5 Wits

I’ve done similar game/​puzzle immersion activities all over the place (including overseas) and this was one of the lower points out of them. I did the espionage event. This might be good for kids/​teenagers but it’s VERY cheesy and not challenging for a room full of adults. You have a constant guide with you narrating/​joking and giving advice. I was really hoping ours would step out once we got pasted the intro sequence since it’s so over the top and they completely talk over the recordings but unfortunately that doesn’t happen. Even if they tailored the script for adults, their constant presence gets a little annoying. It seems like many other (adult) reviewers agree. A camera/​speaker phone system to convey instructions is much better and less intrusive since the story is so thin it doesn’t matter anyway. If you book the event for the full size, there are way too many people-​in most areas half of the team has a chance to do something (the rest… watch?) and objects are found in no time.
On the plus side, the production values were actually very well done. This is easily the most successful element. Even though it’s way too cramped most of the time, everything looks and feels great. The puzzles aren’t all bad but better for younger (teens-​early 20s) participants. This is probably a 2.5 but the ever present guide really brings things down.

The idea is pretty awesome and I’ve wanted to check out the whole escape-​the-​room thing for a while, but in actuality it’s not as well done as I’d hope.
I did the espionage thing with a number of my coworkers, so none of the child complaints other people posted here, and it felt so scripted and forced I was meh about the whole thing. I won’t go into details about the rooms because I don’t want to spoil for anyone else, but the adventure was so pre-​programmed that I figured out the spy about 3 seconds into the adventure. The guide claimed there were 5 (or 7?) endings, but every person I’ve talked to who did this has ended the exact same way, so either it’s steered to it, or maybe there really aren’t that many endings.
I guess what I found lacking is that in so many of the escape the room events I’ve heard about, they’re self-​driven. Not a «here’s a wand, find the blinking blue dots and touch them» followed by the guide telling us *exactly* how to do each room. I like the feeling of «hey, we’re in this room, we need to get out, let’s figure out how to do it.»
I’m kinda torn between two and three stars here but what saved the event for me was that I have awesome coworkers and we had fun poking fun at each other. The concept of the place is 5 stars, the actuality of it is probably two. Three because I had fun in spite of the poor application of the idea.

The idea of this place is great, but the reality of it … not so much.
I went to 5 Wits with three friends (all four of us in our mid-​20s), and we purchased the combo tickets for both of the adventures (20,000 Leagues and Espionage).
Our first adventure was 20,000 Leagues. We were put into a group with a couple of parents and a few litters of obnoxious children. The children completely dominated every puzzle/​game, so our group ended up standing in the back corner of each room watching other people’s bratty kids have all of the fun … even though we paid to participate. The children were so badly behaved (and the parents so disengaged) that the tour guide yelled at them. It was miserable.
Shortly after, we did the Espionage adventure. This group had less children, but was still so large that we were all crammed together without enough space to move, and didn’t have enough space and/​or time for everyone to participate in the puzzles.
Again, the idea of this is great. Had there not been obnoxious children dominating the group, or too many people crammed into a group, to enjoy it, I would’ve loved this place.
Unfortunately, our experience just was not enjoyable.

Just took my two boys (9 and 7) to 5wits for the Espionage adventure. TOTALLY FUN! Our guide was Kalan (sp?). She was great. Enthusiastic and over the top funny acting. She got everyone involved in the adventure and made sure everyone participated. This is definitely geared towards kids and the people in our group enjoyed it adults and kids alike. No one tried to outdo anyone else or have all the answers etc. It seems from some of the other reviews that maybe people were competitive during the adventure. We enjoyed it a lot and my boys wanted to do the 20,000 leagues under the sea but we’d only purchased tickets for the one adventure. No worries, we will come back again for sure. And I think I’ll be planning some birthday parties soon too.

Not for me– next time I’ll go when only adults there.

Great experience! Can be embraced by all ages. Very different and keeps the younger ones engaged and attentive. Well worth the money! Kaila who leads the missions is very enthusiastic and made it fun. She was excellent and so was my experience at 5-​wits!

It would be fun if we were bringing kids. We were given tickets as a gift and really expected it to be just us on the «adventure», or a go at your own pace activity. It is not. You must stay with the group, and in our case, it was all kids with their parents. The kids did everything as we stood and watched them. They have adult night, but we live far away so decided to come down during the day. I think it’s great for family fun, but not for adults without kids (unless at an adult only one)
The large group sizes are definitely an issue as well since there are only around 4 puzzles in each room and the 15 person groups are packed with kids. So, it leaves you paying $ 23 to stand around and watch kids solve puzzles.

We went for an «Adult Adventure Night» and it was just 8 of our friends (we are all in our 20s and early 30s) and it was a blast!
Our tour guide Kaila was exceptional– put on an excellent show in both adventures and made us feel like the adventure was all about us. You can tell she truly loves her job and is very patient even when things get a bit challenging.
I highly recommend this place for an unforgettable experience with challenging and interactive fun– excellent for kids and kids at heart!

My boyfriend took me here for our four month-​aversary. Our guide Kayla, did such a wonderful job we signed up for her next one. She should truly be applauded for the effort and personality. She interacted with us on a personal and interactive level. The jokes were kept at a very appropriate level for the age group and she did a wonderful job acting as our senior operator. We will absolutely be back and we will be asking for Kayla.

I went here with my husband and his 11 year old son. Upon entering 5 wits, it doesn’t look like much of an exciting place, but the staffs were enjoying their job. We had thought that this was geared more towards children, but my husband [31] and myself [26] enjoyed our time here.
The three of us bought both 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Espionage. We started with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Heather. She did an amazing job and was very into the story line and was helpful with our group when we needed it. Heather deserves a 5 star herself.
After 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, we started on our Espionage adventure and had a blast. The lasers were our favorite. It really made you feel like you were in a real spy movie. Our guide, Xandria also was very into the story line and interacted with our group nicely.
We were thinking that 5wits was a one time adventure, but Xandria stated each scenario can result in 5 different endings and there are several other different ways to go through the scenes.

I came here to celebrate my 24^th birthday with a few friends around 7:30 on a Sunday. We originally intended to go earlier in the day, but man, these slots fill up fast! Almost every one of the 60+ times were booked when we tried to book the day of the event.
We knew going into it that this was a kid-​focused event and we might have many kids in our 15-​person group. Our strategies were to either go later at night to limit this, or go at an odd time that maybe others wouldn’t sign up for. Unfortunately neither worked because the slots filled up so quickly, and we were in a group with 4 – 5 kids of varying ages.
CONS:
1. Group sizes are WAY too big:
It is definitely a challenge when there are kids in the group as the puzzles in each room only involve 2 – 4 people to participate, so of course you want to make sure the kids can play… but also you paid $ 18 to do this. I would suggest capping this at 7 – maybe 10 maximum. Every room was super crowded with 15 people and I kept having to step out of people’s way while they did the activities and I just watched. Not enjoyable.
2. The amount of script that these poor employees have to recite:
It is just too much! I wanted to hear the pre-​recorded video and audio that played in the background of some of the rooms, but it seems like these poor employees really have to say every single line of cheesy dialogue even when it involves talking over the videos. It was noticeable that our guide was really tired of saying this stuff (she probably said these horrible lines a million times already that day) and honestly, it wasn’t necessary! The young kids weren’t listening at all, rather looking at the cool sets.
3. Not sure what to call it, but in one of the puzzles, even though we did the right thing, the script refused to acknowledge it and instead forced a different outcome. I was told that there are 5 different endings, which is cool, but I think I was rightly annoyed when my puzzle was solved and our bomb blew up anyway.
PROS:
1. Setting/​Rooms:
The settings are really very cool! I felt like I was in a movie at a few points in the adventure, which was really awesome.
2. Puzzles:
Some of the puzzles were actually a bit challenging! It would have been fun to just have a really small group and to have been able to participate more.
I might consider taking advantage of the deal where you can do their second adventure (20,000 Leagues Under The Sea) for just $ 5 after playing this one. $ 5 is a reasonable cost given the fact that these things are totally overcrowded and you won’t be able to fully participate.
I really hope management might reconsider group size in the future.

I had my son’s 10^th bday party there. Our host was great and kids had fun but I do think it could be getter. Few things that were on the video on the website was not part of our adventure, some parts were a bit too long and not dynamic. i feel that few more more dynamic challenges would make this exceptional. Pizza and drinks were good and served very quickly. After the adventure and the food were done with the host entertained the kids with games that they really enjoyed.
So overall it was a good experience.

Your experience depends a lot on the group you are with. With a lot of kids it may be harder to pace the story well. Management is fantastic and really cares about the experience. In the unlikely case that you aren’t happy with the experience, speak up and they will make it right. Good people.

I went with my coworkers and it was a good experience but lacked the teamwork aspect I expected. I can’t decide if it would be great for kids. Not worth the money but I would go back if kids wanted to try.

We have been here before and it was great with our guide Holly (or was her name molly lol but very nice lady and adaptive to us), very interactive and fun
This is the second time and our new guide Emma was horrible. It was me and my 2 friends (adults) and 3 other teens. From the beginning, you could tell that Emma had only wanted to cater to the teens. We tried cooperating with them but whenever we did she said to let the kids do more. I was ok the first time but then it got to the point where whenever we tried to participate it was in the way so eventually I got pissed and just stood back and let it go. Then I made a comment that no one cares jokingly in good humor and she pulled me aside and said «can you not» to me and my friends. Again I apologized thinking maybe i had been wrong the first time but then after we went to each room she started saying «can you not» every time we happened to not be able to follow the her script. Which I think was rediculous cause most times I was confused on what to do and just start looking at things on the room; plus I should also think that she should have been able to adapt to her customers to avoid that situation. Also when we got to the 3^rd or 4^th area I happened to pull my phone out cause I got an important text and didn’t hear the directions. I asked what are we supposed to do, she said «well maybe if you had been listening you would know». I was so shocked by how rude she was and the only thing that prevented me from telling her off right there was that the younger kids were there. Finally at the last area, she kept making comments to the whole group how the kids were so great and optimistic and how we were, her exact words, «non-​optimistic». By the end of the adventure I was pissed and just ready to go.
BUT what pissed me off the most was that as we were getting our stuff to go and clearly within ear shot, she said that we were rude and unparticipative while looking at us with a snide face to a coworker at the front desk.
I know she knew we heard her. I’m sorry if I’m over reacting but I paid to be a customer just as much as the kids who were there and demand to be treated equally not to be totally put down just because I couldn’t follow her supposed script.
Normally I would give this place a 5 star review like with holly/​molly but Emma made my experience so bad that I’d rather give it a zero instead of the one star.

On the prowl for a fun non-​traditional date, I stumbled upon 5 Wits, and I’m glad I did! They’ve got your choice of two immersive adventures with lots of puzzles and special effects that allow you to suspend your disbelief for roughly an hour and to see just how clever your other half can be.
The first time we went, we opted for the Espionage adventure, wherein we (okay, –I – ) fulfilled the ultimate dream of being a spy on a top-​secret mission. We were the only ones in that day, and I’m glad our guide was over-​the-​top into it, because it definitely wouldn’t have been as enjoyable of an experience otherwise. It was cool dodging lasers, crawling into vent spaces (ladies, I advise wearing something other than leggings like yours truly did), cracking codes, and traveling in multiple «elevators» to different levels of mystery.
One adventure is less than $ 20 per person, but if you buy tickets to the other adventure, you can score tickets for an extra $ 5 a pop (discount bundle ftw), which is what we opted for, just to check it out later.
That was definitely a good choice. Last time, for our 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea adventure, we sprang for the «Adults Only» adventure time, and were joined by another couple – which ended up being the perfect number of people. We all had a blast with our gregarious tour guide, Corey, and this adventure was, dare I say, even better than the first. The storyline felt more cohesive, the puzzles more challenging, and the effects more dazzling. I really did feel like I was under the water the entire time! I left feeling like I had just lived the life of a better dressed, less misanthropic Captain Nemo.
For a fun out-​of-​the-​ordinary date, I’d highly recommend grabbing a bite and/​or drink before coming here and using all 5 senses at 5 Wits… and the best part is, even if you do come here more than once, there are multiple endings, so you never know how your adventure will end!

Adults should go later bc it is much more fun. We did both shows but the espionage one we did later so it was just adults we had a blast. Definitely worth checking out. Call ahead for reservations but they are very flexible if you are late.

Updating based on a second trip there.
I want to comment on a few things:
1. The customer service has been fantastic. Shortly after my initial 1 star review I was contacted through Unilocal by the manager of 5 wits. He was amazingly helpful and apologetic. He offered me free passes to try it again.
2. The second time I went I did the 20,000 leagues adventure and went during an «adults only» time. It ended up just being the two of us and we had a wonderful time. I would have given that trip alone a 5 star review. We had a great guide through it and given time to actually play the game we had a lot of fun.
Overall I gave this a 3 star because I think a lot of the aspects of my first review are correct and it is just based on what your personal group is like. I can imagine that our second visit with 10 or 15 people in the group would have not been fun at all. BUT the activity itself has great potential.
If I were to make suggestions to people looking to go:
1. If you are adults, request the adult only events
2. Aim for a time when it would be less crowded or try to arrive and play by ear based on the number of people signed up.

If you’re looking for a fun adventure with friends or your kids (especially for birthday parties), you have to check this place out! There are three adventures to choose from, «Espionage,» «20,000 leagues,» and «Lights Out.» I loved the goal of solving clues and puzzles with their wonderful and cheery staff. The best part is knowing that there could be a different outcome each time, so going multiple times won’t burn you out! Moving from room to room, the layout for each adventure is phenomenal. As they say, «Adventure Awaits!»

I was laughing so hard I was crying. THAT is how much fun we had. I have realized that this is the kind of thing you have to go with the right person. I had come here a couple of years ago with an ex-​boyfriend and didn’t have the best time. This time I had come with my friend Jen and did the 20,000 leagues adventure. We were there on Monday night at nine and were the only two people on the adventure. I had much more fun with just the two of us, because you didn’t have to share the puzzles with anyone else. For those not in the know, I will do my best to describe what this is. Your job in this is to move on to the next room. The only way to move onto the next room is to solve the puzzle. There were times that I was turning to my friend saying «we’re college educated. We should be able to do this!». But that is part of the fun of these adventures. I preferred the 20,000 leagues adventure over espionage. I especially liked the final room! I would love to see a new adventure go in so I can go back!