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Horror escape room

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How We Got Started

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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

Characters of The Hex Room

What Your Hex Room Character Says About You

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Good! So, you’ve taken our online personality test! But do you know what it means to be a Jock, Nerd, Virgin, Rebel, Prom Queen, or a Detective? In case you haven’t watched as many horror movies as we have, here is some information on what your horror movie stereotype says about you and how you can best live up to your role within your very own horror movie. It’s basically a mood ring, but instead of colors, it’s made of archetypes!

Detective

The Detective is the person who has enough rapport with everyone to actually get them to listen to what they say. They are great listeners and when people talk, they pay close attention. However, the Detective usually spends most of their time trying to keep the other characters alive instead of actually solving the mystery.

  • Has the highest chance of being killed while helping another character.
  • PROS: Great communicator, great multitasker, good puzzle solver.
  • CONS: High responsibility, so much paperwork, dresses like they’re in the 70s.
  • EXAMPLES: Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) in The Wicker Man (1973); Dewey Riley (David Arquette) in Scream (1996).

 

Rebel

The rebel is known for doing rebellious things (who would have guessed it). This leads many of the other characters into thinking that they are more prepared for the horror movie than they actually are. I mean, if they are already used to doing crazy things, how much harder can it be to try and fight for your life against an insane serial killer… right? They are independent and don’t ask for other characters help, usually to their own dismay.

  • Has the highest chance of being killed after separating from the group.
  • PROS: Thinks outside the box, focused, outside observer.
  • CONS: Not really a team player, probably has a tragic backstory.
  • EXAMPLES: Marty (Fran Kranz) in Cabin in the Woods (2012); Taryn White (Jennifer Rubin) in Nightmare on Elm Street III (1987).

 

Jock

Probably the only person in the group that voted against the rest of their team’s decision of leader of the group. Most likely, they voted for themselves. Plays enough sports to think that they are good at everything.

  • Highest chance of suggesting the group split up to search for clues. Probably dies shortly after.
  • PROS: Brave, protective, loyal.
  • CONS: Can’t easily change their mind, relies on strength over brains, has to ask Coach for permission.
  • EXAMPLES: Glen Lantz (Johnny Depp) in Nightmare on Elm Street (1984); Curt (Chris Hemsworth) in Cabin in the Woods (2012).

 

Nerd

Has watched the most movies, horror or otherwise, of any of the other players in the group. They remember small bits of information from each movie, quotes and factoids mostly, and they are happy to tell people this information

  • Highest chance to be killed right as he figures out some piece of vital information.
  • PROS: Observant, good memory, planner, book smart.
  • CONS: Nobody listens to them until it’s too late, loses their glasses like way too much. Seriously, get contacts.
  • EXAMPLES: Randy (Jamie Kennedy) in Scream (1996).

 

Prom Queen

Probably showed up to the escape room late or right on time. Also, is most likely to have read the question “how many people have you kissed?” and asked if they have to answer that question.

  • Highest chance of dying after saying the words “Hello? Is anyone there?”
  • PROS: Driven, confident, has small group of close friends.
  • CONS: Can get caught up on appearances, trust issues, can’t run in heels.
  • EXAMPLES: Helen Shivers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997).

 

Virgin

The person that was brought along because everyone actually likes them. This being said, the virgin is most likely to be the one that is too afraid to fill out the questionnaire fully. They will leave answers blank in hopes that if they don’t admit to having fears, that they won’t have to deal with anything scary. Most likely to have not realized that the Hex Room is a horror themed escape room when they were invited/when they booked the room.

  • Highest chance of surviving the ordeal only to drag a new group of friends into the sequels!
  • PROS: Sweet, friendly, avid reader.
  • CONS: Too trusting, prone to being sacrificed, is going to suffer.
  • EXAMPLES: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in Halloween (1978); Sally (Marilyn Burns) in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974).

Keep in mind, being the Virgin doesn’t guarantee you are the “Final Girl,” a common horror movie trope pertaining to the last remaining victim of a horror movie. After all, remember Sigourney Weaver’s wise words from Cabin in the Woods: “It doesn’t matter if the virgin lives or dies, as long as she suffers.”

After taking this personality quiz, we are sure you will better know yourself and be better prepared for surviving a horror film. Want to put your new understanding of self to the test? Get your most trusted group of friends together and enter The Hex Room.

Jason Sakal
Game Master and Manager
Cross Roads Escape Games

replay the hex room

Confessions of a Game Master- Return Trip Tips!

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If you’ve played The Hex Room before, you’re probably aware that it was designed to be replay-able. Due to its unique design, we are able to cast return players as a new horror movie character and place them in a different horror film to try and escape. Because each character is separated into individual rooms in the game, a player will not experience everything The Hex Room has to offer in one game.

In this episode of Confessions of a Game Master, our Game Masters offer tips on how to best approach a return trip to The Hex Room.

We have seen many return players attempt the Hex Room and, in this video, we will address a few ways to ensure your team gets the best experience.

Don’t reveal too much to your teammates. Part of the fun of a horror film is when something unexpected happens. If you tell your group what’s going to happen before it happens, you ruin some of the excitement. Let your friends have the same experience you did when you first played. If you tell people what is going to happen in their room it can feel like spoiling the end of a good horror movie. Nobody likes that person, don’t be that person.

Keep in mind that we are constantly working on The Hex Room and puzzles will change often. Assuming that everything will be the same is one of the most common mistakes return players make. This can be particularly hard for your teammates if you start telling other people how to solve puzzles in their room without actually being in their room. You may start leading your team towards a solution that no longer exists! We’ve seen many instances where return players are so insistent that they know the answer to a puzzle that they end up wasting their team mates’ valuable time! To avoid this, it is always best to approach each puzzle as if it is the first time you’ve seen it.

Don’t skip ahead. Skipping ahead to a part you remember may bypass puzzles and confuse your team. This is something I saw one time when a player came to replay The Fun House. They entered the code for a lock they remembered and skipped a handful of puzzles. They utterly confused the rest of their team and affected the experience. In the Hex Room, I’ve seen a player convince the rest of their team they needed to find something specific and waste time searching for items that were no longer in the game.

To put it simply, treat your return game as a new game. Having played before will help because you have experience with the mechanics and flow of the game but relying on what you remember about the puzzles will only hamper your game.

Don’t forget about your Hex Box! If you were unable to survive during your first play, the second time may be the best time to try for your Survivor Medallion! The Hex Box is an extra puzzle put into the game to further challenge yourself and is not necessary in order to escape. Just be sure you can escape, because the medallion only counts if you have it by the time your team opens the final door.

Have you replayed The Hex Room? Comment with some tips of your own here, on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Be sure to watch the rest of our Confessions videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Geoff Durham
Manager and Game Master
Cross Roads Escape Games

Confessions of a Game Master Horror Special

Confessions of a Game Master: Horror Special!

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Welcome to the second installment of Confessions of a Game Master! If you haven’t seen our first installment, click here to watch what being a Game Master means in seven words and the most important skill for a Game Master to have. Since October is the scariest month of the year, this video has our Game Masters confess their favorite “scary” moments they have seen in the games.

Many people react differently when faced with fear, and because we lock many people into a room multiple times a day, we get to experience a cornucopia of reactions. I often look forward to the reactions of unsuspecting players in The Hex Room, but it’s the reactions I don’t expect that are the funniest and most memorable.

We also get to see people reacting to things that, frankly, aren’t scary. What seems commonplace outside of an escape room can suddenly become a bit frightening to those who don’t know what they are getting into. Though it is most likely to happen in a horror-themed room such as The Hex Room, it’s not the only place we’ve seen people scared. Even in The Fun House, where nothing is designed to be scary, some guests can psych themselves out and convince themselves that they are going to be scared.

Finally, we finish off the video by asking our Game Masters what horror movie they would want to survive, if they had to choose.

Have questions for our Game Masters? Leave a comment on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and we may answer your question in a future video!

If you want to see if you have what it takes to survive a horror film, try The Hex Room where you are cast as one of six horror movie characters in your very own horror film. It’s a perfect choice for Halloween fun!

Geoff Durham
Game Master and Manager
Cross Roads Escape Games

Jigsaw

JIGSAW Giveaway and Contest This October!

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“Could you survive a horror film?” This is a question that horror movie fanatics ask each other all the time. It’s fun to sit around and joke about which of us would make it and which of us would fall victim to the killer’s nefarious plot. However, when the SAW series first made its debut on the silver screen in 2004, many horror movie fans found themselves slack jawed when asked if they had what it takes to survive?

SAW redefined what it would take to survive a horror film. No longer could we survive by simply avoiding horror film clichés or by enduring until help arrived. Suddenly, there was a time limit on our survival and in place of some supernatural monster, we found ourselves trapped in a room full of torturous contraptions with a sadistic game to be played. Instead of being a passive victim, we were forced to actively find a way to survive.

Though the idea of being locked in a room, building, or house was not new to horror films, SAW quickly became the first thing on peoples’ minds when horror escape rooms started gaining in popularity.

The Hex Room, though less deadly (and requiring less physical harm), offers players a similar experience to living one of the SAW movies; you are trapped in a room with a set of clues that you must solve within the time limit or you lose. It was only natural that the promoters of the movie JIGSAW would team up with Cross Roads to promote their new movie, in theaters October 27! For the month of October, any group that manages to escape the Hex Room will get a free JIGSAW poster while supplies last.

Jigsaw Poster

In an additional giveaway, if you comment on our official social media posts on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook and tag 5 friends that you want to see JIGSAW with, you will be entered to win a special JIGSAW prize package, including a T-shirt, playing cards, a syringe pen, and tickets to the film! Want to stack the odds in your favor? Comment on all 3 social media sites! The winner will be chosen at random on October 23rd.

Do you want to play a game? You can see if you have what it takes to survive a horror film with The Hex Room at Cross Roads Escape Games, perfect for the Halloween season.

About the movie: Thirteen years ago on Halloween weekend – SAW and the character of JIGSAW introduced the world to a new face of horror. For seven straight years “If it’s Halloween it must be SAW” was a holiday tradition. This October 27… Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures proudly present JIGSAW! After a series of murders bearing all the markings of the Jigsaw killer, law enforcement find themselves chasing the ghost of a man dead for over a decade and embroiled in a new game that’s only just begun. Is John Kramer back from the dead to remind the world to be grateful for the gift of life? Or is this a trap set by a killer with designs of their own?

Jason Sakal
Manager & Game Master
Cross Roads Escape Games

Dan Litzinger

Resident Artist: Dan Litzinger

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If you have made it down to Cross Roads Escape Games, you may have noticed the fun poppy art of Dan Litzinger for sale on the wall, or on your very own Hex Room t-shirt! Dan Litzinger is a painter and film editor living the dream in beautiful Glendale, California. Originally from Atlanta, Dan discovered his love for painting and pop art while attending the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design and Graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2003.  His addition to popular fiction and film leads him to create simple but bold art based on his passions. A frequent contributor to the Los Angeles group art exhibit scene, he loves to bring a retro cool and fun energy to works that revel in his storytelling fetish.

Litzinger at Cross Roads Escape Games
Litzinger at Cross Roads Escape Games

Litzinger’s fun horror themed paintings are a perfect complement to the games at Cross Roads. We always hear such high praise for Litzinger’s art when guests come in, so we sat down with him and asked him some of the common questions we hear among our players.

CREG: What got you interested in art?
DL: Starting in first grade, I dreamed of being a newspaper comic strip artist.  Then in seventh grade, an art teacher (Ms. Kimberly Robinson!) showed me Roy Lichtenstein’s work and that was a real game changer for me.  Comics were “real art” in museums!  I got my Bachelor of Fine Art from Savannah College of Art and Design with a major in Film/Television and I’ve been a working editor for 8 years.

CREG: Why do you focus on horror?
DL: I’ve been interested in horror from a young age – probably too young, because my older brothers would show me movies that were a bit too scary for me.  But I loved and still love the feeling of being scared in the theater, when you know you’re in a safe place.  I do believe in ghosts, so I’m a real sucker for haunted house movies.

CREG: What about pop art inspired you to create these paintings?
DL: The first large painting I did was a direct parody of Lichtenstein’s “Drowning Girl” painting, but with young Jason Voorhees drowning instead.  I just thought it was funny and I hadn’t seen it done before.  I took the painting around Monsterpalooza and it got such a great response, I continued working on pop art paintings of films.  I’ve had my own booth at Monsterpalooza for a couple years now!

‘Drowning Boy’ by Dan Litzinger, 36″ x36″, Price: $400

CREG:What is your favorite type of horror?
DL: Slasher.  They’re generally very simple and visceral.  The creativity comes from the kills and that’s what brings the audience in, even though you should be rooting against the villain.  I think sometimes horror films are a safe way of dealing with real life horrors we see on the news.

CREG: What is your favorite movie and/or director?
DL: My favorite movie of all time is Die Hard.  But for horror it’s Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead 2.”  For me, it strikes the absolute perfect balance between horror and comedy.

The Hex Room t-shirt, $20

Dan Litzinger’s art and t-shirts are for sale on his website HERE or at Cross Roads Escape Games. Litzinger also is the designer behind our popular Hex Room t-shirts available in both men’s and woman’s styles sold only at Cross Roads Escape Games in Anaheim. Dan updates his art at our location, so make sure to stop by and see some of this amazing pieces in person! We currently have the original Twilight Zone “You Unlock This Door With The Key Of Imagination” showing in our lobby and available for $425. All proceeds go straight to the artist.

Madison Rhoades
CEO, Co-Owner, & Creative Director
Cross Roads Escape Games

The Hex Room

Escape Rooms vs Haunts- What to choose this Halloween Season?

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Horror goes hand in hand with escape rooms, in fact, most of our guests think all escape rooms are scary. While not all escape rooms are horror-themed, Halloween is a great time to seek out the ones that are.

Escape Rooms are designed to be thrilling experiences that involve teamwork and communication. Only those with a level head, common sense, and calm under pressure can make it. What better way to test those skills then with a life or death situation?

Describing an escape room almost sounds like describing the plot to a movie from the SAW franchise: you are locked in a room where you must solve puzzles to escape. Other horror movies with similar trapped or hostage plots reinforce the idea that escape rooms can be scary places. Indeed, horror helps increase the tension, suspense, and urgency. This is what people love about horror themed escape rooms: the stressful situation tests your skills just like you are in a real horror film.

Hex Room review

This Halloween season, you probably have a few haunts already planned, and although haunts are fun, escape rooms really take the intensity and realism to the next level. In a haunt, you are probably going to be in a train of people with masked monsters jumping out at you from the left and right. As fun as this is, it does get dull rather fast. Horror themed escape rooms put you right in the action. You are completely immersed; you can go wherever you want and touch whatever you want.

You can’t make choices and you can’t lose in a haunt. Horror escape rooms are a thrilling experience with a payoff in the end. Escape rooms give you a sense of accomplishment when you finish. Whether you win or lose, your team can look back at what you accomplished in the time allotted.

Our horror themed game, The Hex Room, puts you right in the center of your own horror film. First, you are cast as a stereotypical horror movie character: Jock, Prom Queen, Virgin, Nerd, Rebel, or Detective. From there you are placed in a room on your own. It is up to you to rejoin the rest of your teammates or be left behind. Who will live? Who will die?

I highly recommend adding a horror escape room or two to your list this Halloween season. Make sure to book your Hex Room game early, we will sell out!

Madison Rhoades
CEO, Co-Owner, & Creative Director
Cross Roads Escape Games

Updates on The Psych Ward

Updates On The Psych Ward

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Psychopath: a mental disorder.
Symptoms include: lying, breaking laws, acting impulsively, lack regard for others and other’s emotions.

Is it crazy to look out for yourself? To win? To be competitive? Or is it true human nature? What is the line between sane and insane? Who is the one who chooses?

I know we have been keeping a lot of information from everyone about The Psych Ward, and a big reason is because the game play is completely different from most escape rooms. We have a lot of beta testing planned, and we will probably make plenty of changes once we see how people react to this new type of game design.

If you are interested in being a tester for this game, please click HERE to enter your email address and we may contact you in the next few months.

As of right now, here is all the information I have been allowed to release:

About-
Theory: If put in a controlled environment, some patients will exhibit more psychopathic symptoms than others.
Hypothesis: Patients will lie, betray, and manipulate their friends to get what they want.
Experiment: Two groups will be placed in a controlled room with challenges and rewards. To succeed, bonds must be made and broken, as test subjects must outwit the other participants to get the most rewards. Truth is unreliable. Trust must be established. Betrayal is necessary.

Difficulty- Every game will have one winning and one losing team.

# of Players- 4-8. This is a PRIVATE game. We will not put your group with strangers.

Ages- This game is for ages 16+.

Opening- NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2017

Click HERE to sign up for our mailing list to be the fist to know when tickets go on sale!

Make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tublr as we reveal more teaser trailers and clues for a special prize!

Madison Rhoades
CEO, Co-owner, & Creative Director
Cross Roads Escape Games

Vote Cross Roads

Cross Roads Escape Games is Nominated for Best Escape Room in the US!

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Cross Roads Escape Games has won quite a few awards, but nothing says “Wow!” more then being nominated for best escape room in the US! When my husband and I started out on this quest over 2 years ago we knew we wanted to bring something new to the world, and we knew it was going to be great, but we never imagined this!

I can’t tell you how honored we are to be on this list! And a special thanks goes to YOU and YOUR VOICE for telling the world how much fun you had at Cross Roads. We can’t thank you enough!

Make sure to vote at USA Today for your favorite escape room! You can vote once a day until Sept. 25th. Winners will be announced on Sept. 29th!

 

We would also like to mention some great reviewers who have helped us become recognized for this list. Thank you Escape Room Tips for ranking us #1 on your list of best escape rooms in Los Angeles, even through we are not even in Los Angeles County! Thank you Escape Authority for giving us a 6 out of 5 key review! Thank you Escape Room Addict for a 9/10 score! And thank you Room Escape Artist for awarding us the 2016 Golden Lock in Award!

Cross Roads Escape Games Awards

We would also like to thank Best L.A. Escape Rooms, CreepyLA, Horrorbuzz.com, Live Escape Room Reviews and others for the amazing awards we received in 2016 and 2017 for Best Escape Room.

We hope you can find the time to vote for your favorite escape room on USA Today! There are so many amazing escape rooms on that list, and we are honored to be among them!

We hope to blow you away in 2018 with a few new games we have planned! We promise to always bring you the next level of entertainment!

Madison Rhoades
CEO, Co-Owner, & Creative Director
Cross Roads Escape Games

The Psych Ward

First Look at The Psych Ward

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Here it is, the first look at The Psych Ward, our 3rd full length game opening THIS FALL! I know we have been teasing about it for over a year, but now we will be giving you updates all the way until it opens! If you have not yet, make sure to put your email on our mailing list to be notified when tickets go on sale!

The Psych Ward

The Psych Ward has taken the longest to build, and that is mainly because we just don’t like to make things easy on ourselves. As you can tell by The Hex Room, we love creating new and innovative games that no one has seen before!

My husband and I have played over 150 escape rooms, and honestly, they are starting to get kind of boring. Don’t get me wrong, we LOVE escape rooms, but after so many, the experience gets dull. But, I can now list some new skills to my resume: expert bank robber, jail breaker, spaceship repair team, and private eye (to name a few). Although these game all have different themes, the challenges and puzzles all feel the same. I feel it is our job as entertainers and enthusiasts to create something new.

That is where The Psych Ward comes from. What if you were in an escape room but you didn’t know who was on your team? How would you manage to work together? Would you use your friends for your own gain? Or would you still work together even if you had different motives?

These questions were so interesting that we had to dig deeper. What if one of the puzzles of the escape room was how you choose to play the game? What if we pit teammates together? What if some had information that they could choose to share? With this new game play, the rules and preconceived ideas of escape rooms become lost, and it is up to you as to how you want to play your game.

The Psych Ward is a game of trust & betrayal. Who can you trust? Who will trust you? That is just one of the many puzzles inside this thrilling mind game.

Take a look at our first trailer below. Make sure to check back as we slowly reveal more videos, pictures, and information to the craziest game you will ever play. I promise you only have to wait a little longer…. Don’t worry, you can trust me.

Madison Rhoades
CEO, Co-Owner, & Creative Director
Cross Roads Escape Games

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