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Sacramento Oracle

Red Door Escape Room Opens in Rancho

Apr 05, 2018 12:00AM ● By Story and photo by Jacqueline Fox

Red Door Escape Room Sacramento opened in February and is the first Red Door location in the region. Photo courtesy Red Door Escape

Red Door Escape Room Opens in Rancho [2 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Phones down, brains on.  That’s the order for getting the absolute most out of your experience at the newly opened Red Door Escape Room in Rancho Cordova’s Nimbus Winery complex.

If you aren’t familiar, Red Door is one of a handful of so-called “Immersive Entertainment Experiences” popping up nationwide, where you and a date, or perhaps a group of friends or a few colleagues choose from among a handful of games where you are locked inside a room from which you must escape using only a set of cryptic clues and interactive puzzles—all while the clock is ticking down. 

These multi-sensor games are individually themed and aimed at varying skill levels and ages.  A typical Red Door experience takes about an hour and a half, depending on how skilled you and your team are at deciphering your clues.  You’ll get 15 minutes for a briefing on your game scenario, an hour to get out and then another 15 minutes for “debriefing.”  In between, says Red Door Sacramento’s General Manager, Jarick Collins, the most important thing to remember is to have nothing but pure, unalloyed fun.

“What we want to provide is a unique experience for everyone, no matter how old you are, where you turn off your phones, leave your muscle at the door, bring in your brains and get ready to have fun,” said Collins. 

The fee to play is $30 a person.  There are group and corporate packages available, as well. Each game or episode can accommodate between 2-6 or 2-8 players.  You can choose from five uniquely themed episodes.  (One, called “The Gift,” is actually two identical games, situated side-by-side and intended to be played by two teams competing against one another). 

Others episodes include “Prison Break,” in which you and your teammates are taken hostage by terrorists somewhere deep inside a South Asian jungle and “Taken,” in which you must infiltrate a hotel and rescue a victim of human trafficking.  “Once Upon a Time,” perhaps the most kid-friendly option, asks you to located stolen magical items from a kingdom far, far away.

Red Door also has a party room that can accommodate up to 50 people with a foosball table and a full kitchen for preparing your own food and drinks, or setting up a catered event, such as a birthday party, a family night out, or a corporate outing.

“Red Door is about an experience you go through with others, so our multi-sensory games make perfect options for group events, corporate outings and family nights out where your thinking skills and sense of enjoyment are about all you need,” said Collins. 

The company was co-founded by Dan Huynh, his wife and a third partner in spring of 2015.  Huynh got the idea after his first escape room experience to bring something similar to college students at his church in the Dallas suburb of Southlake.  Students enjoyed the first game Huynh created so much they demanded more.  In no short order it became clear a company was in the making, thus the Red Door Southlake location opened with three episodes.

The company has been on a fast-track for growth since. By summer of 2016, Red Door had clocked in 20,000 guests and the company’s second location was opened in Plano, Texas.  In 2017, Red Door doubled its reach to 40,000 guests.  The Rancho Cordova location, which opened in February, marks the company’s first foray into the Sacramento area.  According to Collins, there is a fourth location planned for a spot just across the county line with a targeted opening for early 2019.

The company has a team of game designers, Huynh included, writers and onsite game-monitors, who track players via computer screens in a “back room,” which is how, if you find yourself stuck and can’t figure out the clues in time to escape, you can get a little help.

“You can ask for help anytime you’re in a room and can’t figure out a clue,” said Collins.  “We can watch players at every step and if they are stuck, we can guide them.” 

There’s also a panic button in every room, just in case things get scary and someone just needs out in a hurry.  But that doesn’t happen often.  Instead, says Collins, episodes tend to create a lot more excitement than worry.

“We are all about the customer experience here, and one of the best parts of that is the sound of people successfully getting out using their brains and their imaginations,” said Collins. 

Red Door is under no illusion that games can “age out” of popularity as technology and imaginations expand.  Without revealing any details, Collins said the company is already working on new, longer, “innovative episodes” to add to its cache of escape experiences. 

For those who just can’t get enough, Red Door offers a loyalty program with rewards for each “level” or episode played.  Get to level five and you play for free for life.  

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