“Pixels” And Xcape Adventures DFW Join Forces For An Unforgettable Experience

On July 24th, Adam Sandler, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad and Michelle Monaghan team up in Sony Pictures’ “Pixels,” to save the world from aliens who misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade game characters, such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Centipede and proceed to assume their form while attacking the earth. To coincide with the release of the movie, Sony Pictures have teamed up with Xcape Adventures DFW, which are located at 2414 E. Hwy 80, Suite 409 in Mesquite, for an unforgettable experience.

I was asked to cover this event and did so with great enthusiasm. In all honesty, I had never heard of Xcape Adventures beforehand but in reading about them online, they piqued my curiosity. Currently, they have two escape rooms, one encompasses STEAMPUNK, a subgenre of science fiction and sometimes fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. The other room, which opens today, Saturday, July 11th, is dedicated to the PIXELS movie.

So, what is an Escape Room? It is a real-life physical adventure game in which people are locked in a room with other participants and have to use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles, find clues, and exit the room within a set time limit.

When I arrived with my sister Cathy and my 9 year-old nephew Martin on Wednesday, July 8th, we were greeted by the very friendly staff, including ‘Xcape Adventures’ owner, Aubrey Dewbre and engineer, Zack Slack. They informed us that they were still working on the PIXELS room and that it would officially be open Saturday, July 11th but because they were filling up quickly, we had to book an evening to come back the following week to experience the PIXELS escape room.

In the interim, we were offered the chance to experience the STEAMPUNK escape room. Because there were only two adults in my sister and myself (Martin was too young to understand many of the clues), Aubrey exclaimed that the more people you bring the better chance you have at escaping as there are so many clues scattered throughout the room that for two people, our chances of surviving were not good! Because Cathy and I are both from Ireland, our stubbornness and perseverance took over as we weren’t going to let something as trivial as this deter us and we prevailed. Granted, we eventually died but we put up one hell of a show!

The whole point of the game is to stop the boiler room from exploding. There is an old-fashioned TV in which a young lady appears and states that you have exactly one hour to achieve your objective, otherwise, you, and her, will meet your demise. There are padlocks on chests, doors and boxes and in order to open them, you must retrieve the numeric codes from clues dispersed around the room but with the clock counting down and the lady in the basement occasionally appearing on the TV screen to remind you of this, you go from feeling confident and self-assured to apprehensive and distressed, all in the span of 60 minutes.

There are chests of drawers, closets, beds, old photos hanging on the wall and so much more that at first glance they seem irrelevant but you find yourself going back to them when you have searched everywhere else and the clues are sometimes right in front of your face, you just have to find an alternate method to see them.

I honestly had no idea what to expect but I felt like I was inside a video game, one of those puzzles you play on your PC and in order to get out of the room, you must click on the items surrounding around you and they lead you to the next clue and so on and so on. When you find yourself stumped with no idea as to what to do next, there is a small monitor up in the corner of the room that will occasionally give you hints.

My sister was a little nervous going in as she has a fear of claustrophobia but the rooms were spacious enough that she was fine in the game’s surroundings. The rooms are also monitored by the staff outside so if you needed to leave the room for whatever reason, you just need to knock on the door and it will be opened.

I’m an X-Boxer and love playing electronic games but it was so refreshing to actually get out of the house for a few hours and use your brain and imagination. I have not experienced the PIXELS room yet but when I do, I will write a separate piece on that and will also include an interview with Aubrey, the owner of Xcape Adventures, telling us how he came up with the idea of a real-life escape room and his plans for the future. In the meantime, here are some questions you might need in order to experience the adventure for yourself and I highly recommend you do, it’s great fun and an enjoyable way to spend an hour with family or friends

• Q. Will you lock me in a room?
• A. No. The room is not actually “locked,” you can get out whenever you like. But why would you want to?
• Q. Who will be in the room with me?
• A. Unlike other escape rooms, we do not lock you in a room with strangers. All of your reservations are considered private parties.
• Q. Do my friends/group need to book as individuals?
• A. No. You book as a whole group. One reservation per group. So, grab some friends, split the cost and save some money!
• Q. How old do I have to be?
• A. If you know your basic shapes and colors, then you are old enough. However, small children may be need to be supervised for their own safety. If parents choose to have their small children accompany them, we strongly advise them to exercise precaution in order they not get hurt or break certain objects or puzzles. Being that there are multiple people in the room, and excitement surrounding them, small children could get stepped on or hit their head on various objects.
• Q. When are you open?
• A. Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Q. Do I have to be smart?
• A. No, we like dummies. But come on, the puzzles are not overly complicated.
• Q. What happens if I arrive late?
• A. We close the door at the time you reserve it. If you come late, then your time is already counting down. You need to arrive 15-20 minutes before your reservation. On the plus side, you can learn some pretty funny jokes from our professional staff.
• Q. Can I get a refund?
• A. No refunds on late arrivals. If you need to cancel, you need to call one day before your scheduled reservation. But seriously, you won’t want to cancel.
• Q. Will this be the most fun I have ever had?
• A. Uh Yeah.
• Q. How much does it cost for an hour?
• A. $99 for the entire group, up to eight people.
• Q. Can I like you on Facebook?
• A. You better! GO NOW https://www.facebook.com/XcapeAdventures