Updated: May 5, 2021
🏢 COMPANY: 60Out Escape Rooms
🏘️ ADDRESS: 135 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004 | Google Map
🗾 COUNTRY: United States
🕹️ GAME: Time Machine
🚶 TYPE: In-Person Escape Room
💻 WEBSITE: Game Info | To Book This Game
⏲️ TIME DURATION: 60 Minutes
💬 DIFFICULTY: Medium (Official) | Easy (Mattster)
👨👩👧👦 CAPACITY: 2-5 Players
🔐 GAME TYPE: Private
💰 PRICING: Varies By Number Of Players, See Website
Official Premise (from 60Out Escape Rooms): You have been invited inside of one of the most brilliant minds of our time. Nikola Tesla has welcomes you inside his workspace -- a place where sparks fly and time stops. Just know that the clock is ticking as you search for one of his most secret, prized inventions.
📚 NARRATIVE: Travel back in time via Tesla's "Time Machine" to retrieve missing component
👀 VISUAL: Out of this world, sci-fi movie set grade set; this room's ace card
🧩 PUZZLE: Light on actual puzzling challenges, more about carefully following instructions
🧠 IMMERSION: Extremely immersive, as you're ACTUALLY performing experiments at times
🏪 VENUE: My favorite branch of all the Los Angeles 60Out franchise stores 👍
💁♂️ STAFF: Again, my favorite team of all the Los Angeles 60Out franchise stores 👍👍
💭 OVERALL: Get ready to be wowed; more of an amazing show than an escape room
🎟️ BEST FIT FOR: All ages, science buffs and/or nerds (Must comply safety precautions)
🎫 IDEAL TEAM SIZE: 2 to 3, and ensure everyone has a clear view of all happenings!
discovered that mixing actual science in an escape room can yield incredible results.
"Time Machine" officially joins the "Recommended" rank!
Special Note: This game play took place pre-pandemic announcement in the United States (before March 2020). This review reflects previous business standards & practice at the time. Your experience may follow new health & safety guidelines where and when applicable. (Please contact business venue for further inquiry.)
Update (July 2020): "Time Machine" (Online Version) is now live for booking for safe remote play. Zoom conference app required. Please see official website for details.
60Out has 7 locations spread throughout LA area, and time after time (yes, it's a reference to the title of the room), K-town branch proves to be my absolute favorite of the bunch. Every single game they offer on their roster is solid enough for recommendation, not something I get to say often about any one escape game location.
"Nautilus" is a decent underwater escape entry that jam packed your hour with fun puzzles. "Orphanage" still ranks among the top horror experience I have done to date, if not my actual #1 favorite. "The Turing Test", as I lovingly refer it, is a sci-fi infused, prison-breakout style, split start co-op game on steroids.
Do you have that magic touch to activate a time traveling apparatus? | 60Out Escape Rooms (Koreatown)
And most recently comes Nikola Tesla, along with his most prized invention, the "Time Machine". Contrary to my speculation, you're not trying to get his machine to work to transverse across space & time. Oh no, it already works. And you're sent back in time to retrieve something that was left behind decades ago... before his machine breaks...
The warranty must've expired.
Although the time traveling element is largely absent in the game, the undeniable "flavors" of Tesla's persona, his treasured lab & equipment, and his life's contributions to inventions, are most certainly present.
I think a name like "Nikola Tesla & His Chamber of Secrets" would've been a better name.
Wait, what. JK Rowling's saying no? Anyway...
Why so grumpy, Mr Tesla? | 60Out Escape Rooms (Koreatown)
If you've read this far, I want to give you as a takeaway: this is less of an escape room, but more of a science hour with Mr Tesla. In the next 60 minutes, you'll be given a chance to walk through a pseudo-science museum almost, and witness actual chemical reactions at work. So science nerds within the community, this one's for you.
While some escape rooms would prize themselves with providing its customers a run for their money in terms of really challenging and satisfying puzzles, Time Machine aims to provide a more eccentric experience, a journey on how to appropriately achieve your given mission.
As such, the format is very "here are some semi-cryptic instructions, follow them, and you shall arrive at your next step". Once in a while, you'd encounter a brainteaser that's more of a traditional puzzle vibe that requires some brain work, but none would really stump any player. If I were to pinpoint a major weakness, then, perhaps, it's a bit too easy?
The latter half of the game is full of surprises that I have never seen before in other games; and even to date, "Time Machine" is the only room that dares to employ certain elements (in both the game design sense and in the periodic table sense), and the payout for the final result is arguably quite incomparable.
Time Machine | 60Out Escape Rooms (Koreatown)
By my count, there were at least 3 separate instances, maybe more, where they made some basic science demos or experiments you see in class as part of the plot, and it's that much more fun to participate and witness in a non-didactic setting. And these're precisely the moments that your admission is well merited.
At the same time, I do sincerely remind everyone that chemical reactions often carry certain inherent risks, such as release of heat, for example. So I do insist every single player to follow all safety protocols presented by 60Out. While the game can be appropriate for younger participants, adult supervision is strongly advised. (Play safe!)
"Time Machine", being one of the latest batch of 60Out games that focus more on action-based, story-driven premium adventures, tend to run short on total game time duration. This is because while there're exclusive, innovative things to explore, but they also tend to be (un)intentionally easy to solve, and also (I'd imagine) more expensive to maintain.
So understandably, there're finite amount of things the game designers can reasonably implement, and experienced players would probably finish the quest early. In fact, I broke the time record at the time I played, and many other players continue to shatter my record.
Lastly, this is almost a given, the set was absolutely amazing and gorgeous. Truly, this has become the norm for 60Out these days, and all I can really say is, keep up the good work.
Back in time in 2019, when haircut was widely available | 60Out Escape Rooms (Koreatown)
All in all, I still really liked this experience for offering something different, for both its own branch, and the escape room community in general. We can't just keep playing the same thing over and over and pretend to be satisfied.
With "Time Macine", its unconventional game play takes even the most veteran player for a ride. Thankfully, the game steps were also logical enough without requiring any leaps in the thought process, so even beginners can find satisfaction without being overly frustrated.
Recommended by Tesla!
Signing off,
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Full disclosure: complimentary game access was generously provided for review or testing purposes. All media are sourced from and credited to rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended. In certain cases, media materials are made available under fair use doctrine of copyright law. 60OTime.