If you’ve heard about an Escape Room and are wondering what all your friends have been talking about, we’ve got the answers you’ve been looking for. Or, if you have been itching to find out more on how to plan an escape room, you’re in luck! This article will tell you all about what an escape room is, how to design it, or what you can expect when you make reservations at your nearby facility where an escape room game is offered.
What is Escape the Room?
Couples, friend groups, families, co-workers, and teams have flocked to the real-life adventure games inside Escape Rooms for years, and now it is your turn. This 60-minute adventure is so much more than typical movie night. An escape room is a team-based themed event where you and your group will need to solve a series of puzzles, riddles, and find clues that build on one another within one hour. You might need to find a clue in a painting or pick a pattern from a series of photos to open a padlock. Everything you see inside the room is the potential answer for a clue you have at the moment or will have eventually.
If you and your group want to beat the clock, you will need to work together as a team in order to achieve the perfect end result of getting out of the room you are locked inside. Now, this fun and exciting way to bond isn’t just for couples. Escape the Room is perfect for co-workers, team building, family reunions, vacations, birthdays, retirement parties, and so much more. The more you love to think outside the box, the more fun you will have in the time you are pressed for solutions inside the room.
There is a certain cloak of mystery
Some wonder, what happens if you don’t get out of the room in time? Nothing! Except, you don’t get to qualify for bragging rights. Others might ask if you get locked in the room for the entire time, no matter what, no matter how much you beg… that is simply not true, either.
If you have an emergency, need to use the restroom, or are feeling overwhelmed for whatever reason, you are free to come and go while the game is going on. You can also ask for help at any time during your experience if you find you are just so stuck you cannot go on. Although we suggest you put on your thinking caps and find the answer for yourself, we always have staff members who are happy to assist you.
We believe Escape the Room has grown in popularity due to the unique mission to choose your own adventure or by finding out how to build an escape room of your own, if you are hosting a party, event, or want to create a mini-adventure. Making an escape room is easy, you just need a vision, a series of puzzles, a room concept, and a lot of creativity.
How to play an Escape Room
Wondering how to plan an Escape Room? First, in planning an escape room you will need to grab a great group or partner to accompany you. Escape Room plans work best in a group or with a group of friends or co-workers you can picture having an adventure with. You can play solo, but the vibe is better with a group or a date.
Next, you will need to pick and plan your mission. If you are looking to find out how to build an escape room, you will need to find an area in your home to play within. Next, you will create the puzzles, hide the clues, and create a series of strategic missions for your group to solve. If you are going to an Escape Room, simply show up! Your guide (a member of the staff) will have previously set up the Escape Room you have chosen and will give you directions on how to flow through the room.
Whether you are planning to design an escape room or booking an appointment, you will choose your own adventure (or build your own adventure) by selecting a mission or challenge that is best suited for you and your group. Perhaps you will move through a haunted mansion, become a spy, or become a robber and steal a precious artifact from royalty. Whatever your plan is, you will design or step into an experience that is unlike any other. Your surroundings should reflect the experience you have created or chosen, and your world will become your next mission for 60-minutes given an objective.
Next, a staff member or an appointed representative will give you ground rules, guidelines, and explain what the objective of your mission is. After they have answered any questions, they will depart and you and the group will begin solving the first puzzle.
How to build an escape room
If you want to learn how to build an escape room, it won’t be as easy as simply showing up to an appointment, but it can be done.
Building an escape room can be done at a private residence, or even inside an office. You will first need to plan out how you want to create your series of puzzles. An escape room will offer different riddles, clues, search and seek, word puzzles, number patterns, codes, and more. Depending on the group size, you will want to plan out at least a series of 10 different levels for your group to move through.
Next, you will pick a theme! The themes range from abandoned jailhouses to empty submarines, spy missions, and more. Decorate the room to fit the theme and start creating your escape room plan. After you have created the escape room, your group will need a step by step guideline on how they should play, what they are prohibited from doing, and helpful tips they can use to solve the puzzle within 60-minutes.
Most Escape Rooms have levels or tiers of difficulty ranging from beginner to intermediate and finally landing on expert. Depending on the group you have invited or have in mind, you will want to puzzle the group but not stump them so the puzzles and riddles are nearly impossible to solve.
Create the easiest puzzle first and increasingly make the tasks more difficult. You will also want to create a wide range of puzzles, clues, and strategies to adhere to the different skills each player will possess. It will get boring if the same person who is great at finding patterns for codes is used over and over again.
Whether you plan on creating your own escape room adventure or simply want to call a local escape room and book an appointment for your own adventure, the key is in the mystery! Send a cryptic invitation or simply grab your group and throw them into an adventure they will not forget.
If you have any questions about booking an appointment or want more information, give us a call. One of our team members will be happy to give you answers to any question you might have about the experience. If you want to get more of a feel of what to expect, browse through our blogs and learn more about the Escape the Room adventures we provide.
