Breakout Games creators add rooms, battles, paint in Lexington’s new ‘Color Chaos’ challenge

Lexington’s newest entertainment venture provides a blast of paint in one of the city’s more unique ways to spend an hour.

Color Chaos, which opened last month on North Ashland, is a strategic team-building game designed for groups of people to conquer challenges. If that sounds like Breakout Games across the street, it’s because the two game centers have the same ownership and each offer an offbeat form of entertainment.

But the similarities end there between Color Chaos and Breakout Games, said Director of Marketing Cassie Dilly.

“We do find we are compared to escape rooms because there is really nothing out there like Color Chaos. It is like an escape room where you and your friends are in a room, but it’s so unlike it because you move from one room to the next, to the next,” she said. “Unlike in an escape room where you are trying to solve clues, riddles and using analytical skills, this one you’re using more hand-eye coordination.”

Groups can consist of two to six players and each game is designed for the amount of people in your party. Teams play 10-minute games that test coordination, knowledge and agility. Scores accumulate after each game, leading up to the final room where groups first have to put on a hazmat suit and masks.

The final game is Color Chaos’ take on Mario Kart, as each member controls a plane through an obstacle course on a video screen in front of them. When they cross the finish line, a colorful blast awaits them.

The points that teams accumulate throughout the game determine how much paint is shot at players. The object is to be covered in as much paint as possible.

“We thought it was a fun way to finish off what was hopefully a real colorful and immersive experience,” said Bryce Anderson, one of the four founders of Breakout Games and Color Chaos.

Based in Lexington, Breakout Games now has 44 locations throughout the country after four years in business, and around nine months ago its owners were trying to devise a new place for people to come together and get away from their phones, Anderson said.

With full-time designers and engineers on the Breakout Games staff, the idea for Color Chaos was a collective effort from the whole staff, he said.

“We think it’s valuable for society to create something to be together, focus on their relationships and work together collaboratively to achieve something,” Anderson said.

Aside from the final room, Dilly said the most popular rooms at Color Chaos are Freeze Tag and Laser’s Edge, in which players will maneuver through a laser maze straight out of a Mission Impossible movie.

Since it has been opened, Color Chaos has been frequented by birthday parties, team building and corporate retreats and friends on a night out. Starting in April just in time for spring break, Color Chaos will be open seven days a week.

The new entertainment game has received positive reviews. In a Facebook comment, Michael Vaughn said his group “had a really great time and highly recommend it ... especially if you enjoy other escape-room type games.”

Julie Deschamps said, “It was so much fun!!! I encourage everyone to go try it out!! Great place and great people!

At Breakout, participants are able to enjoy a variety of games that are all unique in their own way. Dilly said Color Chaos also provides its guests with a unique game each time they come.

“We have seen people come here, get a certain score and then come back a week later and want to improve their score to get on top of the leaderboard,” Anderson said. “I have more fun the second or third time playing because I know what to do.”

Just as Breakout has branched out, Anderson said the company hopes to open new Color Chaos locations in the future. He said Lexington was the perfect test market for them.

“Something like this you might find in Los Angeles or Chicago or San Francisco or New York City ... we love that it’s in Lexington where we are,” Anderson said.

To book a time slot, visit ColorChaos.com. Tickets range from $24.99 per person for a six-player experience, to $33.99 per person for two players. Color Chaos recommends players wear comfortable clothing.

There is no age limit for the games, but Color Chaos prefers that players 12 and under to be accompanied by an adult.

This story was originally published March 29, 2019 at 12:28 PM.