When you walk into an escape room, you have a background story and an strange place. No guidance on where to start, or what to look for. The mystery is part of the challenge and as the minutes pass you fall right into the groove of the game. Live escape games are fun whether you escape the room or not, it’s truly thrilling just to experience a well designed room. But if winning via escaping is the main goal, then read these tips on how to escape the room.
#1 Communication
If your team knows each other then communication between team members is easier. If you’re a team of mixed players, make sure to warm up to each other so you feel comfortable communicating efficiently with each other. Make sure to listen to each other, taking in everyone’s views so you have more options for a solution. Announce loudly when puzzles have been completed or a new clue is found. This way everyone on the team is aware of the team’s progression and no one is doing wasted work that wastes time! Also keep in mind that no thought or idea is bad in an escape room. Make sure to share your ideas with your team members, because you may have the answer that will solve the puzzle!
#2 Divide and Conquer
Each team has a mix of different player styles and brain types. Let each person play to their strengths, and make sure all tasks are being covered. Some people will seek and find, some will do the math problems or decipher codes, some will put together physical puzzles etc etc. This way your team can split up, save time and divide and conquer to escape the room!
#3 Don’t Waste Time
Don’t forget that you only have 60 minutes to escape the room! Make sure not to waste too much time on any one puzzle. 10-15 minutes is waaay too much! If you’ve been working on a puzzle for a while and aren’t getting anywhere, get a fresh pair of eyes on it. Have your teammates take over the puzzle and you can move onto something else. Sometimes all a puzzle needs is a different view in order to solve it. If you haven’t been able to solve it after everyone has tried, then don’t be too proud to ask for a clue, as that will move you forward in the game. If you’ve completed a puzzle, move onto the next! Check in with your teammates and see if they need help. Time is limited and is ticking away every second, may sure to make the most of it!
#4 Think Outside of the Box
Puzzles and challenges are made to be difficult. Don’t think literally, instead explore all the possibilities of what something can mean. If you’re searching for hidden items, look in out of the ordinary spots. If its a riddle, think of how the words could mean something else.
Beating an escape room is all about strategy and improved by experience. We’ve explained the 4 valuable skills required for a strong escape room team. Make sure to communicate, divide and conquer, don’t waste time and think outside of the box! Hone these skills with your escape team. Develop these skills through repetition and playing a bunch of escape rooms from different companies. Each company has its own style, so beating games at one company does not make you and expert! The more escape games you play, the better your team will be at analyzing clues, knowing what puzzles to work on first and speeding up your escape!
For a more extensive list of tips and tricks, check out this detailed blog written by our friends at Escape Room Tips.
To better prepare yourself for any escape rom experience, check out our blog on various escape room puzzle types.
To test these How to Escape the Room tips in real life, come visit us at Clockwise Escape Room in Boise! Book your next escape experience.
