ORLANDO, Fla. — The newest attraction at Universal Orlando, Universal’s Great Movie Escape, lets visitors become part of a popular film franchise — evading a genetically-engineered dinosaur or traveling through time. 

The escape room experience, located at Universal CityWalk, features two unique adventures inspired by the "Jurassic World" and "Back to the Future" films. In each experience, which takes about an hour, visitors must work together to solve different challenges as the storylines unfold around them in several different rooms filled with props and sets inspired by those films.

Each experience will start off with a pre-show that sets up each story. Visitors will be introduced to their virtual guides — Riley, for Jurassic World: Escape and Nico, for Back to the Future: OUTATIME — who will appear on screen or as a voice throughout the experience. The key is to pay close attention to what they say as they offer instructions and even clues to help with solving the challenges. 

In Jurassic World, located on the upper level of the attraction, the stakes are high. Visitors become the newest geneticists at a secret lab on Isla Nublar. As they get familiar with the facilities, something goes horribly wrong: one of the genetically-engineered dinosaurs has escaped, and it's up to them to not only help save other people on the island but also save years of precious research that could be lost. 

In Back to the Future, located on the main level, visitors arrive at a museum in 1993 to help Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd reprising his role) track down Biff, who has stolen Doc’s new time travel device.  As they make their way through different time periods (The Old West, 1955), it will be up to them to save the space-time continuum before it’s too late.

For each of the experiences, visitors will make their way through different rooms filled with props and references to the films. As they work to solve the challenges, visitors will encounter different situations: rooms with very little light, small rooms, loud noises, and fog. 

Nate Stevenson, show director for Universal's Great Movie Escape, said the creative team worked with escape room experts as well as the filmmakers behind both film franchises to create an experience that was authentic to the brands.

"We love how we were able to weave the story and the challenges into each other," Stevenson told Spectrum News. "It's not just, wow, this looks like InGen lab and here's a random challenge to do. It's so immersive, you feel like you're actually in the movie and actually participating. And you are, you're pushing the story forward." 

The attraction is designed to be fun for both children and adults, no matter their skill level.

“What we wanted to do was make something that appealed to somebody who had never done escape rooms before or didn’t really care for escape rooms that much but really wanted to be immersed in these cool brands,” Stevenson said. “But for escape room aficionados, people who’ve done hundreds of these…we also wanted it to be challenging and fun for them as well.”

Without getting too technical, the challenges in the room can be adjusted by a computer that knows what's happening in the different rooms. If a group solves the challenges quickly, it could unlock new parts of the story that others might not reach, depending on their skill level. 

Another way Universal sought to make its escape rooms stand out was to design them to be re-playable experiences. Since the games are randomized, the solutions won’t be the same each time, allowing for the escape rooms to be experienced more than once.

“You really shouldn’t get the same experience ever when you come through,” Stevenson said. “It should always be a bit different, a little bit tweaked in some way.”

Before visitors enter either of the escape rooms, they’ll first encounter a classic Hollywood-inspired lobby, with art-deco designs and film reel canisters and other movie props. The space includes a screen that shows trivia questions, multiple seating areas and two bars — one on the main level and one upstairs.

At the bars, visitors will find a menu that features several themed drinks, including The Raptor Bite, The Hoverboard Highball and Silent Era. The bar also serves mocktail versions of the drinks. Tip: You don’t have to have a reservation for the escape rooms to enjoy a drink at the bar.

The lobby also features memorabilia from each franchise, including costumes and props. This is also where visitors can purchase escape room merchandise such as T-shirts, mugs and pins.

Universal’s Great Movie Escape is a separately-ticketed experience. Tickets start at $49.99 per person for one of the two escape room experiences, but prices can vary depending on date. An experience includes up to six people per group and may include multiple parties. For those who want a more exclusive experience, a private group option is available. It can accommodate up to eight people and starts at $300.