Help us end the curse! A Leprechaun played one of our games and didn’t escape. He was so upset that he cursed us to wear tiny hats for the rest of our lives. The only way we can end the curse is to find a group clever enough to escape our games with all 20 of his gold coins. Please help us! If you can find them and escape either The Fun House, The Hex Room, or The Psych Ward, we will repay you with some great discounts to use on your next game!
What you could win:
10-14 coins and escape: 10% off discount
15-17 coins and escape: 25% off discount
18-19 coins and escape: 50% off discount
All 20 coins and escape: 100% off discount
Games must be played between 3/16/22-3/20/22. Winning discount codes are valid for 1 year.
Oh no! Geoff is cursed with wearing a tiny hat! Will you help him?
Many years ago, when Cross Roads Escape Games was young, we had a practice puzzle in our lobby that allowed guests to get into the puzzle-solving mindset. The puzzle was pretty simple; some signs around the room provided hints for a four-letter lock on a jar full of candy. This puzzle was great practice for multiple reasons: guests learned how to search the room for clues, think critically, and most importantly, line letters upon a lock and pull down to open. But the time came when our lounge required a makeover and when it was renovated, the puzzle was removed.
However, people kept asking for the puzzle to return. Enthusiasts enjoyed having another puzzle to solve, while new players liked a crash course in learning how a puzzle works. We went to work trying to think up a new puzzle to take the place of the old one, one which would fit into the new room’s design but be easy to manage (as we already have three other games to look after as well.)
Admittedly, several years passed before we focused on the practice puzzle. In the meantime, we had created the mobile mini escape game, The Box, as a companion piece to our full-length game, The Psych Ward, brought to life the immersive theatre performance The Séance, and lived through 2020. But always in the back of our minds was this little practice puzzle.
One day, one of the game masters suggested returning the old puzzle to the room. Though this would have been the easiest course of action, I didn’t know what happened to all the elements we used for the original puzzle. Not willing to ignore the call for a practice puzzle when a simple solution was only a storage search away, I set my mind on a suitable replacement.
I went through a few different versions of what we finally installed in the room. The first version involved painting statues’ solid colors and a legend to put these statues in order. This required a few too many hands-on elements, though, as we also use the lobby as a party room for birthdays and other celebrations and would need to be put away. This would also pose the problem of the statues not fitting into the room’s theme, their colors clashing with the design. And surprisingly, the biggest reason was that affordable and durable statues in the specific design we needed were nearly impossible to come by.
I decided to change the puzzle from statues to something we could mount on the wall and fit in with the steampunk-ish theme of the room. I wanted to adorn the wall with some dapperly-dressed skulls. Initially, in my mind, these skulls in their costumes would be painted a solid glossy black to look like statues carved from marble or painted wood. We worried that this would be a little too intimidating for some of the younger escape room guests and be a little too dark as a focal point. We settled on a warmer brown tone (that we soon found out was discontinued. Things can’t be too easy, after all!) I found costumes for each of them in playful yet straightforward colors to catch the eye and make the puzzle feel more joyful. We’re not only about horror around here.
We wanted to take this puzzle a step further. It would be simple enough to look at the skulls and put them in order based on their costume; it isn’t necessarily a fun puzzle. We decided to go electronic.
Most recent escape rooms involve more tech and fewer combination locks. Like our Psych Ward, for instance, which does not contain a single combination lock, players will most likely never even get their hands on a physical key. These newer games rely on different types of puzzles where answers are input through buttons, dials, switches, or other physical actions. This can make a game much more immersive if it fits in well with the theme of the game, as well as possibly reduce reset time.
With this tech-trend of escape rooms in mind, we wanted our puzzle to accomplish two things: first, teach players how to interact with tech-based puzzles, and second, have essentially no reset. This is where we had a problem. How do you create a puzzle that doesn’t require someone to reset after it’s solved? Our solution was not to create just one puzzle but one puzzle with three answers. We designed our puzzle to cycle through three different solutions, so even if the knobs are set to the previous answer, the next group will still have to solve the puzzle before earning their prize.
Though you would think this three-solution puzzle was enough work for us, we were not entirely satisfied. Since we didn’t want the puzzle to be constantly active, we needed the players to turn the puzzle on. The first step to the practice puzzle is to search the room for the clue to activate the puzzle itself. Of course, we also weren’t going to make that easy. We hid a clue in the room to help players get started; it just takes some observation, association, and imagination. All I can say is that some things are not as they seem.
Next time you stop by to play one of our games, arrive early to check out the new practice puzzle in our lounge!
Owners and Creators of Cross Roads Escape Games, Luke & Madison, along with the owners and creators of Exit Game OC, Jeremiah & Christine, played ‘Wrongfully Convicted’ at Escape Revolutions with the one and only, Jeff Goldblum!
We are good friends with the owners of Exit Game OC, Jeremiah, and Christine, who opened just a few months ago down the street from Cross Roads. Christine is also a YouTube star and has been doing videos on Escape Rooms for years. She and her husband have played over 500 escape rooms! The show looked for enthusiasts to play with Jeff, so she was contacted. They needed two others to join her, so she name-dropped us (who have played a modest 250 escape rooms), and after a short video interview, we were in!
Playing an Escape Room with Jeff Goldblum
We were told that the game was modified for filming, so big spoilers or answers were not given away to people who still wanted to play. This was understandable, but it also made it much harder to play. Navigating through the game and not knowing what was relevant to us was very difficult. Not to mention that we were being watched by a crowd of people (the film crew), who were expecting us to fly through the game because we were “experts,” which made it very stressful. Oh, and Jeff made it impossible to focus.
Jeff is an incredibly nice guy, naturally funny, and unpredictable. It took us 6 hours to play the 1-hour escape room because Jeff likes to talk… a lot. Before we started playing, the director told us our job was to keep Jeff on track. Easier said than done.
To be fair, this was Jeff’s first escape room, so he was overwhelmed, confused, and amazed. He was new to what a clue is and how to piece together a code. There is a learning curve for solving escape room-type puzzles, so we had to help guide him through our thought process.
Jeff is easily distracted and jumps from story to story and question to question. He tests your movie knowledge, constantly quoting lines from movies and quizzing you on what movie it’s from and who said it. It was not only hard to get him to focus, but also hard to focus yourself.
One thing Jeff is great at is making you laugh. As stressed as I was, Jeff is a hilarious guy, and it’s hard to take anything too seriously with him around.
Something you didn’t see in the episode is that we figure out a four-digit code for a number lock, and we tell Jeff to be the one to put the code in. Before he does, Christine asks him if he is familiar with that kind of lock and if he knows how to enter the code. Jeff goes into this 10-minute spiel about how he is a “lockmaster,” and his “middle name is Lock,” and he has been “opening locks since he was five years old.” Finally, once he finishes his speech and puts in the numbers, he pulls down on the lock, and it doesn’t open. He looks at us like, “you gave me the wrong code!” So, Christine looks over and says, “oh, you lined it up wrong,” and points to where the code should have gone. He looks back at us and says, “Well, how was I supposed to know that?!” To which I respond with, “Jeff, you just took the last 10 minutes to tell us your middle name was Lock, we thought you knew!” That got a big laugh out of Jeff and the film crew.
Jeff is big into word association games. We noticed him playing a game with himself during breaks where he would say the name of an actor, then a movie that actor was in, then a new actor from that movie, a movie that actor was in, and so on. We jumped in and played a few rounds with him (he was really good).
After the 6 hours of playing the escape room, we finally escape, and we are taken outside for Jeff to interview us and ask us some questions. The director tells Jeff, “Ask them what they like about solving puzzles.” Well, instead of asking us, he answers the question himself. Director says, “That was great; now ask THEM the question.” He turns to us, and instead of asking the question again, he notices an ear hair on Jeremiah, PLUCKS IT FROM HIS EAR, puts it in his pocket, and says, “I’m going to keep this to remember you by. This was such a great day, I’m going to remember it forever.” There is no controlling this man or knowing what he will do next.
Overall, it was a really fun day. The game was challenging, but Jeff made it a blast. He wanted to know all about us and was interested in our story. He cares a lot about other people, goes out of his way to make you laugh, and takes it upon himself to make sure you have a good time. I hope he continues playing escape rooms and had as much fun as we did.
Escape Rooms created by game enthusiasts for game enthusiasts. Owners Luke and Madison Rhoades come from a theatre and haunt background and found escape rooms to be the perfect backbone for their #1 rated company- Cross Roads Escape Games. Celebrating their 6th year in business, here is the story of the creators and designers of Cross Roads and how it all came to be.
ABOUT US
Luke and I are high school sweethearts, and we got married shortly after finishing college. I graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Fine Art and a minor in Theatrical Set Design. I designed and painted sets around Los Angeles and was the lead scenic painter for The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor for three incredible years. Luke graduated from the Vanguard University of Southern California with a B.A. in Theatre Performance and Scenic Construction. He worked as the Master Carpenter at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood. I would often get set design jobs and hire Luke as my technical director and carpenter for almost all of my shows. We were a great tag team duo. I would design it, he would build it, and then I would paint it.
THE FIRST ESCAPE ROOM
On Oct. 31st, 2014, we played our first escape room. We had no idea what we were getting into. I thought I bought tickets for a haunted house, so we were completely shocked when we found out that they would put us in a room with eight other strangers and lock the door. Our group did terrible. It was chaos trying to get ten people on the same page, but that was part of the fun. I remember the time being about halfway up when I realized we had not opened a single key lock. I yelled at the group, “How have we not found a single key?!?!” The girl next to me goes, “Oh! I found a few keys!” and starts to remove about 5-10 keys from her pocket that she decided to put there for safekeeping (and not use?).
Afterward, our game master comes in with a look of disappointment and tells us that we only made it about 60% of the way through. It didn’t matter to us if we won or lost or how far we got, the experience was unlike anything we had ever done, and we were hooked. The idea for The Hex Room came later that same night.
THE BEGINNING
We decided to take a chance. We quit our jobs and used our ten years’ worth of savings that we were keeping for a future house. It was one of those scenarios where we would always live a life of ‘what if’ if we didn’t give it a shot. And what better time to try and fail than when you are young? So we did. We found a location in Anaheim, California, battled the city for permits (that’s a whole story I won’t get into today), and put ourselves in a hole of loans and credit card debt (our savings was drained very quickly). With the help of some amazing family and friends, Cross Roads Escape Games opened one year later.
Cross Roads… get it? Luke and Madison Rhoades… ok, good.
THE GOAL
We wanted to create something that felt so real, you forgot it was a game. Imagine being transported to a new world where you can go anywhere and touch anything you want? To desperately try to find clues to help unlock the secrets to your escape? All our games are designed by us and built from the ground up. Not only is the production value outstanding, but even the game design is different.
We love games. Board games, card games, video games, and now escape games. Once we were hooked on escape games, we played every one that was available to us. Playing escape rooms was a great learning experience. We saw what we liked, and what we didn’t like. Our biggest issue was that no matter where we went, no matter what the mission was, the game was the same. We knew we had to change that up with ours.
CREATING THE HEX ROOM
As huge horror fans, we would always watch movies and say something along the lines of, “If that was me, I would have never run up the stairs!” or, “If I was in that situation, I would have done this…” Now with this new immersive theatre at our fingertips, we decided to create just that: a real-life horror movie scenario where people can find out if they would actually live or die in a horror film.
The Hex Room opened on January 15th, 2016. Unlike traditional escape rooms, The Hex Room takes immersion to the next step and makes players live out a real-life horror movie. Before your game begins, each player takes a quiz to determine which stereotypical horror movie victim they are. You can be cast as the Jock, Rebel, Prom Queen, Virgin, Nerd, or Detective. Once in costume, players are placed in a room by themselves. Their goal is to overcome their individual challenges and still work together as a team, although physically divided. If they are successful, they can rejoin their friends and escape. If not, they can be left behind to die.
CREATING THE FUN HOUSE
The Hex Room became a revolutionary game, but maybe a bit too advanced for its time. When we opened, Escape Rooms were still such a new concept; only a handful of people knew what they were, even fewer played one before. People loved The Hex Room, but we knew that it was a bit overwhelming to a new player, so we also created The Fun House.
The Fun House is the necessary introductory that people needed to escape rooms. People were together for the experience instead of being divided at the start. If someone felt uncomfortable doing something “scary,” we had The Fun House to offer instead. Although the gameplay is more of a traditional escape room, we still had a lot of new ideas to offer. The game became self-aware with lots of fun tricks and jokes along the way, not to mention the amazing Zoltar. Have you met him yet?
The Fun House also allowed us to introduce kids to the world of Escape Rooms. When Fun House opened in April of 2016, it was the only game that allowed players of any age to attend. The following year, we modified the game to change out challenging puzzles to a “KIDS” version, allowing groups of kids to play and succeed on their own.
CREATING THE PSYCH WARD
We are determined to always bring the next level of interactive entertainment, and we went all-in on The Psych Ward, which opened in December of 2018. Being inspired by immersive theatre experiences like Delusion and getting hooked on social deduction games like Werewolf and Secret Hitler, we decided to combine immersive theatre, competitive board games, and escape rooms into one fully automated game.
Because of its complexity, The Psych Ward took about 18 months to complete. We worked with the amazing technical team, Diablo Sound, which helped us program all the puzzles, scoring, and theatrical effects. The game took a few revisions, but we are very proud of the new elements we added and challenging ourselves with the unique design and automation. The Psych Ward is a game-changer that you must play!
WHAT’S NEXT
We revisited our theatre roots and wrote, directed, designed, and produced The Séance, which had a limited run in 2019. This show was an immersive theatre piece with some escape room elements. We had plans to bring back the show to a new location, which sadly got canceled due to the pandemic. There is still a chance it might happen; we are just waiting for the right venue and the right time.
We also announced a revamped Hex Room for 2020, which got postponed. We had everything ordered, contractors scheduled, and then the world shut down. Orders were pushed back, contractors had to cancel, and the whole project was put on hold. I am glad that it did though, these past years, we have been able to use the money we would have spent on the revamp towards keeping our doors open and our employees paid. It has also given me more time to think of even better puzzles and effects! The revamp will still happen as soon as the funds are restored. I am so excited to show you what we have planned!
We have also used all of 2021 to work on a new project that is bigger and totally different from anything we have done before! If all goes according to plan, we will have a big announcement for you in a few months. Stay tuned!
THANK YOU for being amazing and supportive fans. I read every single review that comes our way on google and yelp, and hearing about your fun experience is why we do what we do. I know it has been a long time since we have brought you something new, but big things are in the works. Thank you for being patient and understanding. It will be worth the wait!
Madison Rhoades CEO and Co-owner Cross Roads Escape Games
As a Game Master at Cross Roads Escape Games, you will help provide a memorable and immersive experience for our customers in a new and exciting field of entertainment! We are looking for enthusiastic and responsible candidates to work part time at our location in Anaheim.
What we do: An escape room is a real-life adventure game where you are working with your friends and racing against the clock! With only 1 hour to escape, you must work as a team to search for clues and discover all the secrets before time runs out. Established in 2016, Cross Roads Escape Games has three award winning games and is rated one of the top three Escape Rooms in the nation.
What a Game Master does: A typical day would be to greet and check-in guests, recite and perform the rules in front of the group, and then guide them into the game. Once the game has started, you will monitor the group for up to one hour and provide hints in character as needed. When the game is over, you will provide a post-game briefing and quickly reset the room for the next game.
Compensation: Part-time Game Master positions start at $15 per hour.
Job Requirements:
Provide a fun and memorable experience for all of our guests.
Memorize and recite rules to guests while being engaging and energetic.
Monitor game play and provide clear hints when necessary.
Work independently and as a part of a team.
Able to take direction and constructive feedback.
Maintain ongoing facility cleanliness.
Understand all game progressions and be able to quickly reset games.
Available to work evenings and weekends (Saturday-Sunday).
Able to make quick and effective decisions.
Able to lift up to 20 pounds, crawl, climb stairs, and move quickly.
Ideal Candidate:
At least 18 years old.
Acting or improv experience.
Ability to command the attention of a crowd.
Can work in a fast-paced environment.
Strong communication skills.
Prior customer service experience.
Benefits of working at Cross Roads:
Fun working environment.
Promotion opportunities.
Hourly pay, bonuses, and tips.
Employee discounts.
Fun team building outings.
Flexible schedules.
Great experience for someone interested in acting or entertainment.
Your favorite SoCal Escape Rooms are joining forces to make National Escape Room Day an event you don’t want to miss! Join us at Stereo Brewing in Orange County on Friday, October 1st from 6:00pm- 11:00pm! There will be prizes, mini-games, food trucks, beer, and exclusive discount codes to local escape rooms!
This event is free to attend and mini-games are free to play! Open to all ages!
Play exclusive escape room mini-games by: Cross Roads Escape Games The Basement Not Another Escape Room The Entrapment Exit Game OC Square Room Escape Edison Puzzle Labs The Laboratory Escape Room
Win amazing prizes from: Cross Roads Escape Games 60 Out- Downtown Stash House Cinema Escape Room The Entrapment Hidden Donkey Mission Escape Game Unlockables Escape Room Escape Room Era Trapped! Escape Room UNLOCKED: Escape Room Square Room Escape Infinity Escape Escapement Rooms Nerdy By Nature Escape Room Wild Optimists & Renegade Games Puzzle Workshop Escape Room
AND receive exclusive discount codes to some of the best escape rooms in SoCal!
Stereo Brewing is located at 950 S Via Rodeo, Placentia, CA 92870
COVID Protocol: This event is subject to the Orange County Health Department’s rules about COVID safety. As local and state guidelines for COVID safety protocols continue to change up until the event time, we will continue to monitor the situation and inform our guests of these guidelines before the event time. Currently, OC guidelines state that masks are optional for vaccinated guests. The event takes place both indoors and outdoors.
After 4 weeks of voting, the results are finally in! Cross Roads Escape Games is a winner in the 2021 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest for best escape room in the nation! We are also the top-ranking escape room for all of Southern California!
This has been our 3rd nomination and our 3rd win!
We want to thank our friends, family, and fans for voting every day and helping us stay in the top 10. Your support means so much to us, and we appreciated the outpour of love and how many of you shared the contest with your friends. YOU. ARE. THE. BEST.
Now to wait for that sweet sweet trophy to come in the mail…
The top ten winners in this category are as follows:
Clue Carre- New Orleans, LA
Boxaroo- Boston, MA
The Official SAW Escape Room- Las Vegas, NV
Enchambered- Sacramento, CA
Mind Trap Escape Rooms- Montgomery, IL
Decode Detroit- Ann Arbor, MI
Escape Artist Greenville- Greenville, SC
Cross Roads Escape Games- Anaheim, CA
60 to Escape- Chicago, IL
The Escape Room USA – Indianapolis, IN
About USA TODAY 10Best Reader Choice Awards:
“10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased, and experiential travel content of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world. The core of the site’s uniqueness is its team of local travel experts: a well-traveled and well-educated group who are not only experts in their fields – and their cities – but discriminating in their tastes. These local experts live in the city they write about so the content is constantly updated. 10Best.com averages 5 million visitors per month. It was acquired by USA TODAY in January of 2013.
“USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY’s mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Through its unique visual storytelling, USA TODAY delivers high-quality and engaging content across print, digital, social and video platforms. An innovator of news and information, USA TODAY reflects the pulse of the nation and serves as the host of the American conversation — today, tomorrow and for decades to follow. USA TODAY, the nation’s number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of more than 1.6 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 6.6 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than 16 million downloads on mobile devices. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).”
Cross Roads Escape Games is excited to be bringing their mini-game back at Halloween events, starting with Creep it Real OC! Creep it Real OC is an all-outdoor event full of spooky vendors, food, and events!
Cross Roads Escape Games will be there with our 10-minute mini-game, THE BOX. We can accommodate groups of 3-5 players every 15 minutes. Up to 20 people per hour. So make sure to arrive early and come by our booth to grab a time slot! THE BOX will be available to first-come-first-served on the day of the event.
What is THE BOX you ask? It’s 1972 and the doctors have ordered your Hydrotherapy treatment. One player will be locked inside THE BOX. The doctors are hoping this treatment helps calm you and heat the crazy right out! The temperature starts to rise to a deadly level; luckily you have some friends on the outside that can help you get out before you are cooked alive! This is a spin-off to our full-length game, The Psych Ward.
We will also be giving out exclusive discount codes to our full-length games, so make sure to stop by!
Creep It Real OC EXPO is returning! Come visit us at the Heritage Museum of Orange County on Sunday September 12, 2021 from 12:00pm-6:00pm. Creep It Real OC EXPO is dedicated to bringing together Orange County’s Halloween community along with local Haunt leaders to share with you all things Halloween!
While at the expo you can visit several mini haunt walk-throughs hosted by local haunts, visit our spooky photo locations, stroll through our Halloween market-like bazaar with over 100 vendors to purchase all your oddities and curiosities, rock out to a Monster Rock and Roll band- The Rhythm Coffin, get down with our spooky DJ Bones Halloween jams, get insta-snappy with our many spooky vehicles, mingle with monsters and cosplayers, meet Disney Legend Bob Gurr, pose with the Orange County Ghostbusters, interact with haunters throughout the event, as well as cruise on by our food truck party in the back including Rad Coffee, Messi Burger, and Loading Fresh and Foodilicious. There will also be giveaways and much more! We are so excited to announce that Creep It Real OC Expo is now SPONSORED by Rad Coffee!
This event is subject to the Orange County Health Department’s rules about COVID safety. As local and state guidelines for COVID safety protocols continue to change up until the event time, we will continue to monitor the situation and inform our guests of these guidelines before the event time. MASKS are OPTIONAL- this is an all outdoors event.
General Admission: Ages 13 and up are $7 each. Available at the door or on Eventbrite.
USA Today is having another contest for Top 10 Best Escape Rooms in the Nation. We are nominated along with 19 other amazing escape rooms all across the U.S. Help us stay in the top 10 by voting once a day until Aug. 30th. Voting only takes a click!
VOTING ONLY TAKES A FEW SECONDS. NO SIGN-UP OR EMAIL IS REQUIRED! YOU CAN VOTE ONCE A DAY UNTIL THE CONTEST ENDS ON MONDAY, AUGUST 30TH AT NOON.
We were nominated in 2017 & 2018 and ended up ranking in the top 10 list! Below you can see me holding up two trophies from our past wins. This is the 3rd time we have been nominated, and we are determined to keep a 100% track record! Help us take 2021 by voting every day!
Madison with the 2017 & 2018 10best awards
Thank YOU for your support and your help in the past with this contest! Our fans are amazing and we would not have survived 2020 if it was not for you!
After being closed for 3 months, we are excited to announce we will be reopening June 19th! Upon reopening, we are implementing new operating procedures to make Cross Roads a safe environment for both customers and our employees. Please read below to see the precautions we are taking to keep you safe.
Our games will remain private. Your group will not be paired with another group.
Games will be spread out so the lobby is not shared by different groups.
Game masters will have a full hour to reset and thoroughly clean all props, locks, and surfaces between every game using medical grade disinfectant.
All customers are required to use hand sanitizer before entering the games. Complementary hand sanitizer will be available.
Employees are required to wear face masks at all times.
Customers will be required to wear face masks when entering, but may be removed inside the games.
Employees will get their temperature checked at the beginning of their shift . They will not be allowed to enter the building if their temperature is above 100.4° F.
There are a few changes coming to our games as well:
The Hex Room- Some costume pieces have been updated to allow for easy cleaning between games. We have also removed the blindfolds initially required at the beginning of the game.
The Psych Ward- Players will no longer receive a patient gown. Instead, they will get a patient number sticker to put on their chest. The game master will also spend less time inside the game with the players and only enter when necessary.
The Fun House- We will not offer costumes for the after game photos at this time. We are also adjusting the minimum number player requirement from 4 players to 3 players, so smaller groups can play.
