Entertaining Your Friends and Family

Escape rooms can be a lot of fun when you are successful at solving the puzzles and getting out in time and can be quite frustrating when you are stuck and can't progress any further. Here are a few tips that should help ensure that you are successful and have a lot of fun.

Simplify Your Thinking

The problem that many people run into with an escape room is overthinking the solution to a puzzle. Rather than looking at the things right in front of them, they'll start looking for things that have nothing to do with the puzzle and start wasting time. For example, trying to see if all objects are bolted down and searching for clues, or trying to make illogical guesses at hints by connecting dots that don't exist. 

Know that the person that designed the escape room designed it so that everything can be completed fairly quickly, with it typically being done in under an hour. Solutions are typically much more simplified than you think they are.

Never Guess At Answers

You may run across a partial answer to a puzzle, such as a combination that you only have a few numbers for. It can be very tempting to try to guess at the missing numbers of that combination in order to move along with the escape room. Unfortunately, this may not be the best use of your time. All puzzles will have the answer somewhere in the escape room, and you may run across them at different times. If you waste time guessing at an answer you will eventually find later, you won't be able to get that time back. That's why you should never guess at answers.

Know Where Hidden Clues Are Often Located

You do not want to end up wasting time looking for clues in places where clues are not typically located. They should be in places that are easy to access but difficult to notice. For example, you may find a clue taped underneath a table or a rug, but not inside a light fixture in the ceiling or behind an electrical outlet that must be unscrewed. Unless you are solving a puzzle, you should not have to work to find those hidden clues.

Discard Your Used Items

It is common for escape rooms to use items one time to solve one puzzle. Once you are finished using an item, you'll want to put them together in a part of the room so that you know not to use it anymore. Many people will hold onto items after they are used, and others in the room will not know that the clue can be discarded.