Escape rooms are ultimately about having FUN, whether you escape or not. But, of course, you’d still rather escape the room than not! So if you want to increase your chances of breaking out, here are our top 10 escape room strategies.
1. PICK THE RIGHT TEAM
The thing that really makes your escape room experience great is having a blast with the people you are playing with. Playing an escape room isn’t necessarily about picking a “super smart” team because we all bring something different to the table. Everyone has strengths that can help in an escape room. The most important thing is to choose a group of people you will have fun with. If you want to know what size group we recommend, click here to learn more!
2. PLAN AHEAD AND BE ON TIME
Every minute counts in an escape room, and nothing is worse than getting stuck in traffic or losing track of time and showing up late to your experience. Often, this means losing time in the room and that’s a HUGE bummer. At Breakout, we will always let you reschedule, but sometimes you might not have that option. So we recommend arriving 15 minutes before your game is scheduled so you have plenty of time to check in, fill out waivers, use the restroom, and prepare for your adventure!
3. BE POSITIVE
Escape rooms are meant to be challenging. If it were super easy, then it wouldn’t be nearly as exciting. If you stay positive and see challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles, you will be so much more likely to escape successfully.
4. UNDERSTAND THE RULES OF THE ROOM
At most escape rooms, you will be given a set of rules at the beginning of the experience. It’s easy to ignore these when you are excited and just want to get to the game, but often, these rules are for your safety and knowing them can actually help you succeed in a room! Rules may seem boring, but sometimes paying attention during those few quick minutes of instructions can give you a leg up!
5. KEEP AN EYE ON THE CLOCK
An hour goes by very fast in an escape room, and before you know it, you will only have minutes left on the clock! Keeping an eye on the time you have left will allow you to plan your next steps and know when to ask for a hint. Escape rooms are meticulously planned and designed so that you can solve and open everything within an hour, so keep in mind what you have left or what you have already opened. The best rule of thumb is if you haven’t found anything new or opened anything new in 5 minutes, then you might need to go ahead and ask for some help.
6. KEEP A CONSISTENT, DETERMINED APPROACH
Most escape rooms are designed in a logical, sequential order. One clue leads to the next, leads to the next. So your best bet is to follow that path of clues. Don’t get too distracted by other elements in the room. Stay focused on whatever clue you’re working with at the time.
7. SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
Communication is absolutely vital for solving an escape room. This is why escape rooms are 100% team activities! Most rooms are designed so that everyone can be working on something or discovering something new all at the same time, so if you don’t communicate, you might not catch some missing pieces!
8. DON’T TAKE OVER THE ROOM
Leadership is so important, but there’s nothing worse than someone who totally takes over. Not only is this no fun for everyone playing, it’s also going to cause you to make mistakes and slow down your team. If you are the natural leader in your team, that’s great! Just make sure you remember that you need your WHOLE team to succeed.
9. USE YOUR CLUES
One of the great things about escape rooms is almost all of them come with built in clues and hints. At Breakout, you have your own personal game master available the entire time to give you hints and help you move forward when you are stuck. Hints are how you control the difficulty level at Breakout, so if you want a challenge, then you don’t have to ask for a lot, but if you need an easier experience, then you can ask for as many as you like. A lot of people think that taking a hint in an escape room is cheating, but that’s not the case! Game masters won’t walk you through the room; they’ll just give you a nudge in the right direction. It’s incredibly rare that groups break out without any hints, so don’t be afraid to use them!
10. HAVE FUN
Ultimately, the only goal should be FUN. These games are designed to challenge and excite you, make you think, and make you laugh and enjoy an hour with people you care about. Whether you are coming for a team building office party or are taking the kids out for a family activity, escape rooms should leave you smiling, not disappointed. So long as you enjoy your time together, you will have won the escape room!
