Playing an escape room is a challenging yet entertaining task. From finding the clues to putting everything together, you need to know the right skills to get the job done. However, many players often lack these skills due to a lack of information available or proper guidance regarding playing an escape room. Therefore, we have compiled a complete guide that will help you understand how to play an escape room in detail, including:
- Team Formation
- Puzzles and Their Technique
- Organization of Objects
- Comprehensiveness
- Hints
- The Time Dimension
- Losing Isn’t A Huge Thing.
TEAM FORMATION
Before you play the escape room, the most important task is to form the right team. If you are in charge of the team you select, prefer playing with people you can resonate with and are comfortable working together. Playing with your family, friends, and coworkers is a great option as you know how to work with them well, along with the strengths and weaknesses of every player. This way, no time is wasted in determining which task should be performed by any player.
One key aspect to consider is that maximum team size is not mandatory. Therefore, playing at a lower than the maximum team size is preferable. This approach will help reduce crowdedness, have enough work for everyone and reduce the chances of intra team conflicts.
While playing the escape room, it is important to let your teammates know what you find. Therefore, try speaking it out loud so everyone can hear. Similarly, gameplay involves trusting and delegating tasks to team members. Avoid hoarding everything to yourself. Instead, help everyone out and take their suggestions during the game. Being the group leader is not as important as being a great team player in an escape room.
PUZZLES AND THEIR TECHNIQUE
Naturally, there are many puzzles involved in escape rooms, with each puzzle leading you to some clues. However, it is important to realize that the game is also time-bound. Therefore, if the entire team keeps focusing on the same puzzle, you are unlikely to get the work done anytime soon. Instead, it is important to ensure that time is equally spread over different puzzles involved in the game. Consider team brainstorming and move on to the next item if the current item is not solved easily.
ORGANIZATION OF OBJECTS
One key reason many teams fail to beat the escape room is a lack of proper management. Everything requires proper management inside the escape room. If left mismanaged, you will have trouble finding the required items in time. Also, many items may have to be used more than once in the escape room. Therefore, I prefer using the items organized and always keeping track of the items you came across during the game.
Another issue is related to the keys of the locks. In certain escape rooms, you may come across many keys. All these keys may have to be used again to open the same locks. However, without proper management, you may lose track of the keys and have to spend considerable time searching for the right key for each lock. The best way is to leave the key inside the lock once you open it. This way, you can easily open different locks at any time.
COMPREHENSIVENESS
One key method to win at an escape room is a comprehensive approach. Remember, nothing is placed in the escape room without reason. Instead, everything usually has some connection to the solution. Therefore, don’t forget to check out even the most trivial items. Some of the common spots that people miss out on include the top of bookshelves and cabinets, checking inside the book and clothing pockets, not searching the cabinet doors, and missing out on secret compartments built into the rooms. One key method to search everything properly is to divide the room into zones and assign each zone to different members. Also, change the zones allotted to members once the first check is complete. This way, there will be minimal chances that the team leaves out someone important.
HINTS
Most escape rooms have a hint system. This system may take many different forms. You may have to see the camera screen, listen to a sound or audio, or ask the game’s host in person. Don’t miss out on the initial information provided by the host at the start of the game. This information can contain many hidden hints that you must consider in detail to win the escape room.
However, you must also understand that not everything placed in the room is placed there on purpose. Some things may be pure decoys that may have been placed to misguide the team or mislead them towards the wrong directions. Some common decoys may include unusually shaped power outlets, ceiling tiles that can be dropped, and random numbers inside books. Remember, most of the items inside the escape room are not custom-built. They have been purchased by the game hosts from someplace, which means they may have other information in them that is not directly connected to the game.
THE TIME DIMENSION
Remember, the most important factor working against you throughout the escape room experience is time. Time is never on the side of the players. Once the clock starts ticking, the time runs out very quickly. Therefore, always keep track of the time involved in the game. Don’t miss out on seeing the clock frequently. The best way to ensure that you can keep track of time si to bring your wristwatch and use a stopwatch system installed on it.
LOSING ISN’T A HUGE THING.
In the end, experience is what matters. Many people try escape rooms and lose at them. Therefore, there is no issue in losing. Instead, learn from the experience and ensure that you can get the best job completed the next time you play the escape room. In most cases, paying for an escape room multiple times can help you excel at it.
CONCLUSION
We hope the information we have provided will help you excel at escape rooms. Let us know if you need any more information!