Keynundrum, Topeka’s first escape room, is an interactive game that allows participants to piece together clues, find hidden objects, and solve the puzzle to earn freedom from a locked room.
Participants have 60 minutes to escape the room. There are two rooms to pick from; Murder Motel or Jewel Thief. The rooms are changed regularly so patrons can go back and participate again.
In Murder Motel, a young woman has been killed and a friend has been framed. Look around the crime scene and gather enough hints to find the real killer and clear your friend’s name. This room has a 30 percent success rate.
In Jewel Thief, the famous Faith Diamond has been stolen by an infamous jewel thief. Participants must sneak into his office and search through his things to find proof of the heist. This room has a 50 percent success rate.
Dawn and Aaron Neuhalfen opened up Keynundrum in the middle of October, two months after having fun at another Escape Room location.
“We went to one with our son and a friend and had such a great time that we wanted to bring it back to Topeka and open one of our own,” says owner Dawn Neuhalfen, “It was a great family experience for us, and so we wanted to make sure that other families had a great experience. It really makes you think and you have to be off of your phone for an hour and actually talk to your family.”
Dawn came up with the main design of the room on her own and says that everywhere she looks, she sees things that could become a clue in one of the rooms.
Escape rooms make people have to think. Those who participate are not allowed to take anything into the room so there is no chance to google any answers. It forces people to inter- act for an hour without any technology.
“It was fun. I liked the stress level, because you have to stay focused on getting the puzzle solved, but you also are worried about running out of time,” says junior Michael Guerrero, “I did one down in Branson and they are really cool, so we decided to try one here. It was a good experience. I would definitely recommend it.”
Keynundrum is located at a permanent location at 2900 SW At- wood Ave, Topeka, KS 66614 and costs $50 per person for two people or $20 per person for 3-8 people.