Tucked away on S. Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles, you will find Countdown Live Escape Games LA. Countdown Live Escape Games is company dedicated to bringing interactive escape room challenges to the masses from both their Los Angeles and Las Vegas properties. The LA location features three escape rooms: “The Krampus”, “The Spaceship”, and “The Tiki Room” – each themed in their own way with their own puzzles and stories to unravel.
We recently got the chance to experience The Krampus escape room. The five of us piled into the lobby area of Countdown Live Escape Games LA and were greeted by General Manager Brian Corbitt. We exchanged pleasantries and then were all given electronic waivers to fill out. After that, we were given some basic rules of escape room etiquette and then the story of The Krampus escape room. In short, we were to be sent into the apartment of the so-called “Krampus Killer” to investigate what exactly happened to a number of murdered children from the neighborhood.
Well, we entered the “residence” (of course the door locks behind you), and were subsequently treated to an array of creepy, holiday-themed puzzles and plot twists. The television set in the corner of the apartment kept the countdown timer running – every group to enter The Krampus gets 60 minutes to find a way back out. It is always tricky to review an escape room without spoiling any of the surprises. Suffice it to say that The Krampus provided an interesting story throughout the experience and plenty of well-crafted set dressing to complete the illusion of where we were supposed to be.
There were moments of jump scares and moments of slow burn puzzles – things that happen early in the escape room are sometimes used in callbacks when you get towards the end of the experience – so pay attention to everything! Unfortunately, we needed another 30 seconds or so to get out and so, yes, we failed! However, we were there for a full hour and at $30 dollars a person, it is safe to say that you will definitely get your money’s worth. The biggest and most helpful hints I can provide for your group are to be sure and continue communicating anything that resembles a clue or new puzzle. Also, many times we have found it helpful to put anything that might be a clue into a centralized location so every possible clue can be analyzed.
If you would like to book your own escape room experience with Countdown Live Escape Games LA, checkout their official website.
Countdown Los Angeles
2284 S Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90007
(747) 333-8886
LosAngeles@CountdownEscape.com
