This family-friendly activity is the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Here’s how to succeed at an escape room on your next visit!
While escape rooms aren’t all about winning, they can definitely add an element of excitement. It’s undeniable that leaving with an escape room win under the belt can add a little spring to your step. There is no absolute way to “study” for an escape room but there are a few ways that you can prepare ahead of time.
Here are a few ways that you can set yourself and your team up for success…
Pick the Right Crew
The first step to securing your big escape room win is to pick the right team ahead of stepping foot inside the room. It’s all about ensuring that the people that you have on your team will be able to work toward a common goal. What you definitely will have control over on the day of the challenge is the attitudes and strategy that you bring in ahead of time. As a family-friendly activity, escape rooms could be a great lesson for the kids on sharing, competitive attitudes, and having fun no matter the outcome!
Listen to the Background Story from your Staff Member
When your escape room begins, you usually will receive a background story and some information from the staff member who will monitor your room. It’s imperative that you listen to this information, to the rules, and to the overall room background story. Listen carefully and take note if you receive a “get a clue” option during your challenge as it may help if your team encounters a particularly tricky spot in the room.
Collect Clues and Share Immediately with your Team
The first step after the clock starts ticking in your escape room is to explore the entire room. Search the room thoroughly and communicate or note your finds for a later debrief with your team. Look for unusual things, clues, locks, lockboxes, puzzles, and anything else that may be important later in your escape room adventure. All of these items could be major keys to working your way toward an escape room win.
Communicate clearly with your teammates as you work to gather clues and information. Any puzzles, keys, or clues that are moveable should be collected in one area - but make note of where they were found. Clues that don’t appear to be useful at the beginning may become imperative near the end of the game. Save your team precious time by placing the clue in an obvious place.
If multiple puzzles need to be worked on simultaneously, designate team members to do that. However, be sure that everyone communicates once a puzzle has been solved. The last thing that you want to happen is having a team member wasting time trying to solve a puzzle or clue that has already been completed.
Share the Puzzles, Ask for Help, and Listen!
Maximizing your team’s time and effort is the best way to set your team up to succeed at an escape room. Be sure to ask for help if you can’t solve a clue or puzzle in your assigned area. Switch up players in different areas of the room to keep eyes and minds fresh as you work through the room together. If you are all collaboratively working on a single puzzle and can’t figure it out - it’s likely a sign that you don’t have all of the information or are one step ahead in the room’s solve sequence.
If you’re stuck ask for a hint. There’s no shame in using hints if you’re stuck, in fact, it is smart to do so as you work toward an escape room win! The best rule to follow is that if you’re all standing around and doing nothing - it’s a good time to ask for a clue (no matter how late or early you are in the game).
Focus on the Fun!
Bringing in an attitude of positivity and enjoyment for your escape room experience is the most important part of this family-friendly activity. While leaving the room with a win is great - the best part of an escape room is the time that you and your friends spend together creating memories. Prioritize having fun first. Your excitement to succeed at an escape room should always be second.
Are you ready to beat the clock?
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