A dance with death
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Date Played: April 26, 2024
Team Size: 2-6; we recommend 2-4
Duration: 90 minutes
Price: $50-70 per player depending on team size
Ticketing: Private
Accessibility Consideration: All players must climb
Emergency Exit Rating: [A] Push To Exit
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Haunting at Haruka High featured an attractive set, memorable effects, and generally satisfying puzzles. It continued Omescape Sunnyvale's signature style of bold environmental storytelling and high build quality, while leaning more into the spooky than the playful.
The Bay Area has very few horror escape rooms, escape rooms with actors, or immersive horror experiences on the whole. As such, Haunting at Haruka High filled an important niche. It was scary in moments but never terrifying. Some players may find Omescape Sunnyvale's other horror offering, The Apartment Next Door, to be as or more scary due to its pitch darkness.
On one hand, Haunting at Haruka High offered a compellingly accessible approach to horror. Heightened moments were exciting without being prohibitively intense. There was a focus on narrative and worldbuilding.
On the other hand, it felt as though Omescape Sunnyvale couldn't quite make up their minds on just how scary they wanted Haunting at Haruka High to be, resulting in a less fully developed and less cohesive experience relative to many of their other recent blockbusters, like Robotopia, Undercooked, Midnight in Hong Kong, and Chaos in the Galleria. The story in Haunting at Haruka High dragged on in parts, our overarching stakes were muddled, and it was unclear whether certain elements were even intended to scare us. In particular, a character in our game alternated between causing mild jump scares and pointing us in the right direction, and we left the game somewhat confused as to whether the spirits were more there to terrify or to assist us.
Haunting at Haruka High would nevertheless be a tremendous standout at nearly any other escape room facility in the country. If you make the pilgrimage to the ever-expanding escape room destination of Omescape Sunnyvale and are looking for something a bit spookier, give Haunting at Haruka High a play.
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