+ years minimum.

 

[Evan]

A lot of the operational issues he had sounds like it can be resolved after a month or two of trial and error/working out opening day kinks.

The point on the tasks themselves being unengaging is a different story. I wonder if they can implement some sort of score card. Obviously the game needs to be set up to progress you through each room regardless of puzzle completion, but if there was a way you could score more points for doing things faster/better/more efficiently and compare it to some sort of leaderboard at the end, you’d introduce that element of competition and add repeatability without compromising the logistics.

This is definitely one of the more interesting additions to either resort in the last few years. I hope it grows.

Mistakes may have happened, and that is expected for a new attraction. But not setting a private group to the correct people is pretty bad, and should have had some sort of resolution when the TMs found out at the end.

That or if it is not yet programmed to work for small private groups, they need to ensure private groups are aware before they spend $300.

 

[Brian G.]

Quick thoughts...Will have a full in-depth in our review tomorrow.

Fun, but I don't know how replayable it is for locals.

BTTF is a bit more challenging but my preferred of the two.

Wish there was more score-based info. Wasn't sure if we succeeded or if we "succeeded", especially at the end.