Escape rooms are a fantastic challenge for friends, families, and colleagues, immersing you in an exciting world full of devious puzzles to complete with just 60 minutes on the clock. They are designed to offer a fantastic time to players of all skill levels, with a range of puzzle designs and the services of a game master (or questmaster as we like to call them) meaning that everyone can contribute.
As designers and lovers of escape rooms across the UK, here are our 10 tips and tricks to make the most of your time. If youâd like to know more about the fundamentals of an escape room, why not read our handy guide?
10 Escape Room Tips For Success
Pick a Balanced Team
Escape rooms are a team game, meaning that your communication with each other and collective problem-solving will be put to the test. Teams that perform best within our rooms tend to have a shared experience of collaboration, whether thatâs from working together or gaming together. One of the best tips for winning an escape room is therefore to pick a great team beforehand.
Start by Examining the Full Room
While it might be tempting to start rifling through drawers, pressing buttons, and picking up items as soon as your timer begins, an escape room tip that we recommend is taking a couple of minutes to search the room and make note of the various elements within it. Learning the layout, identifying both crucial information and interactable objects, and spotting telltale signs of additional rooms will help you to recall those elements when you need them later on.
Split UpâŚ
While escape rooms are a team activity, there will typically be multiple elements that can be solved at the same time, so one of our top tips for doing well is to tackle different puzzles at the same time. This also means that if you or others are stumped, you can swap places with another team member to get a fresh pair of eyes on each puzzle.
But Maintain Communication!
You should be talking to each other throughout the game, making others aware of when you find a clue or item, or when you solve a puzzle. The solutions to puzzles will often be found in completely different parts of the room, so itâs vital that you all understand the elements in play.
Everything is There For a Reason
A crucial escape room tip to keep in mind is this; Nothing in an escape room is placed by chance. Whether itâs a framed picture on a wall, a pattern on a surface, or strange word choices within a letter, be prepared to utilise every element around you. If you have an item, it will be used, and if there is a lock or password-encoded object, you will eventually find its solution. Escape games are designed around logic, and should not contain red herrings or misleading elements.
Items Are Used Once
In most escape-the-room games, all items are single-use, which means that once youâve used them within a puzzle you can put them to one side (preferably somewhere that an employee can easily find when theyâre resetting the game!). A useful trick is to keep a clear divide between the items youâve used and the ones you havenât, ensuring you stay on the right track.
No Physical Force is Required
If something doesnât appear to be working, do not try to force it. No element of an escape room will require physical force, and applying it could damage the room and require repairs. If you suspect an aspect of the room isnât functioning as intended, you can always ask your questmaster, whoâll be able to point you in the right direction.
Think Outside the Box
One of the great things about escape rooms is their wide variety of puzzle types, from logic puzzles, to code deduction, tests of skill, and lateral thinking. The solution to the puzzles around you may therefore not be immediately obvious. An open mind is one of our key beginners’ tips for solving any escape room game, so take a step back, and try to think outside the box.
Donât Guess Solutions
Many puzzle elements will have a way for you to input an answer, whether that’s tapping keys on a typewriter or keying in a code. While it might be tempting, you should never try to guess your way through puzzles.
Firstly, doing so is likely to waste a lot of your time, and secondly, should you guess the correct answer youâll have missed out on the central point of the escape room experience. All the tips to solve each puzzle will be available around you. If youâre truly stuck on a puzzle, and watching the time tick away, thereâs a clear solution available to youâŚ
Ask Your Questmaster if Youâre Stuck
Your questmaster will accompany you throughout the game over the radio and will be able to offer you tips to beat a puzzle if youâre stuck. While some experienced escapees will not need to use this hint system, most players will need one or two pointers to take them to their goal.
Your questmaster will be able to give you vague advice for your team or specific hints, helping you get past the puzzle thatâs holding you back from escape room success.
Three Thrilling Escape Rooms in East London
Easily accessed by London tube and train links, Enigma Quests offers three brilliant escape experiences running 7 days a week. Designed for teams of 3 to 5, our rooms will take you to a school for witches and wizards, a dangerous submarine on the ocean floor, and a high-tech underground vault.
Whether youâre looking for the perfect team-building activity, a way to bring the whole family together, or just a fun night out with friends, book one of our brilliant escape rooms today.