Review: Echoes at Murder Heights, Escape Ventures, Orlando
Fun Factor: 7
Escape Ventures
5400 International Drive, Suite B, Orlando, Florida 32819
Date Played: June 14, 2026
Booking Size: 2 to 6 players — we recommend 2 to 3, maybe 4.
Game Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Advanced
Horror Theme: Yes – moments of darkness, heightened tension and jump scares
Objective:
Nearly a decade ago, work stopped on the renovation of the old Frank M. Heights apartment building, leaving it abandoned. Local rumors claim that a horror-obsessed killer has since been using the building to hold and torment victims. People passing by say they can hear screams coming from somewhere inside, which has earned the property the nickname Murder Heights.
Your team enters the building you know, to explore. When a storm pushes you farther inside, you discover that someone may actually be trapped there. Your objective is to find the victim and escape before the killer finds you.
.Our Experience
We had fun playing Echoes at Murder Heights at Escape Ventures on International Drive in Orlando, and we recommend it with a Fun Factor of 7.
That Fun Factor is based on the immersive and varied set, the satisfying progression through the building, the creepy atmosphere, and the room’s substantial amount of tactile interaction with its props and set pieces.
This is definitely a horror-themed escape room. There are moments of darkness, heightened tension, and a jump scare or two. There are no live actors playing characters, and the room does not maintain an intense level of fear throughout the entire game, but there are jump scares and an awareness that you are not alone.
The story itself is certainly creepy—and the building does not exactly feel like somewhere you would want to sign a lease.
Set and Atmosphere
The set design and production value are clearly on the upper end of escape room sets. Escape Ventures did an excellent job immersing us in the abandoned-building environment, and we quickly forgot that we were actually inside a strip mall in Orlando.
The game begins in a small closet—or perhaps a…dead…end. There is no obvious way forward, so your first task is figuring out how to move deeper into the building.
From there, the environment opens up as the game progresses, with changing spaces and set pieces that support the developing story. The game flow effectively moved us from one area to the next, and the progression felt logical and story-driven rather than simply being a collection of unrelated rooms.
Puzzle Style and Game Flow
Echoes at Murder Heights includes a satisfying variety of puzzles and interactions.
There are some familiar escape room elements, including analog locks and keys, but much of the game involves manipulating props and parts of the set to trigger the next step. Regular readers know that we particularly enjoy puzzles that let us physically interact with the environment or seemingly ordinary items like a vanity or a bookcase.
The puzzles include observation, association, logic, scavenging, and physical manipulation of props. Some of the interactions will feel familiar to experienced players, while others use the environment in less expected ways.
The difficulty is on the advanced side. Escape Ventures rates the room a 9 out of 10, and that seems reasonable. Several puzzles require layered associations or more nuanced logical connections. We found the puzzles fair—and, as always, the hint system is there when you need it.
How Scary Is It?
Whenever people ask us how scary a horror escape room is, the question is a little like asking how spicy the food is. The answer depends heavily on what you enjoy—and what you consider too much.
In the broader universe of horror escape rooms, Echoes at Murder Heights is not among the most frightening rooms we have played. The tension rises and falls rather than remaining at full intensity for the entire hour.
However, if you strongly dislike darkness, creepy subject matter, sudden noises, or any type of jump scare, you are probably not going to be happy here. But if you are horror-escape-room-curious, this is a good choice.
At one point, one player must also be temporarily separated from the rest of the group. The good news is that your team gets to decide who takes on that role, so you can avoid sending in the person least interested in being alone inside an abandoned murder building. Choose wisely.
And to be clear, the promotional material says you are “locked” in a closet. Rest assured that this is the scenario setup - you are not actually locked in. You can easily walk out if you want or need to. It is ALWAYS good to check in advance, but it has been a long time since escape rooms have been actually locked Laura and me in to start a game. I mention this as many people are turned off by the thought of being locked I - and I don’t blame them. An escape room is a scenario based puzzle set that often simulates danger. But safety first and confirm this in adavnce.
This would be a fun room to play at any time of year, but it would fit especially well into the Halloween season.
Team Size and Physicality
The room can be booked for two to six players, but we recommend a team of two to four. The opening area is quite small, and more than four players could feel cramped—or potentially get in one another’s way. The environment opens up considerably as the game progresses, and additional hands and eyes can certainly help with the scavenging and layered puzzle content.
There is also some minor physicality. At one point, all players will need to crawl over a short barrier. Escape Ventures recommends contacting them before booking with any questions about accessibility or physical requirements.
Escape Ventures
Escape Ventures has several locations, so make sure you are at the correct one. Echoes at Murder Heights is located on International Drive in the former Puzzle Room Corp location. We understand that Escape Ventures refreshed and updated portions of the existing games after taking over the venue.
Parking was extremely easy, and there are several games available at this location. We have also played Fallout: Bunker Busters—see our separate review—and Bigfoot: Secrets of the Swamp, with that review coming soon. We had fun playing all three rooms and can recommend each of them.
The Escape Ventures staff members were friendly, welcoming, and clearly seemed to be fans of escape rooms themselves—which is always a plus.
Final thoughts
Many thanks to Escape Ventures for allowing us to take photographs and some video inside portions of Echoes at Murder Heights. As usual, we do not want to give away any puzzles or solutions, so our footage is limited to showing what certain spaces look like when players first enter them. Escape Venture staff reset the room before we took our photographs and video, which we always appreciate because it helps ensure that we do not accidentally reveal a spoiler.
If you play Echoes at Murder Heights at Escape Ventures in Orlando, please let them know that you saw the room on Fun Factor Escape Room Reviews.
If you have already played it, drop us a note—we would love to hear what you thought.
Until next time, keep escaping… …and remember: sometimes getting inside is easier than finding your way back out—and have fun!
