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Escape Hour Austin – Hijacked on the Holiday Express [Review]

Sarah Mendez

20 June

Chugging right along

Location: Austin, TX

Date Played: April 24, 2024

Team Size: 3-7; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 70 minutes

Price: $45 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration: No considerations that we can think of

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

As a limited edition holiday game, I didn't have high expectations for this experience, but I left with a warm heart and an unusual level of giddiness. My teammate, on the other hand, was bogged down by some of its flaws. After a lengthy debate, our impressions simply came down to how much we weighted the different aspects of the game.

A corner of a warmly lit train cabin. From left to right, there is a red-curtained window showing snowy mountains, a black door with brightly colored panels that spell the word exit in large letters, some miscellaneous objects, and a green door with coat hooks. The ceiling is lined with pine needle garland and a strand of white holiday lights.

Ostensibly, the simplistic train set was adequate but underwhelming compared to other Escape Hour experiences. For me, this served as an effective backdrop for highlighting the game's more impressive aspects. There was more than meets the eye here, leading to a joyful set of discoveries. For my teammate, this first impression was difficult to overcome; he never gained a solid sense of place.

We both agreed that the gameplay was uneven. Most puzzles were fair and fine, but they ran the gamut from glaringly obvious to avoidably ambiguous, sometimes suffering from multiple interpretations that were tedious to test out. This tried our patience and interrupted our flow.

In this context, I was shocked to discover perhaps a new all-time favorite puzzle for myself. The mental transition from enjoying a particular interaction to ascribing more meaning to it was absolutely delightful. I've rarely felt more joyful in an escape room. My teammate wasn't as impressed, but I still feel so happy just thinking about it. If whimsy, wackiness, sensory thrills, and divergent thinking appeal to you, you might like it, too.

I hope Hijack on the Holiday Express sticks around through another Christmas season. For me, its highlights outweighed its flaws, and I would consider bringing friends back (to try) to share the joy with them.