The goal of playing an escape room game is (obviously) to “escape,” but exactly how does one do that? Many players who visit an escape room for the first time are not sure where to start. So, here are four tips to get you past the exquisite frustration of an escape room game and maximize your chance of success!
At Gateway Escape Rooms, we see people miss clues that are right there, out in the open, or are only just barely hidden. Mr. GER believes this is because our players are polite Midwesterners who are uneasy about looking through other people’s stuff. But, here, that’s THE POINT. Go ahead and toss the place. Look in every nook and cranny. Flip through the books. Open drawers. Remove drawers. If it opens, open it. See if the pictures on the wall come off easily. (But be gentle – if it takes more than just a little effort, chances are it is supposed to stay put.) Inventory what you find, and share intel with your fellow players. Among the things you find will almost certainly be a clue.
We see players struggle in escape rooms because they keep their thoughts to themselves. Talk it out … out loud. This helps your fellow players understand what you have discovered, but it also helps your puzzlemasters understand, too. The puzzlemasters at Gateway Escape Rooms listen in to what our players are doing so they can provide the occasional hint – within the context of a puzzle.
The groups that do the best collaborate and communicate.
Most of the escape rooms in the St. Louis area are are “Generation 1” rooms, which means that we use standard locks of various types. At Gateway Escape Rooms, for instance, the locks you see will give you a clue as to what kind of mystery you are solving. If the lock is a five-letter lock, you are looking for a clue that will give you five letters (probably a word). A dial lock like the kind you would use for a gym locker will need 3 numbers between 1 and 39. A keypad can be all sorts of numbers, or even letters that are converted to numbers. Getting an idea of the kind of locks you are trying to open will help you understand what information might be hidden in a clue.
Most escape rooms are designed so everyone can have fun. As such, your group usually won’t need a math expert (or nuclear physicist), or even someone with broad knowledge of trivia. The puzzles at Gateway Escape Rooms require observation and logic to suss out and solve. We have watched smart people try to add, subtract, multiply and divide all sorts of things when the solution they were looking for was actually very simple, such as unscrambling a few letters to spell out a word.
Escape rooms are a terrific way to have fun with friends and family, and to meet new friends. If you follow these tips, you will maximize your enjoyment and surely experience the thrill of solving an escape room.
Your friends will be SO impressed!
10 Comments
My fiance and I are participating in an escape as a date night activity with some friends and want some tips to put us ahead. I like that you talk about not overthinking things. It is not designed so that only physicists or mathematicians can get through. We will keep this in mind as we play.
If you ever find yourself in St. Louis, look us up!
My friends and I are considering doing an escape room next weekend, and we are looking for opportunities near us that are way fun and exciting. Thanks for your tips to make sure you look in drawers and small nooks and crannies for the key. I like how you said that everyone has to communicate in the group to solve the puzzle.
We took our friends and kids to enjoy some adventurous escape room for the first time and we had a great time!
The rate of escape rooms is now growing as of late with more and more creative rooms coming up each month.
We used http://www.theplanetsescaperooms.com to find one nearby.
Escape rooms are now adapting to a wide variety of crowds from kids to elderly.
I like how you mentioned that when it comes to beating an escape room there are some things we need to remember. Personally, I am glad you elaborated that we need to remember not to overthink things and just be observant of the situation. This is something we will have to keep in mind the next time we end up going to one.
I think your advice to not overthink things is really smart. It makes sense that most escape rooms are designed for people to have fun, so you should not look past observation and simple logic to solve all the mysteries. My girlfriend and I have been wanting to do this for quite some time now, and I think that because we can communicate effectively, we should be able to do it pretty easily. This looks like a lot of fun, and I think would be a perfect date idea. Thanks again!
Escape rooms are one of the funnest things I’ve ever done in my life. Go in a group and attempt to escape by solving puzzles and following clues left for you. Such a great thing to do with your friends. Just last weekend we have done a room provided by https://escapehour.ca/ and it was a fantastic experience!
My sister and her friends are planning to go to an escape room this weekend to have fun and bond. It was suggested here that when in an escape room, they should search thoroughly at the cabinets and drawers. Moreover, it’s recommended to consult experts when planning to visit an escape room.
My work is looking to do a group event and I suggested going to an escape room. Now if we do decide to do that, I think it would be good to follow all the tips that you have here. I think that talking to each other would be key as no sense in trying to help and be silent.
I want to take my kids to an escape room. I like how you mention go ahead and toss the place and look thoroughly for any clues. Thank you for the advice. I’ll make sure to use your tips when going to an escape room.