Burlington’s escape room scene has something for both horror fans and puzzle lovers. Confundrum is home to two of the best live-actor horror rooms we’ve played, and it lets you choose how scary you want things to get. Tucked away in a basement on Brant St, Ruze’s puzzle masters run a series of time-travel missions with bonus puzzles that earn you “time fragments” for small prizes.
This list is ranked by our own review scores, highest first, and only includes rooms that are still open.
1. New Haven Orphanage
Our score: 8.8/10 · Confundrum
As up-and-coming police officers, you’ve been tasked with solving the infamous cold case of the children who disappeared from New Haven Orphanage. No one incorporates live actors like Confundrum does, and choosing the hardest difficulty with cast interactions takes the quality and immersion even higher. Visually it’s one of the best, with fitting lighting and audio throughout. The room is older, though, and detached props with visible glue do break the immersion.
Read our review of New Haven Orphanage
2. Twisted Woods
Our score: 8.5/10 · Confundrum
Your car has run out of gas near a vacant cabin, and what you find inside will haunt you forever. This was the first scary room we ever did, and we cranked the adjustable scare level to the maximum. Staff give you jolts you’ll laugh at yourself for falling for, and there’s a wide variety of puzzles. The props are pretty beaten up, and there’s some noise from neighbouring rooms.
Read our review of Twisted Woods
3. Project:Home
Our score: 7.8/10 · Ruze
Three cases of timeline tampering have triggered a Category Five alert, and the trail leads straight into Mr. E’s home. This continuation of Project:Bloom has a much better build, with multiple unique spaces and very thoughtful puzzles, so we’d book the two together as a 2-hour experience. Three possible endings let you choose an easier way out if you’re falling behind. We were two puzzles short with only two people, so bring three to six.
Read our review of Project:Home
4. Project:Genesis
Our score: 7.3/10 · Ruze
As top agents of T.Y.M.E. Corp, you’re going back in time to follow Mr. E’s tracks and put stolen items back where they belong. It’s a journey through time, with great decor, lighting and audio and smart, logical puzzles that match each stage. We loved the locked briefcase of tools you’ll need on the job. The walls don’t reach the ceiling, so noise from other groups could be a problem when it’s busy.
