Built by Hand: The Creative Process Behind REACT Escape Rooms

Not all escape rooms are created the same way. While many venues purchase pre-made games or reuse puzzle designs that appear in escape rooms across the country, every experience at REACT Premium Escape Rooms is planned, designed, and built entirely in-house — by us.

From the first story concept to the final puzzle placement, nothing at REACT is outsourced, duplicated, or pulled from a catalog. That’s what makes our escape rooms truly unique.

Designed From the Ground Up

Every REACT escape room begins with a story. Before a single wall is built or a puzzle is created, we map out the full narrative, pacing, and player journey. We think carefully about how teams will move through the space, how tension builds, and how each moment connects to the next.

Because we design our games ourselves, we aren’t limited by templates or generic layouts. Each room is built to serve the story it’s telling — not the other way around. The result is an experience that feels intentional, immersive, and cohesive from start to finish.

Graveyard scene in the early construction phase.

Artificial turf installed as the graveyard layout takes shape.

Hand-painted birch trees bring the graveyard walls to life.

Custom grave markers installed for gameplay and story.

Testing interactive elements within the graveyard scene.

The completed Stranger Things graveyard scene.

Custom Puzzles You Won’t Find Anywhere Else

At REACT, every puzzle is designed specifically for the game it lives in. We don’t buy puzzle kits or reuse off-the-shelf mechanisms. Instead, we create custom challenges that fit naturally into the environment and make sense within the narrative.

Designing puzzles in-house allows us to:

• Support different thinking styles

• Create parallel puzzle paths for larger groups

• Balance challenge with momentum and flow

• Build moments of discovery that feel earned

  
  

Because everything is custom-built, you’ll never walk into a REACT room and think, “I’ve seen this before.” Each puzzle exists for one purpose — to support that specific adventure.

Putting the final design components on a custom built time machine prop.

Testing the time machine prop before installing in Jurassic Jungle.

Seeing the time machine in action.

Built In-House, By Hand

Once a game is designed, we build it ourselves. Sets, props, mechanisms, and interactive elements are all constructed in-house, giving us complete control over quality, durability, and detail.

Hand-building our rooms means:

• No mass-produced set pieces

• No reused scenery from other venues

• No shortcuts taken for convenience

  
  

Every environment is crafted to feel immersive and intentional. From textures and lighting to small details players may never consciously notice, the goal is always the same: make the space feel real the moment you step inside.

Early build stage of a custom tree prop, with hand-applied foam used to create organic bark texture

The tree prop takes shape as foam is carved and refined into realistic bark texture before paint and

A finished tree stump prop integrated with a custom-built puzzle unit, fully painted and detailed fo

The finished tree prop in action inside the escape room, seamlessly blending set design and gameplay

Why This Makes the Experience Different

Designing and building everything in-house gives us full creative freedom — and players feel that difference immediately.

Our escape rooms are:

• Designed for immersive, multi-room gameplay

• Built to support large groups and collaboration

• Continuously refined based on real player feedback

• Created as complete experiences, not puzzle collections

  
  

You’re not just playing a game. You’re stepping into an experience shaped from start to finish by the same team.

See: What Makes an Escape Room Truly Immersive?

Built by the Same Founders, Still Hands-On Today

REACT Premium Escape Rooms isn’t just custom-built — it’s founder-built.

We are the original founders and operators of REACT, and we’re still here every day designing, building, and running the experiences ourselves. As a husband-and-wife team with three kids who have grown up inside the escape rooms, this business has always been personal.

From early concept sketches to puzzle testing and game launches, our family has been involved in every stage of REACT’s growth. On any given day, you might see us — and sometimes our kids — welcoming teams, running games, or working behind the scenes bringing new adventures to life.

Since opening in 2018, we’ve designed and produced nine original escape room adventures entirely in-house. We’re currently working on our tenth game, with plans to continue opening three to four new adventures every year going forward.

That pace isn’t about expansion for expansion’s sake. It’s about creativity. Our goal has always been to keep building new experiences so our REACT fans always have something new to explore, solve, and enjoy together.

Because when you design and build everything yourself, the work never feels finished — it just keeps evolving.

See: From AdventurEscape to REACT: Connecticut’s Largest Escape Room

One of our earliest moments — our son holding an AdventurEscape sign when we first opened our doors

Years later, all three of our kids holding a REACT Premium Escape Rooms sign — a reminder of how muc

The REACT Difference

Planning, designing, and building everything in-house takes more time and effort — but it’s also what allows us to create escape room adventures that feel immersive, memorable, and genuinely original.

If you’re looking for an escape room experience that’s handcrafted, story-driven, and built with intention from the ground up, you’ll find it at REACT Premium Escape Rooms.

Because when something is built by hand, it shows.