How to “beat” the escape room? Here are some tips

Are you going to play the escape game, but you don’t really know how to do it? In this article we shall provide you some guidelines, divided in to 5 major groups. These aren’t complete solutions, but they may help you how to enjoy the escape game and still win it without or with minimum of clues provided by the game supervisor. So, what shall we start with?

Advices of games creator – what’re these principles?

The first big group creating a really functioning team. You should play the game with your friends or coworkers, and try not to use the strangers (especially in the games designated for a big group of people). It’s said, that teamwork goes better when there’s common communication context. Due to the different play styles you may have a clash with someone you don’t know. Yet, it’s also better to play when there’s not a large crowd of people in one room (even though the game allows up to 10 people, let it be at least 7 or 8 to keep everyone up and working).

The second is teamwork, and that’s what the escape games are mostly used for (we mean teambuilding activities). The more eyes see more, and in case you are stuck with some puzzle, let someone another to give it a try (even though you’d love to solve it on your own, do it, otherwise you’ll make it worse and get the whole team stuck). Your teammates will also have some good ideas, even though they may seem crazy, but still working, give them a try. Crazy ideas may bring you to the final solution through a big shortcut. Anyway, it’ll be fun!

If you find out, that there’s some kind of area that’s left unnoticed or unexplored, do it, find yourself something to work on. Here you involve everyone into the big search for solution, where everything is doing its part. Need to say, there’s a big tendency for the people to skip the puzzles that may seem hard at first glance. Unless they realize they create a logical chain needed for overall completion. So don’t skip and don’t be a spectator during the solution of the concrete puzzle – contribute!

The third principle is managing the puzzle items. Just as in old PC games, the key is used only once – leave it in the lock then. If there’s plethora of locks and keys, that may be used further, leave it there. Mark it as “used” and divide from the “unused” items, just not to examine the same object for the hundredth time. Some objects may be used more than once (rarely the keys), so organize them neatly to keep the related objects in a logical and tidy pile. Loose objects should be placed on a stable surface.

The fourth means you have to be comprehensive. It means search the room thoroughly, look everywhere and touch everything. The main clues and objects are hidden in the most “exotic” places, like inside the book, pocket of a jacket hanging on a door, behind the door etc. But the main thing you should do even before you enter – listen carefully to what the game master says. There might be something that will help you in the future.

The fifth tells: efficiency during solution. Don’t use excessive force when unnecessary. Breaking things just isn’t good. Know what you should ignore and what should have extreme focus. Time flies, so use it wisely. We’d recommend you to bring wristwatch with you – in some games they are very important.

And the last tip…

Don’t be afraid to lose. Never think of it. It’s just a game with alternative reality, when you leave it, everything gets back to normal, so don’t try to make your experience bad by bad thoughts. Enjoy it, and you will like it even more!