Breakout Entertainment

Took my siblings here for an afternoon out and had such a blast! It was the first time my sister and I have tried one of these escape rooms and it was a great introduction into it!
We didn’t manage to get out but it was a lot of fun just the same. Can’t wait to try again!

Ok, so my husband and I have gone to many escape rooms in Edmonton, and became addicted to them! We’ve tried lots of different companies and have enjoyed them all! So we decided to try Breakout. And I can honestly say I will never go back. All escape rooms are around the same price, $ 25 for 45 minutes which a seems crazy but we have always left feeling it was money well spent, whether we escaped or not! But not here. We did the bomb room, which has decent reviews so we got a group of friends together and went for it. Some of these friends were first timers and were really excited for a great first experience, even tho they were paying so much money. So firstly, going into the room we were told TWICE not to touch a certain object until we knew what it was for, so we asked for clarification and again were told NOT to touch it. So we didn’t. Because we’re good people and follow the rules. Turns out this was TERRIBLE advice from the staff because it was actually where we needed to start in order to be successful. At the 25 minute mark our bomb was detonated BECAUSE we weren’t given the right information, and were told it was game over and to leave. We paid for 45 minutes (or until we escape), and we got not even 25 because of poor information that set us up for failure. So that sucked, but honestly the worst part of the experience was the staffs customer service. The minute we walked in the door we felt like they were very snotty and condescending, and continued to be that way throughout the whole half hour we spent here. Every other escape room place we’ve visited we have had the BEST staff that made us pumped and excited and comfortable and were very helpful. They would give us the back ground story and set us up for an exciting themed 45 minutes! We
Got no real back story and these staff were actually getting short with us because we were acting exited and pumped. They were condescending and made us feel like we were stupid. The puzzles were not good, some being impossible with the information given. I can honestly say I (and my 7 other teammates) will NOT be returning because it was not fun, our time cut short because of terrible direction and honestly the terrible customer service was so disappointing. We felt responsible for our friends sucky first time and hoped this didn’t ruin any chance of them trying future escape places! This place is not up to par with other escape rooms so they shouldn’t charge as much If they’re giving sub par experience. The other places will also show you how the room ends when you’re done, but this place won’t thinking you’ll come back pay them more money and try again. Yeah no. There are so many other awesome escape room places (let me name some! we loved escape city, gtfo and smarty pants!) so we will be taking our money to those places for good. Thanks for nothing Breakout!

So my husband and I don’t get out very often. Its a lot of work to get a babysitter and so we just dont. We got invited to go to Breakout and we were so excited as we’ve been to one other place before (e escape) and it was a blast! This place BLOWS! Don’t waste your money. The staff is rude and they totally lead you astray. They were no help and very snotty. The group I was with was very excited and they kept telling us to ‘shhh’. They told us to NOT touch something and turns out that’s the one thing we needed to touch to succeed. So after 20 minutes we got kicked out (detonated the bomb that they said was near impossible to detonate without the code) when we paid 25 $ for 45 minutes. WASTE OF MONEY!!! Go somewhere fun. We will not be returning here. I like to enjoy my evenings out! Thanks for NOTHING Breakout!

I’ve been to Breakout now three times; my first experience in the Secret Lab room was the best, and the next two times, in The Bomb and 1408 just didn’t measure up.
I found the Secret Lab clues were thematic and were possible to decode (even though yes, we did require the 2 hints from the Breakout staff), but in The Bomb and 1408, some puzzles were just so far fetched and not in keeping with the theme that the experience became a bit frustrating and not all that fun. One of the Breakout staff told me that 1408 is the hardest room, and my husband and I were on our own, so it was virtually impossible to «breakout» on time.
$ 25 for 45 minutes is on the pricey side. I think I will be taking a break from Breakout for awhile now, but if you want to try it out for the first time, I’d recommend trying Secret Lab. And make sure to bring teammates that also like puzzles/​decoding tasks.

I came to Breakout Entertainment last week with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday!
We did the «Cube» room which was released about a month ago and so far there are no escapes!
We got about ¾ of the way through when time ran out. I honestly don’t know if we could have solved it in another 45 minutes… We were stuck!
The staff were fabulous and kept us entertained while waiting to start our game with brain teasers.
At $ 25 a person, the entertainment value is pretty decent and it’s cool that they have a wall of fame wall with best times and of course ever changing escape rooms to keep you coming back.
I will definitely be back!

What a cool and interesting thing to do! Me and my friend went and tried this on Saturday afternoon. It was completely fun.
We were paired up with 3 strangers, so ideally go in a group of 5. Would be more fun if you knew everyone. But if it’s just a couple of you it was still great too.
We did Secret Lab, which is more of a beginner one they said. We found it very hard!!! It’s not as easy as you think. Without giving anything away, I think I can say there are about 20 steps/​clues you need to unravel to win. You only have 45 mins tho! We were all first timers, and I would say we got about 6 done, but messed up as we skipped a couple chronological steps.
One tip, if you finish and don’t solve the room. Don’t ask what you missed!!! I did and it kind of ruined the idea of maybe going back and taking another crack at the room! They say only 4% do it first try!
Another tip is to keep repeating the clues and riddles out loud so the whole group can brainstorm. A lot of them were literal.
There are no pictures allowed but let me say they do a great job in decorating and setting up your room to be authentic. There was one reveal where something started to move and I was blown away!!!
This is a great ideas for a date night if you are looking for something new to do as well. They have many times available and its online reservation and you pay on arrival. It was $ 25 per person for the hour that you are there.
Also I heard there is a new one downtown, but friends said this one is the best one.

I went with two friends, and as previous reviewers noted– small groups will be paired up with strangers! Our breakout attempt was a massive fail– which I attribute to our group not knowing each other. We were in the bomb room. My group of 3 were in our own individual room where we had clues and could see two other people in a middle room– and give them visual clues. The middle room could hear people in another room– but couldn’t see them. And that room couldn’t see either of the other two rooms, but could hear the middle room. The two external rooms had clues that would unlock the boxes in the opposite room. It is up to the middle room to relay information back and forth. Let me put it this way: we had unlocked 0 boxes, and the other room had unlocked 3. There were major communication let-​downs. And at the 25 minute mark, one of the Breakout employees came in to see where we were and offer suggestions. When he guided us toward finding one of the answers, the process was SO far-​fetched that we wouldn’t have EVER guessed how to get it. Also– the rooms were dark with red lighting, and some of the clues were colour coded– and we couldn’t even differentiate between colours because human eyeballs just don’t do that.
Maybe I’m just grumpy because I am a sore loser– but I just think the puzzles could have been executed better. It was worth the experience for $ 25/​person. I would pay more to have a better experience though. The quality wasn’t where I had expected it to be– both in the physical structure/​appearance of the rooms, and in the execution of the game. Would try another room again with a larger group where I actually know my team and feel more comfortable working with them.

I’ve been to this place twice.
The first time was a massive failure, because I went with my work group and they are a bunch of dummies. Heh heh. We failed that time.
The Second time, I chose my smartest friends who were available and we completed a brand new room BOMB in record time.
I liked the idea of the escape room, but it wasn’t so much an escape room as a series of puzzles in a room.
What I mean was, as no point do you get to smash things or pry things off the room.
Agility and Strength play nothing into this room. The puzzles we completed were somewhat thematic, but not enough so that I felt like was trying to actually escape a room. Does that make sense? Without spoiling it, I would say that the room could have been more thematic if there was puzzles you could solve with brute strength or labor.
It’s real feeling, but not real feeling enough.
Why did it get 3 stars?
Fun: We didn’t get bored in the hour
Lots of free Parking
Why didn’t it get 5 stars?
Could be Cheaper
Not thematic enough.

Went with a small group of friends and even had some strangers join us. It was so much fun! Lots of communication and teamwork. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re a person who doesn’t like puzzles or being locked in a small space. Otherwise, I look forward to returning to try the other rooms!

Total fail, for a number of reasons.
We tried the bomb room, and biggest complaint is they provided no information up front on the difficulty level, nor made any recommendations as to what we should play. That would have helped, we were all first timers, and turns out we picked the toughest game available.
We are actually a pretty bright group, a team of all engineers, very good at solving problems and puzzles. Communication though is our downfall, and it turns out that was the most critical element in the game.
One of the problems is based on the game of risk, and you have to do all kinds of crazy math and make a number of assumptions, that could lead to a bunch of different answers, any of which could be the right answer, but the lack of clarity means you won’t know until you get an answer and find out its wrong. As an example, even when they tell you to round numbers up, when necessary, they don’t tell you if you are rounding up the casualties or survivors, so that tip is completely useless. Then you don’t know if the mistake was in an assumption you made, a lack of clarity in the instructions, or if you miscounted a single unit on the board or made a mistake in just one math operation somewhere. Crazy.
You only have about 45 minutes to solve something like 8 – 12 puzzles. We spent almost ²⁄₃ of our time on that one puzzle, got multiple answers that were all wrong, and basically that was it. There’s no way anyone who has not already played the game, probably multiple times, could win that one.
And that’s really my main beef with the game and the company. We went in as a work event team building exercise, and came out of it feeling like total failures because it was pretty much impossible. They won’t give you the solution at the end, because they expect you to pay again to play it again. So maybe if you play the game 3 or 4 times, paying $ 25 per player each time, you will finally win, but that feels too much like cheating to me. 45 minutes is nowhere near enough time, maybe 4 – 8 hours and you could solve it, but they make the time short so they can make more money pushing as many teams through as possible. At the end I asked how often teams win and the answer was about 2% of the time. Those 2% are probably the people going in again for the 3^rd time or more.
Bottom line is for the amount you pay combined as a team, I would have expected a lot more. There’s just no effort on their part to make it fun for the customer, they way it’s set up, its all about the money, so I won’t be going back. If you do go, whatever you do don’t start with the bomb room unless you have a ton of experience with these games, are a genius, and amazing at communication.

I had a friend from out of town come visit me one weekend and I wanted to make sure we had lots of fun things to do, so after a recommendation I decided to book with Breakout!
We went in not knowing much and with little expectation. Having heard about it via another Unilocaler, I had to check it out.
They have a great online booking system which allows you to book which room and time you’d like. On the weekends they book up almost a full month in advance, so keep that in mind when you’re booking your breakout. They have some rooms which are more difficult than others, so maybe call and ask if you’re unsure.
We booked the 1408 room which was a paranormal themed room. It was very difficult and we were given very little direction on what to look for, it wasn’t easy! The staff member that was helping us really made us feel like we were stupid, as if the clues were obvious and how could we have not figured it out… That left us feeling a little dumb! However, we did have a lot of fun! I’m thinking next time we will book a more «beginner» room.

It was a lot of fun, overall. I expected more variation in the puzzles but it really just came down to a bunch of combination locks.
As well, the person working was pretty condescending when he told us, without us asking, all the ways we made mistakes and how easy it all was. It was a lot of fun until that happened, he turned it from a fun little game we didn’t win to making us feel kind of angry. He apologized after when we commented that he was kind of being rude but seriously, how do you even think giving a lecture then asking people if they had fun is reasonable?
Also, if you ask for a hint they don’t stop the timer. Keep that in mind, and know exactly what you’re going to say when they come to help.
I hope they get new puzzles though, I’d go back. What’d I’d like to see is if their rooms all didn’t just boil down to «Find the combinations for 7 different combination locks!» that are supervised by the comic book guy from The Simpsons.

This place is awesome!
I went in not really knowing what to expect; my lovely other half took me here for an early Birthday present. So I was a bit nervous to be honest; but once we started it was fantastic. We had to go with another group of three, so you have to be quick at getting to know strangers and work together. It does take awhile to figure out how to approach the ‘puzzles’ but once you get that you will do fine. We had an absolute blast and I would highly recommend it anyone.
My one criticism though is that you need more time then 45 min. it just isn’t long enough to get through it.

I was taken here as a birthday surprise and had no idea what it was or what it was about. However, once the game began, I was hooked! It was so much fun, and really well done. Staff was very friendly and helpful. I can hardly wait to go back. One of the coolest things I’ve done in a while. It would be best to go with a small group of friends, as they’ll team you up with strangers if the room isn’t full.

Lots of fun for groups, team building, staff parties etc!
Be prepared for a fun, fast paced mind bender that keeps you guessing. It’s not easy, it will keep you talking about it for days if not months after, and you’ll be kicking yourself (at least I was) for missing some of the clues that seem obvious in hindsight.
We took an office group of 8 to Breakout as part of our Christmas party. Nothing says Christmas party like a murder mystery in room 1408!
We started on time, we finished on time, and it went fast.
Highly recommended and something I’d love to try again…

This place is SO COOL! I’ve been her twice now and had a blast both times.
The rooms are challenging. The staff take your coats and will lock your purses/​cell phones in a locker that you hold the key to. Once that happens you get put into a room. The staff will tell you a little blurb on how to play the game (you get two clues after that) And then GO! Solve the puzzle!
For $ 25/​person it’s a great way to spend an evening — 45 min in a room goes by FAST! The rooms are greatly conceived, and I cannot wait to go again.

Great option for a night out with friends
Recently, a group of us went here to celebrate a birthday, something to do before going out for dinner. I had read about this business opening a few weeks earlier and made a reservation for 4 for the Le Gala room on Friday night before our dinner reservation. The Birthday girl didn’t know what we were doing that evening, the rest of us did. This is the first Breakout Game in Edmonton, these venues started in Asia a few years ago and are starting to appear in Canada in various cities like Toronto and Vancouver. The goal is to solve puzzles to find clues to help you break out of your room within a certain time limit.
It’s hard to review this without giving away things. I will just say this. In hindsight, things were simpler than we thought. We tended to overanalyze and got caught up in things that were merely distractions. You will get two hints, watch your time and use them at appropriate points.
There were three puzzles in the first room, we needed to use two of our hints to solve two of these, frustratingly we had a very simple error in one of our puzzles that roadblocked us. We didn’t make it into the second room but we unanimously decided we will be coming back again to try another room.
Book well in advance, the popular rooms book up quick. We will be back

This is a great place for a group outing! Very unique. We had a group event and we had 3 rooms, the awakening, the secret lab and the louvre one. It was awesome! None of us passes but had a great time. Would be nice if it was licensed and could sell alcohol on weekend nights. The props were great. The staff super friendly and funny! The only thing that was bad was the bathroom. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in a public establishment. Filthy and urine everywhere and no toilet paper or paper towel! Yikes.
Only other tip is the games are better played in groups of 4, not 6.
I will be back!

I tried Breakout’s The Awakening room over the weekend with three friends and it was so much fun that I can’t stop thinking about it. The puzzles are intricate and require a solid amount of brainpower. The twists and turns were surprising and well-​thought-​out. We spent an hour after our game talking about the last clue, which we didn’t have time to get (sadly, we failed).
This was my first experience with live action escape gaming and it’s definitely one that lingers with you. I’m a huge fan of adventure and puzzle video games, so this was right up my alley. I’m already looking into booking my next game!
This has been the best $ 20 I’ve ever spent. I can’t recommend this place enough. And, even if you’re used to places that are more intricate and have more money to put into the experience, there’s no reason why you can’t get into the Breakout experience and just enjoy yourself. As the first of its kind in Edmonton, I think Breakout is absolutely brilliant.

Now that you’re out of school, you find yourself sometimes doing those online «What’s my IQ» quizzes. Admit it!
If you have that itch to prove your wit Breakout has finally arrived in Edmonton.
They have different rooms for you to break out of (mandatory number of 6 people in a group). Due to safety concerns, they do monitor you and have the door available if you simply need to catch your breath and get out.
There’s a constant timer telling you when your impending failure is and it is up to you and your team to crack the room. Like most social games, it’s up to the individuals to put out an effort to make the most of the experience. The more immersed, the more committed you are to try to outwit the room, the more sense of danger and panic you’ll feel as you’re that close to getting the last clue.
The staff do rub it in when you can’t simply make the hall of fame (all in good fun I hope) and it’s a little addicting to want to come back and try the others or at least try the new upcoming ideas they have cooking up. The current promotion is $ 21 for the month of October but it’s regularly $ 25 per person.
TL;DR: 45 minutes of group activity trying to break out of a room. The more you try to get into it, the more fun it’ll be!