I've done over 100 escape rooms across the United states (New Orleans, Los angeles, the bay area), and travel to cities specifically to do highly rated escape rooms. Strange bird caught our eye as one of the best rooms in the United states according to TERPECA, and was the only room in the US weve yet to do in the top 20. And so we decided to plan a weekend trip to Houston from the west coast just for this one room - and we booked a few other well regarded ones in the area. After those other rooms proved to be fairly underwhelming, the entire trip hinged on this one room being good. Luckily for us, it worked out, as I can easily say that this is one of the best rooms I've ever done.
The Man From Beyond - 10/10 (One of the top 5 rooms in the United states).
Escape room ratings tend to be inflated so a 10/10 doesnt mean much, but out of all the rooms I've done, the only other rooms to get this rating from me are storykeeper in Seattle, lab rat in Los Angeles, and (mayne) cutthroat cavern/tomb of anubis in new Orleans. All of these rooms are 10/10s for different reasons, and for strange bird, that reason is having the best integrated story in an escape room that I've ever seen
From the minute you enter the building, you feel like you arent in an escape room lobby, but rather looking for the madame for the seance. Even the waiver signing is integrated into the immersion of the room, which gives you an idea for how far the company goes to make you feel immersed. This paysoff spectacularly, and these actress sequences are really what make the room. Keep in mind that the owners are theatre people - these isnt your standard game master who are only in character for the 2 minute introduction and leave immediately, the actress is fully in character and you'll get to interact with them for an extended period of time during portions of your experience (no puzzles are involved in these interactions so socially awkward people dont have to worry). The actress was great, and the acting combined with the special effects and set completely immersed you into the story and made you feel like you were actually performing a seance rather than doing a Houdini themed room.
Once you're in the puzzly part, the room turns more into a standard Houdini escape room (dont worry, only your group will be in the room). You have your Houdini posters, straightjackets, standard Victorian style props that you've probably seen in other Houdini themed rooms. However, this room had a bunch of unique custom props that were integrated well into the story. There were a ton of small snippets of lore and story relevance attached to each prop and puzzle, and even the combination locks that I normally loathe were integrated neatly with the lore behind the room. Here the little touches really elevate this part from most standard rooms - changes in ambient noise, the sound effect for when an old timey projector starts, the crackling sound of the radio, changes in ambient sounds as certain sequences triggered in the room were all meticulously and well done.
Finally, whereas most rooms end with a whimper, the ending sequence in this room ended in a bang, and was the most satisfying ending I've had in an escape room. It felt like you were in the last 10 minutes of a movie where the main conflict of the story was wrapped up through acting in an emotionally satisfying, multifaceted conclusion. The owners took this as far as they could even after you leave the room, and their actions led me to do something that I have never done in an escape room, which is accept the "you escaped" prop that rooms hand you at the end of the room - done in such a flavorful and tasteful way that youd be a monster to refuse it.
If I had to critique this room, I would say that the actual escape room set or puzzles arent miles better than your above average room - while the set and puzzle integration with the story was still far superior than other rooms, the puzzly part only contains a single room (similar to the Houdini room in vanishing act in seattle), and isnt that different from similar rooms (though it has more custom tech). The puzzles were fairly standard for enthusiasts and on the easier side as well, though again, integrated very well into the overall narrative of the room.
To conclude, strange bird is an storyful and immersive experience that you simply cannot get anywhere else in the United States. No other room incorporates story to the level that this room does, and this is the type of room that sets an example for the rest of the industry for how much better their rooms could be storywise. Owners should go here to steal their ideas, enthusiasts can plan an entire trip for if they enjoy story in their rooms, and locals would be crazy to not check out (especially given how average the rest of the competition in the area is).
Personal Stats: Escaped the puzzly part in 40 minutes with 2 enthusiasts.
