The newest enterprise at Capital Mall is equal parts zombie thriller, mythical monster movie and legal whodunit.
Owner Dustin Copple recently moved Epoch Escapes to the Jefferson City mall from its original Columbia location.
The business currently offers three original escape rooms, inviting customers to work together with their family and friends to solve puzzles and mysteries before time runs out.
“All three of our rooms have a goal other than escaping. So while they are called ‘escape rooms,’ here we don’t actually lock you in — so if you need to answer your phone or step out for any reason, you can,” Copple said. “Additionally, the rooms are not scary, nor are they in any way physically demanding — only mentally demanding.”
In the “Outbreak 2020” room, participants wake up in a hospital after a routine procedure to find a world overrun by zombies, and they must find the antidote.
In the “Kraken Kwest” room, a group of sailors who opened the wrong box must find the Legendary Papers of Whypos to remove the Mark of the Kraken before the Kraken itself comes for them.
In the “Framed” room, participants find themselves accused of a hairy crime they didn’t commit — stealing cats from across Jefferson City — and must expose the identity of the true cat burglars.
The “Kraken Kwest” room is up and running, and the other two are coming soon.
All of the escape rooms have a one-hour limit and are open to groups of two to 10 people.
“We write puzzles that are possible for two people to solve but can still keep 10 people busy,” Copple said.
A trendy activity for families and friends to experience together, escape rooms also lend themselves to team-building activities for offices and corporate groups, he said.
“You cannot succeed in an escape room if you don’t work together,” Copple said.
The business also offers a 13-by-13 canvas tent escape room with an Egyptian theme, available to rent.
Epoch Escapes is located in the mall’s Dillard’s wing next to Slackers. It’s open from noon-8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon-5 p.m. Sundays, with the last games of the day beginning at the listed closing hour.
Currently, the escape rooms are available by appointment only — at epochescapes.com or by calling 573-239-9066.
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