New take on escape rooms set to open in Mount Prospect this November

A time travel-themed experience attempting to take escape rooms to the next level is opening in Mount Prospect around mid-November.

Time Mission offers an array of team-based mini-challenges where players are tested both mentally and physically. It’s opening at 132 Randhurst Village Drive, marketing itself as a place for multi-generational families as well as corporate events.

The concept is similar to an escape room but with a few key differences. Unlike a typical escape room, teams of two to five navigate through many different rooms at Time Mission, completing shorter challenges in each one.

“You could be, say, for example, transported to a pyramid, the inside of a pyramid in ancient Egypt, or you could be in some kind of futuristic place in another galaxy,” said David Larson, operations management partner for TM Operations.

TM Operations has a licensing agreement with Time Mission to open and operate new locations, including in Mount Prospect. According to Larson, the new location will feature 27 different rooms.

“There’s different kinds of challenges for every room,” Larson said. “They test your dexterity, your ability to solve puzzles, physicality, your brains. So, every room has a different kind of thing where one of those aspects is more forward.”

By completing challenges, teams rack up points, which are displayed on leader boards around the building. Players can enter as many rooms as they want during the period of time they paid for — 60, 90 or 120 minutes.

An hourlong session will cost $35 dollars per person, with a $5 upcharge for each 30-minute addition.

Larson said TM Operations is excited to open a location around many offices and businesses in Mount Prospect, hoping to host corporate events. But he also thinks the breadth of challenges provides a unique opportunity for families.

“The nice thing about it is, because the challenges are so diverse, you could have kids, parents and grandparents all playing together on the same team, and each of them will have different rooms that they kind of are the hero in,” Larson said.

According to Larson, one reason Time Mission chose to outsource operations was so it could focus on further developing the experience. He says it comes out with three new experiences every year that are added to each location.

TM Operations also is opening a Time Mission in Orland Park and plans to continue expanding in the Chicago area. Time Mission has a similar licensing agreement with an operating group in Europe, hoping to expand into that market, as well.