Escape rooms are fun, exciting, and most of all challenging! This is why completing and solving all the riddles and puzzles correctly make up for such rewarding moments you’ll have as a group of friends, coworkers, or family! Coincidently, how you approach an escape room can make or break the success of your experience. Like other challenges, there are certain methods and strategies you should keep in mind if you want to beat any escape room. Here’s what you should do – and not do – when playing an escape room:
1. Communicate every little finding
Like in all life situations, communication is key in an escape room. What you communicate to your team and how you relay the information is a vital factor in the success of your puzzle completion. Found a clue or artifact that will aid your team? Say it out loud and make sure everyone hears it. This is a chaotic strategy, yet super effective in getting things done. You can easily win or lose an escape room by failing to disclose something with your team. Oftentimes, players will fail to match related items due to the omission of information. Don’t be that team!
2. Allow someone else to try
Stuck on a puzzle? It’s ok to pass the baton when something is simply not clicking. Another player’s fresh eyes might just do the trick. If multiple players have gone at it to no avail this is your sign to find or ask for more clues!
3. Don’t crowd the same puzzle
Sometimes teamwork is not how to make the dream work. Don’t stand around giving only moral support, find your own task to focus on in order to contribute to the big picture! While spectating someone else’s work on a puzzle might be interesting, teams get things done quicker when everyone is head down on a task. But – if there is only one puzzle left feel free to work on it as a team for that final stretch!
4. Create item categories (used vs. unused)
Now, this is a pro tip. If you’ve ever played an escape room before then you know how chaotic it can be to keep track of the objects and clues you find throughout your time there. It is definitely in your best interest (and for your sanity’s sake) to categorize items as you move along. Create a “used” and an “unused” category and place items as you find them. This will help prevent your team from examining items more than the necessary amount. Note, however, that some items serve more than one purpose, so always keep an eye out for another way to utilize a “used” item!
Whichever way you go about it, keeping a keen eye and a focused mind will help you get to the finish line. Remember to use these tips during your next escape room run and we promise it will aid your team in having a fun, and streamlined experience. Feeling up to the challenge? Book your next escape room adventure with us in Phoenix, Arizona!