Review: Only Murders In The Building, The Escape Game, NYC (and others)
Fun Factor 7
The Escape Game
We played at Midtown NYC, 295 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10017 (also available in Los Angeles (Century City)
Date we played: December 8, 2025
Booking size 2 to 8 (we recommend 2 to 4) Public Booking
Game time: 60 Minutes
Objective: The final film reel for the upcoming Only Murders in the Building movie has gone missing, halting production just before the premiere. You’re brought in to investigate the movie set, search for clues, and piece together what happened. Your goal is to track down the missing reel and get the production back on schedule before time runs out
Horror Theme: No.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Our Experience
We had fun playing Only Murders in the Building at The Escape Game’s Midtown Manhattan location and recommend it with a Fun Factor of 7. That score reflects a solid mix of puzzle types, a clear objective, and a storyline that’s easy to follow from start to finish. We also had fun just being in an escape room based on one of our favorite Hulu TV shows, Only Murders in the Building (OMITB for short).
The Escape Game has many locations around the country. We have played in several of them and have had many fun experiences - especially in their original locations around Nashville. The Escape Game is one of a small handful of nationwide escape room companies that have undoubtedly been many players’ first introduction to escape rooms.
This is an officially licensed escape room, which is still relatively uncommon in the industry. This allows The Escape Game to fully lean into and use references and images from the TV show. While the room includes direct references, artwork, thematic elements from the show, and a trailer for this escape room that includes one of the actors from the show, you do not need to have seen a single episode to successfully complete the game. That said—fans of the series (which we are) will clearly appreciate the direct references to characters, locations, and moments from the show. The OMITB references and artwork increased the Fun Factor for us.
Space & Gameplay
At the Midtown NYC location, the room occupies a relatively small footprint, which naturally leads to a more confined play space. Although the game can be booked by up to eight players, we strongly recommend 2 to 4 for the best experience given the size and layout.
The puzzles here are very much escape-room-style puzzles. Observation plays a big role, and several moments required us to stop, regroup, and take a closer look at details we initially missed. There is a moderate amount of tactile interaction with props and set pieces, and overall the game flow is functional and easy to follow.
That said, we did encounter one early game-flow bottleneck where we accidentally solved a puzzle before encountering its corresponding clue. Because it wasn’t clear we had already completed that task, we spent a fair amount of time trying to “re-solve” something that was no longer necessary. Once past that point, the pacing and engagement improved noticeably.
As of the date of this review, The Escape Game identifies the “Only Murders In the Building” escape room as a “limited-edition” game.
Licensed Theme & Tone
Despite the word “murders” in the title, this is not a scary room, and there’s no graphic or disturbing content. You’re exploring a movie set, and any references to crime exist within the fictional context of the film being produced. The tone is approachable, playful, and suitable for a wide range of players. This room is a fun collection of escape room puzzles with a OMITB wrapper.
Limited Time Room
We have seen this escape room available for some time, now, but be warned that The Escape Game website has this: It’s only available in select cities for a limited time, so enjoy it while you can!
Public Booking Note
This room is offered as a public booking, meaning you may be paired with other players unless you reserve all spots. Rather than dive deeply into the pros and cons here, we’ve written a separate Fun Factor guide to public escape room bookings, which we recommend reading if this is a concern or a new experience for you. >> Public Escape Room Bookings - A Fun Factor Guide
Practical Notes
Be sure to read your email confirmation carefully—The Escape Game includes additional helpful information there. One fun touch we hadn’t seen before is a printable scavenger hunt designed for younger children, keeping them engaged even if they’re not actively solving puzzles. But…in our experience, younger players can actually be very helpful when it comes to observation and scavenging. Well, at least they are way better at it than I am. There are elements of puzzle-solving and scavenging that will engage younger players, but the puzzle difficulty is not geared toward children.
The room includes only minor physical elements, such as reaching up or down - and this may be limiting for some players. Parking in Midtown Manhattan can be challenging and expensive during the day, though we found street parking easier to come by during a weekday evening. The best bet is public transportation, a ride-app or a taxi. Across the many Escape Game locations we’ve visited, staff have consistently been welcoming and professional, and this visit was no exception.
Final Thoughts
Only Murders in the Building delivers a fun escape room with a recognizable, unique theme, varied puzzles, and a clear objective. Fans of the show will enjoy the licensed details, but prior knowledge is not required to have a good time.
If you play this room, let them know you saw a Fun Factor Escape Room Review—and as always, drop us a note and tell us what you thought.
Keep escaping, solve the mystery, try not to blame the neighbors—and have fun!