Whether you win or fail, escape rooms are about having fun. While first time players have a success rate of under 45%, most groups expect to escape their first escape room. It can take having a few games under your belt to naturally develop strategies for a successful escape experience. However, if you're ready to skip the "learning process", here are the best escape room strategies to complete ANY escape room like a pro!
The Team:
First and foremost, having a quality team will almost certainly dictate the outcome of your experience. Playing an escape is a team effort. You can play with your family, friends, or a group of co-workers for a team building event.You'll want to ensure that you have some of these qualities within your team: an out of the box thinker, a math wiz, a good team leader, a quick thinker and everyone is well adaptable. These traits will come together and empower the team during the toughest puzzles in an escape room. Everyone gets a chance to be a hero in the team.
The Environment:
You and your team are following the game master into the game you're about to play. The door has closed and you begin to watch the time count down. THIS is the moment that your team needs to explore your environment as fast as you can.
The team should be looking for anything that is available to you. You could be finding puzzle pieces, mechanical pieces, written clues, keys, or most importantly acknowledging what types of locks need to be opened. You may have 4 digit locks, 5 digit locks, word locks, key locks, or even directional locks. Once your team knows what type of codes are needed to open the locks, it will give them a sense of direction to know what needs to be solved. This method will get the team prepared to know where the code to the puzzle they solved goes. Overall, it's an advantage for quicker problem solving and you may escape the game quicker.
Communication & Organization:
Communication is the one tactic that should keep everyone on track for the remaining of the game. The team needs to keep track of the puzzles, locks, and keys that have already been solved. Also, make sure to communicate HOW you solve something so everyone knows exactly how it was done. Remember, poor communication is the #1 reason why teams fail.
Staying organized requires the team to make a pile of clues that have already been used and a pile of clues that have NOT been used. This way, your team will not try to re-solve puzzles that have already been done.
The Clues:
Lastly, knowing WHEN to ask for a clue will get you through the game with less frustration. We recommend asking for a clue between 3 - 7 minutes of not solving anything and exhausting all other possibilities before asking for help.
Refusing to ask for a clue when you need it will only waste more time. So using the "3-7 Minute" rule will keep you on track.
Now that you know all of the best escape room strategies, you are ready to put them to use like a PRO! Make sure to share these tips with your escape room team before you play your next game at Bust Out Escape Room!