A fun new "Escape Park" just opened up in Scottsdale this year, called Bam Kazam. I stumbled across the place looking up escape rooms for when I was in Scottsdale this past weekend and was intrigued to hear about a place that offered an extended experience. I don't usually write reviews about places I visit like this, but I had so much fun that I had to share and let my friends know so that they can check it out!
I describe Bam Kazam as an "Escape Park", but they call it a "Human Arcade". Basically there are various themed games and each game takes up a section of the building. Each game has 3 levels inside, where each level is basically a room. You have to clear the first room to get to the next and so forth to finish a game. If you fail in any room, you have to exit fully and start over at the beginning, just like a retro video game. You can attempt each game as many times as you like until you are successful in completing all 6 games (a total of 18 rooms).
Each level can be completed in about 1-3 minutes and if you don't figure out the solution within 3-5 minutes, you will fail, so you also have to be quick. The games have a mixture of puzzles that require both physical activity and mental acuity. It's really unlike anything I've ever tried and I'd say they're way more fun than your conventional escape room.
My group consisted of 4 people and we booked 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon. (Groups are a minimum of 3 people and a maximum of 6 people and there are clearly reasons why it's these numbers). There are other groups there, so you might have to wait a short while for a room to open up, but we were always busy going back and forth between games. The games were also really challenging and in fact, we only fully solved 1 game out of the 6 and in two games we didn't even get past the first level...
For $35 a person, you get 2 hours to explore and try the games. I honestly don't think 2 hours was enough time to do everything successfully, but my guess is that they made it difficult so that you will come back to try again.
The place has grown steadily in just 4 months. They had 4 games in August, 6 games as of October, and they are building 2 more games that should be ready by the end of the year. That's 24 unique and challenging rooms!
I can't recommend this place enough for anyone living in or visiting Scottsdale, it's sooo much fun! I can't wait to go back and I'll probably book 4 hours so I can try and solve everything the next time. It's family friendly too, although I imagine if the kids are less than the age of 12, they might struggle or even one kid found the haunted game way too scary. You also might struggle to make it through the physical rooms if you are very out of shape, overly obese, or don't have people in your group who can climb awkward structures well. Some rooms are clearly not intended for senior citizens either.
Check out their website at: https://bamkazam.com and enjoy a new and unique experience!
