The Ultimate Guide on How to Beat an Escape Room

Escape rooms are some of the hottest, trendiest entertainment and gaming venues that are not only sweeping the nation but the entire world. Escape rooms are suitable and fun for team-building exercises and birthdays for adults of all ages. But you’ll only have 60 minutes to solve the mystery or challenge, so you might be wondering how to actually pull off this feat. Below are escape room tips that work for all scenarios. 

Key Questions 

When your team first goes into the escape room, you’re all going to want to look around you. There are some key questions you can keep in mind as you start deducing what’s going on:

Do You Notice Any Patterns? 

They can be thematic or visual, such as the patterns on the floor, or a pattern of a character’s behavior. This sets you up to catch onto any changes in the patterns. Those changes may be intentional and could lead to you solving a puzzle or riddle.

What Are the Lights and Sounds Telling You About This Room?

Light directs our attention to certain places, but shadows may hide all the fun clues your team is searching for. The sounds can be rhythmic, loud, quiet, or even types of music. Think about the deeper meanings behind the kinds of sounds you’re hearing.

What Can Be Moved Or Opened? 

You want to remember the instructions you were given regarding not touching the set or certain props in the rooms. However, there may be times when you should, and the game master will have informed you of this. So, go ahead and open drawers and cabinets, but if something feels heavy or stationary, then it probably wasn’t meant to be left alone. After all, it is impossible to design an escape room without having some walls or furnishings. It would be best for you to focus on finding what is moveable rather than trying to force an item and possibly breaking it.

Keep Everyone In The Loop

Escape room puzzles are meant to be solved as a team. A very bad escape room strategy is to have one or two people either doing everything. Or worse: having one or two people excluded while everyone else is having fun collaborating and working toward the goal. There are many reasons why everyone on a team wouldn’t be on the same page: from maturity level to interpersonal conflicts in the group. It causes discord in a group when everyone isn’t working together. Some younger players will feel left out and hurt if not all information is communicated to them. A tip for them to solve the escape room would be to have a parent or teacher go in with them. 

You can improve your chances of beating the clock by keeping everyone in the loop. It’s that easy! Did you solve a riddle? Tell the group. Did you suddenly discover a relevant yet hidden meaning in some song lyrics playing in the room? Then share with the group! Be direct and straightforward when you announce your findings. This is the best method for all players of all ages and ability levels. In fact, that’s why escape rooms are recommended as a way of teaching team building and communication skills. Everyone can have fun and feel connected to each other by following this rule!

Open Your Eyes And Mind

Part of the fun of escape rooms is that they’re designed with a mystery. One of the best escape room cheats is to really look around you and take nothing at face value. Look closely at pictures, letters, and books. In fact, if you have permission, you might even be able to touch some items and open them up to find clues inside. 

Remember that everything in the room was designed with intention, so you don’t want to dismiss anything as irrelevant until you’re absolutely sure. Different parts of a puzzle may be in various parts of the room. If your team spreads out rather than works together on one puzzle or challenge at a time, then collectively you can find these pieces faster. But if you’re all working together and describing what you observe, then you might find patterns that lead you to figure out the clue!

Keep your eyes peeled for things that seem out of place in any way, such as a butcher knife in a bedroom, historical anachronisms, or clashing design styles. A poodle skirt in ancient Egypt, for example, would be a definite clue that something is off. Think about these clashes and brainstorm which key similarities or differences may be clues or hints.

Move It To The Middle

One game room hint is to move all the physical puzzle pieces, clues, and other relevant items into the middle of the room. When everything is in one centralized location then there is one place for people to bring additional clues they find in the room. It also prevents there being gaps in necessary information by making sure it’s all conveniently in one spot. When you move into different rooms, be sure to bring your clues with you, and to establish that information base camp.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

The designers of these game rooms know that they have to spread out information. If everything were in one spot then you’d be done too soon, and not have a sense of accomplishment at the end. But if everyone in the room is dedicated to figuring out one clue, then you won’t have as much time to explore what else is in there. So, break up into groups that can scour the room for clues and bring them back to the central point. As they’re being brought to the middle, announce it to the group. 

Trust The Game Guides

Everyone at Amaze Room Escapes wants you to have fun, stay safe, and beat the clock! So if you need to ask us for a clue, then go right ahead. Listen closely to what information the game guides give you. And, off course, always follow our rules and regulations so you can have the most fun!