Review: The Cabin & The Shed (played together), Black Cats Number One Escape Rooms, Las Vegas.
Fun Factor 7 (combined experience – read review for more)
The Cabin/The Shed combined experience
Black Cats Number One Escape Room
1775 E. Tropicana Ave #100, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Date we played: June 11, 2025
Booking size 2 to 8 (we recommend 3 or 4)
Game time: 60 Minutes plus 60 minutes
Objective:
Horror Theme: Yes. Passively scary and spooky due to the set, lighting, and graphic props and images.
Difficulty: Intermediate
We had fun playing both The Cabin and The Shed as a back-to-back experience and recommend it with a combined Fun Factor of 7 (see below for more about the combined game). The set design in both rooms is immersive and atmospheric, effectively transporting players from a strip mall in Las Vegas into a nightmare in a forest. While each room stands on its own, and we recommend them individually—The Cabin earns a Fun Factor of 6 and The Shed a 7—we’re glad we played them consecutively, even with the awkward transition.
Narrative and Immersion
The storyline unfolds logically from one room to the next. In The Cabin, you’re hiking in the woods but have gotten lost - a storm is approaching, prompting you to seek shelter in a cabin in the woods. While investigating, you hear unsettling radio broadcasts about missing hikers—others, not you… at least not yet. If you book the back-to-back experience and escape The Cabin, you’ll be pursued and must find refuge in The Shed, where the danger escalates and your exit is no longer through the door you entered.
Both rooms feature richly decorated sets that help tell the story. Black Cats Number One consistently excels in set design with authentic details, and these two rooms continue that trend. We appreciated the use of props and lighting to build tension without relying on heavy-handed horror elements. While there is a brief interaction with an actor during the transition, it is minimal and integrated into the narrative. But these are horror-themed rooms and have scary and spooky elements that may not appeal to everyone.
Puzzles and Gameplay
We found The Shed more engaging in terms of puzzle integration and challenge level, though The Cabin was also fun. Puzzle styles were thoughtfully varied within AND between and both rooms. Each room leaned heavily on details embedded in the décor. Since our team tends to struggle with thorough scavenging, we recommend a group size of 3 or 4 to get more eyes investigating the details. But keep in mind that larger groups may find the space, especially in The Shed, a bit tight. Keep this in mind if you book larger groups up to the maximum of 8 people.
On an overall basis we believe the puzzles are on the intermediate level of difficulty - but The Shed does have some puzzles which require more advanced puzzle solving - overall we enjoyed the variation of styles and difficulty.
The puzzles are mostly linear, but attention to detail is key. We appreciated the thematically consistent puzzles and the generous provision of flashlights for all team members. And altogether immersive…I suspect that flashlights would be a normal part of our backpack when hiking in the woods. The hint system was delivered via walkie-talkie by a "frightened friend" character, which added atmosphere and felt more organic than talking to the game guide via walkie-talkie. For that reason, we are calling out the hint system as delivering hints in a memorable and immersive fashion. In the back-to-back experience, that content is leaned into as your friend will come out of hiding and guide you to The Shed. We enjoyed the scenario immersion of the frightened friend game mechanic.
Production Value and Video Intros
The video briefings for the set-up for both rooms were well produced—above average in quality and tone-setting. As for game flow – it was generally well managed and organic but we did experience a couple of moments where we attempted to use props "correctly" but prematurely. While not uncommon in escape room puzzle design, one instance in The Cabin caused us unnecessary confusion and mild frustration. We wonder whether some small adjustment to puzzle gating or prop delivery could prevent this kind of miscue.
Physicality Note
Both rooms require crawling and light physical movement. These elements enhance immersion but may present access issues. We recommend discussing any mobility concerns with the staff before booking.
Transition and Timing Issues
Our biggest critique concerns booking the rooms as a back-to-back feature. This section of the review is not relevant for rooms booked individually. Our specific issue -- the transition between the The Cabin and The Shed . While we were told in advance that a delay might occur, it still disrupted the immersive flow. We finished The Cabin before the previous group had finished The Shed and could be reset for us, which broke the narrative tension and left us in a holding pattern. This was disappointing, especially since the design intent clearly includes an in-character transition featuring an actor. Without being given a heads-up in advance this would have been problematic – but with the thoughtful warning we took this in stride.
We understand the current scheduling model books rooms only 75 minutes apart, which doesn’t leave much room for reset or variability in game duration. We'd suggest that Black Cats Number One consider either spacing the start times 90 minutes apart for The Cabin and The Shed or limiting the back-to-back option to specific times (e.g., end-of-day bookings). It is important that the combined experience is seamless.
Moreover, unlike other venues offering two-hour back-to-back experiences as a continuous block of time, this felt like two separate one-hour games. Ideally, the combined experience should give teams a full 120-minute window, allowing flexibility depending on how long the first room takes. Perhaps the booking interface has the functionality that can accommodate this flexibility. I acknowledge that the story video was crafted to set up both rooms – some further refinements would take this to the next level. As a reference, I am thinking of The Full Experience at Deep Inside Pariswhere the full experience includes unique transitory content into one unified story where the full story is rated significantly above each of these individually good rooms. I am confident that a clear and seamless transition from The Cabin to The Shed, making the whole set an expansive, unified experience, would have amped up our fun factor.
Staff and Location
All of the staff we met at Black Cats Number One were friendly and welcoming – and a pleasure to be around. The venue is located in a small plaza with parking, restaurants, and a local casino. We also appreciated the care put into the lobby design—it felt like part of the experience, not just a holding area.
This was our fifth and sixth game with Black Cats Number One, having previously played Chained, Witch House, and Red Riding Hood. We’ve enjoyed all of them – and recommend them - and look forward to reviewing those rooms.
Final Thoughts
The Cabin and The Shed are both strong rooms, and the opportunity to play them back-to-back with a connected story is a real asset. There’s a lot of potential for Black Cats Number One to enhance the transition experience and make it a standout feature. Even with the timing hiccup, we’re glad we played both and recommend the combined experience if you have the time – or each one on its own. If you go, please let them know you read a Fun Factor Escape Room Review—and let us know what you thought! And HAVE FUN!