Live room escape games are on the rise in popularity among adventure seeking enthusiasts all around the world. If you’re unfamiliar with the premise, in a nutshell, 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 escape the room within a set time limit. You may have one hiding in your city right under your nose, as these places tend to be located in “sketchy” areas to add to the ambiance of the experience you’re about to encounter. Well, in between a Taxidermy joint and a meat packaging warehouse is Countdown: Live Escape Games nestled in the heart of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nick Durst, who runs the thrilling experience gave iHorror a tour of the establishment and the rooms itself are quite impressive. In total, Countdown has three rooms for you to choose from. Each range in escape status from hard to harder, with the hardest being the SAW room at an escape rate of 21%. So bring along your thinking caps for this boys and ghouls. During my visit, my comrades and I accepted the challenge to attempt escape from The Atelophobia Room. In case you’re wondering, No. We didn’t make it out, but we sure did give it a good try! All at the same time of keeping a clean pair of underwear on as your kept on the edge of your seat with flickering lights and unexpected scares. The game really forces you to think outside of the box and work as a team with the other players if you want to make it out. In return, whether or not you succeed in doing so, it makes for a kickass experience and bonding time with family and friends. The rooms are as follows:

 

The Sherlock Room

 

For the non horror fan, The Sherlock Room offers up that Holmes-Esque atmosphere that brings you Nancy Drew nostalgia. With an escape rate of 27%, better grab that Sherlock hat and pipe and be prepared to challenge yourself!

 

 

The Atelophobia Room

 

So here we have something for the thrill seeker in all of us. Atelophobia is an upcoming horror movie by Joe Lujan, whom I had the pleasure to speak with about the film during my visit at Countdown. He and the actors were and STILL are very much active in making this room the best experience possible for the horror fans. Real props and costumes from the film are indeed used in the room to give it that extra edge. The escape rate is currently at 24%. Do you think you could outwit the crazed Meredith who loves to force people to take out their own eyeballs? Stay tuned to iHorror later this week for our exclusive sitdown with Lujan and actress Taylor Kilgore as we expand on Atelophobia.

 

 

The SAW Room

 

There you have it. For the ultimate psycho we all have in us. The SAW room as of now has the most difficult escape rate as stated earlier. In the dimly lit room, Jigsaw’s insane game comes to life and you have sixty minutes to escape the lovely SAW inspired situations you and your loved ones may find yourself in. Just keep the bear trap off my head and the rest will work itself out.

 

 

Nick Durst is focusing on opening another undisclosed location in the Vegas area and in the future marketing a chain brand in different cities in the US. Escape rooms will change around every six months to keep it fresh for the adventurous guests. In conclusion, if you live in the city of sin or happen to be visiting, this iHorror gal recommends you give this a try. Countdown has my horror stamp of approval and thrilling memories can be made for you and your friends. For more information on tickets and group parties click here to visit the website!