MagIQ’s Curse of the Mummy – Can You Escape the Tomb?

The Premise:

You and your team of treasure hunters stumble upon an Egyptian tomb. As the door slams shut behind you, leaving only an hour’s worth of air, you must find a way to escape or the tomb will be yours as well.

The Puzzles:

One of three rooms, the Curse of the Mummy room is billed as the hardest, with only 6 participants allowed. The room is sparse, with Egyptian statues, wall adornments, a pyramid standing in the center, and several lock-boxes. I liked that the timer was a sand hourglass in the corner. It was a nice touch.

The puzzles weren’t super difficult, but they were non-linear which was a fun challenge. We would sometimes have to start an interesting puzzle, move on and then come back to it. Most of the puzzles were thematically relevant, and some were nicely interactive. There were one or two where the entire group was involved, but most of them were of the one-at-a-time variety.

I wish there were more puzzles throughout the room, ones that the group could work on together, as well as more ornamentation. We were told afterward that several decorations (and even a puzzle) had to be taken out due to attendees destroying them, which is extremely unfortunate; it ruins the experience for everyone. I also would have liked different puzzle mechanisms, as they were almost all combination locks, and the Egyptian theme lends itself to more creativity. While there was a narrative, it was very brief, and didn’t match the online story at all. I think, as this is more catered toward young adults, they might be less concerned about the story line.

On the plus side, there were one or two stand-out puzzles in the room, and a handful that definitely gave us pause and utilized different kinds of reasoning and logic. The puzzles themselves fit the theme and incorporated cute props, some which we erroneously overlooked, costing us time. The last puzzle involves a sarcophagus and the group could all participate in the finale, which is always a positive way to end an escape room.

The Point:

While MagIQ’s room offerings might be too easy for escape room enthusiasts or a more mature crowd, their three rooms are perfect for family entertainment or parties for younger escapees. The themes aren’t scary and they encourage problem-solving and cooperation, things everyone can use more of these days.

Try out MagIQ’s rooms (Secrets of Wizardry, Pirate’s Den & Curse of the Mummy):
https://magiqescaperoom.com/los-angeles