Wanting to get clued in on how an escape room actually works? If you’ve never played one before, you may have a lot of questions. We’ve detailed each stage of the experience below, so you can know before you go!
Experience your own epic escape
The Briefing
As soon as you enter the lobby, ready, eager, and probably slightly apprehensive, you’ll be greeted by one of our friendly hosts. You’ll want to make sure you are here at least 10 minutes before your game, so you can settle in and sign a waiver. Don’t worry, there’s nothing scary hidden in the small print, this isn’t one of those life-or-death escape room movies, after all!
This additional time will also give your host an opportunity to brief you on the game you’re about to play, give you some handy hints, and show you how the locks in the room work. We want to set you up for success, so making sure you know your way around a padlock is key…see what we did there?!
The Introductory Video
The first thing you’ll notice when you enter the room is…well…nothing. That’s because we start all of our games in the dark! If you’re anything like me, as soon as you get into a game you’re searching the space already with your eyes, looking for potential puzzles and clues. This distraction can mean you miss the story video entirely. Because of this, we decided to make sure when you enter one of our experiences, you’ll be in the dark…literally!
Once your group is standing in the room, gathered around in anticipation, you’ll watch a short video which lays out the story behind what you’re about to experience. It will set out your mission, and any other important details you’ll need to know. In Fright Before Your Eyes, we do things a little bit differently. We wanted to keep the atmosphere dark and eerie, and we felt the television screen would illuminate the room too brightly. For that reason, the story is told in audio format only for this room.
The Exploration Stage
Now for the fun bit. The clock starts counting down and it’s go time! Either the room will light up, or you’ll be given lanterns or flashlights to guide you. Your team can break off and disperse into different areas of the space, allowing you to work your way around the room methodically. This is the most efficient and quickest way to cover the largest amount of ground, and ensures you don’t miss any vital clues. Make sure you call out anything you see so that you can make quick connections between fragments of clues across the entire space.
Completing the exploration stage in this way gets your game off to a solid start. You’ll feel well informed about what you have to work with, and you should have everything you need to start cracking those codes!
The Puzzle Marathon
Now you’re really getting into the flow of the game. One puzzle will lead to the next, and as you open up more chests or doors into new spaces, you’ll reveal new information. It’ll feel like one big chain reaction as you jump from one puzzle, to another, to another, and so on. This flow will feel slightly different depending on whether the game is linear, or non-linear in format.
You may feel a few sticking points during this stage, perhaps you’ll make a wrong connection by mistake, or you’re missing that leap in logic that the puzzle requires. At The Escape Effect we only want you to have fun, and not be frustrated, so we will never put red herrings in our game, and you’ll only use each item once. That way, you know that once you’ve used a prop or code, you can put it to one side and move on to the next stage or challenge.
The Final Showdown
Everything is coming together, the music is getting more intense, and the tension is building. You know you’re almost there, and victory is within reach. This part of the game can be the most exciting, with your group racing to get everything slotting into place for that final puzzle.
With just minutes, or even seconds, to spare, you’re out! You’ve made it! There is nothing better than the feeling of conquering that final challenge in an escape room, especially when you are sharing that success with your closest friends and family.
The Dramatic Exit
As you cheer, high five, fist bump, or hug…whichever is your style, you’ll be celebrating! Your host will congratulate you on your success and you’ll leave the room feeling like you can take on the world! And just like that, you’ll leave the immersion of the medieval castle, or Greek temple, and be plunged back into reality!
Playing an escape room can sometimes feel a bit like a time warp. You may find that you’re not sure exactly where the time went, it’ll all just feel like a blur! Once you’ve caught your breath and your heart has stopped pounding, you can reflect on your experience with your fellow team mates, and compares notes to see what you might have missed. You may also want to ask a host any questions you had about your game, such as the solution for a particular puzzle which you may have solved, but you’re not quite sure how you did it!
Experience it for yourself
Book one of our incredible award-winning adventures at The Escape Effect!
