Conundrum Workshop
Bowling Green, Kentucky


Bomb Squad: A nutty professor had inadvertently created a dangerous bomb. As members of an elite bomb squad, we were called in to rescue the city from impending doom.

Pros: Our game master at Conundrum was extremely friendly and punny. At least one of the escapeologists loves this type of humor so she was delighted to be amused by puns in the introductory storyline. The nutty professor’s lab had a unique set design that was fun to interact with if a bit perplexing at times. We needed a hint or two to keep us going.
 
Cons: The tech was a bit glitchy on more than one occasion. We successfully managed to defuse the bomb despite the technical fails. The puzzles ranged from interesting and complex to simple and basic. We enjoyed solving them all and definitely recommend that you bring a variety of brains with you to help tackle these challenges.
 
An overall solid game play experience. Recommended especially for those new to escape rooms!

Captain Mayhem’s Revenge: A sunken pirate ship hides its secrets in the deep blue sea. We had to solve the mystery to find Captain Mayhem’s treasure.

Pros: Upon entering the room we were immediately impressed by the set design of Captain Mayhem. The feeling of being inside the confines of a pirate ship added to our excitement for playing the game. The set was solidly constructed adding to the overall smooth game flow. The puzzles were fun to solve. We struggled to find our starting point in the beginning but after a helpful nudge from our game master, we were on our way. No hints were necessary from that point on as we proceeded quickly through the puzzles until we uncovered the hidden treasure. We had minimal interaction with the game master but he was ready to help on a moment’s notice.

Cons: We had to do a bit of unconventional thinking at times to make a few of the puzzles work. The puzzles were not illogical per se. Rather they required us to think of alternative solving strategies.

When in Bowling Green we definitely recommend Mind Bender as your first stop!

The Haunted Basement: Trapped in a creepy basement is nobody’s idea of a good time. We knew we had to find a way out fast in order to save our lives.

Pros: We ventured across the border from Tennessee to Kentucky to try our hand at some of the escape rooms of the Bluegrass State. With limited hours in the day, we decided to play one game at each place that was open in town. The first place to accommodate our last minute booking request was Hour Glass Escape Room. We were greeted by the kindly game master who quickly prepped us for our game play. Escorted into the room and locked away in our creepy cells, we struggled in the dark to locate clues that would aid in our escape. The creepy ambience of the room helped set the stage for our game and definitely motivated us to find a way out as quickly as possible. We rapidly progressed through the logical-flowing puzzles despite a few hiccups as a result of our own inability to see clearly in the dark. When we successfully escaped, we were happy to learn that we broke the record for the room!

Cons: The set and puzzles were basic in design. Because of the level of complexity, we definitely recommend this game for beginners. We appreciated the logical flow and enjoyed playing the game. We think newbies would really enjoy this introduction to the world of escape rooms.
 
If you are new to playing escape games and hanging out in Bowling Green, check out Hour Glass Escape Games.

C Block: Locked away in prison for a crime we didn’t commit, but we had a plan to fly the coop.

Pros: Escape Experience was our second stop on our whirlwind President’s Day weekend tour of the Nashville area. Although prison escape games are more popular than nearly any other theme, we could not resist the urge to once again test our expert jailbreak techniques. The game master enthusiastically briefed our group of eight strangers for our game. Once we were handcuffed to our respective game-play partners, we were escorted to our cells. The game began and we quickly progressed through the first puzzles despite being ridiculously cramped in the small space. We breathed a brief sigh of relief before embarking on the second part, and most difficult part, of the game. The puzzles were overall very logical although searching for hints was difficult mostly because of the limitations of so many people on a small space. The large group also hindered our tried and true communication strategies and definitely slowed our escape.

Cons: We loved the game and the game master but found being grouped once again with a large group of strangers less than enjoyable. We escaped not because of the larger group, but in spite of them, having solved all the puzzles largely on our own. This was especially unfortunate for them since they had no idea what was really happening. This is often a problem when newbies are paired with enthusiasts with the result that nobody has the best experience. We recommend much smaller group sizes (4 or less) in C Block. When possible avoid mixing groups of strangers altogether.

Despite the issues with group size, we appreciated the puzzle and set design at the Escape Experience and would definitely recommend that you check them out during your next visit to Music City!

Nashville Room: A famous music producer has gone into retirement but is willing to award one last music contract to one lucky group who can solve his crazy array of puzzles.

The Heist: An unscrupulous art collector has stolen a priceless Monet and we had to recover it before it disappeared for good.

Mission Mars: With power, communication, and oxygen systems down on our spacecraft, we had one hour to escape before the impending solar flare brought a swift end to our mission.

Gold Rush: A miner’s cabin held the key to a hidden gold mine of treasure. We had to find it quick before time ran out.

Pros: We arrived in music city with a song in our heart and escape rooms on our mind. After finding our ridiculously expensive parking spot in downtown Nashville, we entered the awesomely inviting waiting room of the Escape Game. The manager greeted us and quickly checked us in. We played the Nashville Room and the Heist and returned later to play Gold Rush. We also visited their Berry Hill location to place Mission Mars. The rooms were all consistently excellent in set design and storyline. We were especially impressed by the immersive set of Gold Rush. This was by far our favorite room of our holiday weekend escape room spree.

The puzzles varied appropriately according to the different themes of each room. Clues and puzzles aligned to the diverse storylines. The game masters used the electronic hint system to communicate with us as necessary. We found one or two hints necessary to complete each of the rooms we played at the Escape Game. Other than these few occasional moments of feeling completely stumped, our games generally flowed well.

Cons: We found that some of the puzzles were unnecessarily difficult in part because of a lack of guideposts to help players connect puzzles to locks. The logic issues disrupted the game flow requiring assistance from the game master. We imagine that this is always a problem for players in these rooms. Most likely, the game masters find themselves providing the same set of hints to players. A few minor adjustments in the form of guideposts and hints to help players make the necessary connections without intervention, could infinitely improve the game play experience.
 
The Escape Game in Nashville is quite a popular place. The result was that we were frequently grouped in games of six to eight in each room we played. Unfortunately, this is too many people for the size of these rooms. Four makes the ideal group size. Also, playing with children (or adults who act like children) often spoils our game play fun. We found ourselves struggling to solve puzzles and enjoy the games as a result. Private bookings are preferred but when not possible, limiting groups sizes to four is much more enjoyable. In our humble opinion, groups with children should be always be grouped privately for a better experience all around.
 
The Escape Game Nashville was by far our favorite escape room experience in Nashville. The customer service there is also stellar, making for an all-around great time. Gather a bunch of our friends and go play the Gold Rush or Mission Mars rooms!

French Quarter House of Curiosities: Our friend, an employee at the House of Curiosities, had mysteriously disappeared. We had to solve the mystery to find out what happened to her and ensure her future safety.
 
The Game Museum (Metairie Location): Progressing through the history of games, we were racing the clock in the ultimate game of skill.

Pros: Clue Carre once again lived up to its reputation as a top-notch escape room. We have previously played their other rooms here and truly enjoyed our time in each room. The high-quality set design and puzzles themed to the storyline make for a great game play experience. We found the House of Curiosities a joy to play progressing through the game at a speedy rate that we have found indicates logical puzzles and good game flow. We successfully escaped with plenty of time to spare.

Cons: We enjoyed playing the Game Museum for the uniqueness of the theme and puzzles but it was not our favorite game at Clue Carre. The downtown location is definitely our recommendation for tourists and escape room enthusiasts wishing to solve fun puzzles and get that immersive theme experience.
 
Keep being awesome Clue Carre! We will definitely be back to play your upcoming games!