Room Escape Artist: Duck & Cover Classroom Review

Created by an Experience Designer and a Predictive Data Expert in 2014, Room Escape Artist publishes daily well-researched, rational, and reasonably humorous escape room reviews, design tips, player tips, and industry commentary. Read the full review here: Room Escape Artist: Duck & Cover Classroom Review.

REA Reaction

Duck & Cover Classroom demonstrated an alternative model for how to build escape rooms. Nearly every element in the room was recycled or sustainably sourced. Especially for the 1950s classroom theme, this set design aesthetic looked fantastic. And while this game was built a good few years ago, it had visually aged quite well.

At a time when the budgets to build escape rooms continue to rise rapidly and most rooms use new materials and props shipped from far-off places, Escape Artistry has shown that sets can be both lower budget and more environmentally sustainable without necessarily sacrificing on appearance.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Any experience level

Why play?

• The sustainably built set
• Nonstop nostalgia

Story

We were sent back to a classic 1954 classroom to search for some radioactive materials that had been “misplaced” by the Manhattan Project. We had to recover the radioactive materials before all of Chicago would experience a nuclear event and have to “duck and cover.”

Setting

Duck & Cover Classroom took place in a 1950s school classroom that had been authentically assembled from vintage desks, books, lockers, and photos.

Gameplay

Escape Artistry’s Duck & Cover Classroom was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around puzzling and searching.

Analysis

 The intro video to Duck & Cover Classroom was clearly produced by folks with a strong theater background and an active imagination. As an additional bonus, our gamemaster interacted with the video in a way that further brought us into the world.

 The set of Duck & Cover Classroom truly looked like a 1950s classroom. Everything felt real and authentic… because it all was.

Tips For Visiting

• Street parking was available nearby.
• We enjoyed debriefing and snacking at Native Foods, just up the street.

Escape Artistry

The Time Gallery: 1342 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
The Railcar: Flatiron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave. Ste 350, Chicago
773-789-9535

The Time Gallery

A veritable escape-room multiplex, Escape Artistry’s prime location includes five different games with scenarios like a Cold War classroom nuke drill, a pirates’ dungeon, solve a series of glittery B-movie murders in 1982, and a network of spying grannies.

The Railcar

Escape Artistry’s original offering, “The Railcar,” puts you on an El train careening toward disaster. You'll also find rooms that pit players against Chicago gangster John Dillinger and task participants with averting a nuclear disaster.

ORIGINALLY FEATURED ON WORLD OF ESCAPE, DUCK AND COVER CLASSROOM