The Study at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh – Full Review

The Study at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh is a Escape Room located in , .

722 Allegheny River Boulevard, Verona, PA 15147
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Links:

The Study at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh Facebook PageThe Study at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh WebsiteThe Study at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh Twitter PageThe Study at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh on InstagramTickets to The Study at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh

Contact:

Call The Study at Puzzle Room PittsburghEmail The Study at Puzzle Room PittsburghMessage The Study at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh on Facebook Messenger

Features:

Free Parking, Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site, Gift Shop/Souvenirs, You will NOT be touched, Indoor Waiting Line, All-Indoor Attraction, Family Friendly

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This attraction was reviewed on August 16, 2020 by Team Houdini.

Final Score: 9.08

Summary:

After a long time in quarantine it felt great to get out of the house. What better activity can you do after being locked in your house for a few months? Get locked up in a room outside of your house. Although ironic at the moment, escape rooms are a great way to get out and spend time with your friends and family in a safe environment.

Puzzle Room Pittsburgh houses three escape rooms or puzzle environments; The Study, Seeking Sasquatch, and Escape the Undead. Puzzle Room Pittsburgh rooms offer a twist on the standard escape rooms that we have experienced more recently. Each room offers a unique scenario that requires you to navigate puzzles to complete an objective that may or may not be to escape the room. In this review, we will discuss The Study. Please check out the reviews for Seeking Sasquatch and Escape the Undead as well.

Puzzle Room Pittsburgh prides itself on designing all aspects of the experience in-house. The sets, stories, puzzles, lobby, and even the artwork in the bathroom were all created by the owners, Mike and Jess, and his staff. This provides a distinct experience not found anywhere else. With a mix of first through third-generation designs, Puzzle Room Pittsburgh offers remarkable set designs and inventive puzzles that are sure to impress beginners and novices alike!


Atmosphere & Customer Service: 8.88

Puzzle Room Pittsburgh was easy to find using GPS. Clicking on the link in the email reminder they provided brought up the location instantly on my Google maps app. Parking is located on-street in this quaint retail area. There is a sign located on the front of the building as well as on the door.

Once entering the building, Puzzle Room Pittsburgh is located on the second floor. Plenty of signs will guide you on your way. Unfortunately they are not ADA accessible.

From the outside, the building appears plain but the inside is far from boring. The lobby was serene with an elegant and artistic feel. Immediately as you rise to the top of the stairs, you are welcomed with an illusion of moving gears inside a broken wall. The artsy d������cor continues throughout the lobby with a geometric design residing on one wall as a broken wood design compliments another. Infinity mirrors provide an interesting green glow that matches the green hue of the fish aquarium below the front desk. Two comfortable couches (really comfortable couches) provided seating for groups waiting for their turn at adventure. The creativity in design does not stop there. A trip to the restrooms provides a chance to admire the wine bottle lighting fixture and the wall of clocks. Finally, the bathroom has an interesting drawn pipe design in the bathroom. The attention to detail in the lobby alone is something I have not seen before.

As expected with this level of artistry, everything was very neat and clean. Speaking of cleanliness, Puzzle Room Pittsburgh is adhering to strict policies regarding Covid-19. All guidelines are listed on their website. The owner, Mike, informed us that they are taking cleaning and disinfecting very seriously. All employees must wear masks as well as gloves. Guests must wear masks inside the common areas but may remove them in the actual rooms if they feel comfortable. All rooms are also private so you will not be placed with anyone else. Hand sanitizer is provided in the lobby. All touched items and areas are sanitized and every room is sprayed down after each group has finished their session. Water bottles are also provided. Waivers were signed online to eliminate the contact of items in the lobby. There were no warm-up puzzles in the lobby either during our visit to increase sanitation. The lobby is also cleaned and sprayed between customers.

The staff was enthusiastic and welcoming when we arrived. Mike answered all of our questions and provided tons of information on his attraction as well as the industry in general. Like us, he too is an escape room enthusiast with an incredible amount of experiences. The other owner, Jess, shared with us some cool behind-the-scenes pictures of their set designs. Our game master, also Jess, yes, there are two individuals named Jess, was incredibly fun and entertaining.


Immersion: 8.61

Before entering The Study, our game master, Jess, provided us an infographic style safety video. Immediately followed was the video explaining the story and goal of the study. We were also provided a walkie-talkie to use to receive clues and hints. At Puzzle Room Pittsburgh, they provide clues as needed with no limit. This has become more common in the last few rooms we attempted. The clues and hints are meant to push you in the right direction without providing direct answers. So the hints are also cryptic.

The Study provides an unassuming but effective impression. As you progress through the game the more the study reveals. The Study has a classic feel to it, everything feels older, antiquated. Dark red walls with gold hand-painted designs adorn the walls. Wood flows throughout the room leading to the large library filled with books and trinkets that give it a strong feel. An antique desk, table, and other odds and ends add to the validity of the room.

The sound was a modest but mysterious track that added to the theatrics of the room and some intensity to our experience. On par with most rooms nowadays and nothing over the top. This was the same case for the lighting. It fit the scene but nothing too flashy. The effects worked well together to provide a cohesive theme with fun surprises.


Gameplay: 9.43

Just having an immersive set is not enough to provide a good escape room experience. You need to have great puzzles. Luckily, Puzzle Room Pittsburgh delivers. Puzzle Room Pittsburgh’s goal was to create unique puzzles that players have not seen over and over in other rooms. Especially after visiting 20-30 rooms, you do run into some of the same puzzles. The riddles were unique and fit the theme and story exceptionally well. We were pleasantly surprised at the variety of challenges and creativity. Some puzzles were completely original while some we had seen variations of before but they did an excellent job of reimaging and executing the puzzle.

There was a mix of key/combination locks as well as high-tech puzzles using sensors and magnets. Puzzle Room Pittsburgh also put a spin on the way you tracked your time. Not revolutionary but it fit the theme.


Entertainment & Value: 9.38

The Study is considered the easiest of the three adventures at Puzzle Room Pittsburgh. We found that The Study was stimulating and definitely a good introduction room for individuals new to escape rooms. Even seasoned customers will enjoy the brainteasers and detailed set design.

The four of us managed to escape in 57 minutes and 54 seconds with the assistance of our game master.

The cost is $30 which is an average price for an escape room. The room can accommodate 2-8 players.

Per the owners, they do not focus on hard numbers or provide an escape rate as they provide unlimited hints. The rooms are listed as easy (The Study), intermediate (Seeking Sasquatch) and hard (Escape the Undead) to describe the difficulty. Their goal is that players have fun, they are not concerned about having the hardest rooms but rather the best overall experience.

Considering the artistic design of the room, the plot, and the ingenuity of the puzzles, The Study is an incredible experience.


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