Mountain top Murders – The great escape room

Played on January 21st 2025 by:

Mountain Top Murder was the only escape room we played that evening at The Great Escape Room in Burlington, Vermont. In this scenario, our Nana has always been a bit estranged from the family. As she grows older, you start worrying that she shouldn’t be spending so much time alone. Weekly phone calls reassure you—until nearly a month passes without hearing from her. Concerned, you set out to find her cabin. It takes all day to get there, and by the time you arrive, it’s dark. The window is shattered, and there are red marks on the walls… We thought the storyline was well written, with rich details and a unique premise.

The décor was excellent, with thoughtful use of space and great attention to detail. Everything looked realistic, purposeful, and in great condition, almost brand new. The puzzles were well integrated into the set design, which we really appreciated. The only downside was the unfinished interior of the shed, which you had to search for a puzzle—this broke the otherwise great immersion. The atmosphere was slightly creepy, but not scary, and the music playing throughout added to the mood.

The puzzles were all tied to the theme and story. Most used traditional padlocks, with a few automatic mechanisms sprinkled in. There was a good number of puzzles, offering a nice variety of logic styles. While many were classic types, a couple stood out as pleasantly surprising. All of them were fun to solve! The flow was smooth, and the game was non-linear, allowing us to work on multiple things at once. The difficulty level felt just right for beginners. Hints were given via iPad, with the game master writing them live when we requested one.

Overall, this was a great room with beautiful décor and fun puzzles. It might be a little too gory for younger kids, but it isn’t truly scary and has no jump scares. Best suited for groups of 2–3 people, it’s a fun challenge for both beginners and experienced players. We’re proud of our performance—we finished quickly, used only one hint, and even made the leaderboard! We liked it and we escaped!

: Yes

Andrea