Although Quandary Escape Adventures has four distinct escape rooms, co-owner Amanda Yeargan said there are commonalities.

“Every story is different, but in one way or another, you are trying to save the day,” Amanda Yeargan said. “You get to play games, solve puzzles, open locks and do whatever it is that you need to do to complete the story.”

Denton residents and married couple Amanda and Yancey Yeargan opened the entertainment business in 2018 in Denton, along with Amanda Yeargan’s brother Tim Sonnier.

The setup

Prior to starting the 60-minute game, guests will gather in the lobby where a staff member will explain the storyline and mission of the room they are about to enter.


If guests say this is their first time doing an escape room, it is typically suggested that they start in the Art Heist room.
The Art Heist room is recommended for first-time escape room experiences. (Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
The Art Heist room is recommended for first-time escape room experiences. (Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
“It has a couple of things going for it. First of all, you get to be the bad guy—you're stealing art. Everybody likes to be the bad guy,” Amanda Yeargan said. “Second of all, it's simple. People understand the concept walking into it. It’s a heist—you're going to steal some art. It's very visual and people tend to win without a lot of interference.”

The other three permanent rooms are Operation Honeycomb, Unwrapped and Viva La Resistance. A fifth room has been a temporary Christmas-themed game, and plans are underway to create a blackout room.

“We have Viva La Resistance, which was the very first game I ever thought up, and it has one electronic button and 17 puzzles,” Amanda Yeargan said. “Our second game that we created was Unwrapped. That is our Egypt mummy-themed room, and that one has a lot more electronics in it.”

The maximum number of participants per room is listed on the company’s website. Amanda Yeargan recommends dividing that number in half to get the ideal number of participants.


“[Operation Honeycomb] has a maximum of six because it's a very small game and it is linear,” Amanda Yeargan said. “We don't want people standing around doing nothing.”

Zooming in

Combined, the Yeargans have done hundreds of escape rooms, including a few on their honeymoon, “because nerds are gonna nerd,” Amanda Yeargan said. Some of those experiences have prompted the business owners to prioritize accessibility in their escape rooms.
Yancey Yeargan is the in-house computer programmer and small electronics specialist. Amanda Yeargan is the game designer, carpenter and manager. (Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
Yancey Yeargan is the in-house computer programmer and small electronics specialist. Amanda Yeargan is the game designer, carpenter and manager. (Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
“When we want to use color, for example, there's a certain percentage of the population that is colorblind,” Amanda Yeargan said. “We need to think about that. If we have something that's color only, we will add shape so that it's not pure color.”

Some of their decisions are based on personal experience.


“One of the games we played ... had a perception puzzle—you had to be at a specific height in order to see it. The designer of that game is 6-foot, and he put it at a height that was comfortable for him,” Amanda Yeargan said. “I am not 6-foot. I felt really left out, and I hated that there was this puzzle that I had no opportunity to solve through something that was completely not my fault. I don’t want to put that experience on anybody else.”