June 9, 2018 – Tigard, Oregon was the last stop on a trip that started in Anchorage, Alaska. This was easily the longest trip I took in 2018 (the only one more than a week), but it was also a candidate for most memorable. Stumptown Escape Games was a fitting endcap for the trip, leaving me with some great memories and a wish to return to try the other rooms.
We started with The Oregon Files. When I’m traveling, I usually watch for escape rooms that weave in something from the area. It’s a good indicator that I wouldn’t be able to find something similar anywhere else. I was surprised by how rich of an area Oregon is for local legends- with DB Cooper, The Goonies, the first episode of the X Files, and Bigfoot, it has a pretty good reputation for mystery. Stumptown weaves these legends together into one cohesive narrative in an escape room experience.
The only other case that jumps immediately to mind for a decidedly “local” escape room was when I visited Unravel SG in Singapore, which had four different rooms, all based around Singaporean urban legends, some of which I saw elsewhere on my trip (Old Changi Hospital was also at a Universal Studios Halloween festival). I wish I’d see this kind of thing more, but maybe it’s only possible in places like Oregon and Singapore because of their rich local lore.
I really enjoyed how the Oregon Files experience builds as we progressed through the room. The setting was dynamic and rewarding with a ton of puzzles and clues that fit right in with the theme. The room looks spot-on, and the puzzles were quite challenging, yet fair. I also want to give credit to the staff, who gave us an appropriate amount of nudges to keep us moving when we got stuck, but not too much as to make us feel like we hadn’t solved the puzzles.
We solved the final puzzle with only seconds left on the clock. It was quite an intense finish, and with the volume of puzzles, I suspect a lot of groups will end up in a thrilling race against the clock as the last minutes disappear.
With a little more time before we needed to head back to Seattle to catch our plane, my dad and I signed up for another room at Stumptown. This time we tried Seance.
What stood out to us immediately was how different Seance was from The Oregon Files. The nature of how we progressed through the room was completely different, and the puzzles were all set up around the central focus of conducting an elaborate ritual. It was really neat and I give kudos to the people at Stumptown for making such varied experiences. It really makes repeat visits worthwhile and adds to my desire to return.
I have one funny story from the Seance room. While trying to come up with something to work on, I thought I had uncovered a hidden message that read something like “TOGOFORWARDSAYBOOINREVERSE.” (I was way off course- this isn’t an actual spoiler) So I start calling out “OOB!” “OOB!” Nothing happened. I don’t know what I expected, but my dad thought it was hilarious.
Just like The Oregon Files, Seance was well-designed and showed a lot of care and attention put into both the theme and the puzzles. It was also quite challenging and put our minds to the test, but once again the people at Stumptown are on the ball with monitoring progress. Because of that, I suspect even first-time escapers will have a blast, even if they need a few nudges along the way.
I will definitely be returning to Stumptown. One of their promotions I thought was really cool is that they offer a special shirt to anyone who completes all of their rooms. Players can get a punch card and work toward completing it for the reward. It’s a cool way to encourage participation and then let people show off their accomplishment.
If I had more time, I may have checked if I could attempt the other rooms the same day, but my flight back to Chicago wasn’t going to wait for me, so I got back in the car and started my long journey home. Thanks again to the folks at Stumptown for being gracious hosts for a couple of travelers.
Leave a Reply