How to describe the experience of escape rooms? If you’ve never played one before, it’s quite easy to feel overwhelmed. You’re frequently met with a plethora of locked and concealed items upon entering the room, and rarely is there any indication as to where you should start.

It’s daunting. A thousand questions swim through your mind. Where do I begin? Am I allowed to touch this? Is this object supposed to resemble that one? Should I turn the furniture upside down? What is my objective in this game? Well, stress no longer! Consider this post your guide to the world of escape rooms, as well as your very own resident puzzle expert.

If you are feeling overwhelmed when you go into escape rooms, don’t worry. Your friendly local escape room Clue Chase has written a guide that has tips that will help you escape the room and win. The first thing to remember is not to panic. There are a lot of things going on in the room, but if you take your time and look at everything closely, you will be able to escape. We hope these tips can help you understand where you should focus your time and energy when playing escape rooms

Where Do I Start When Playing an Escape Room Game?

You’ve entered your assigned escape rooms. Your Clue master has closed the door, and the timer on the wall has started to tick down. You can see several locks, and many set pieces scattered around the room. What now? We asked our game masters what they think players should know before going into an escape room, and now we’re going to share their answers with you!

Escape room tips and tricks are a must if you want to win. Here are some of the most useful ones to keep in mind:

1. Particularly if it’s your first escape room, take a moment to observe your surroundings and gather information about the room layout. Note any clues hidden around the space, as well as any hints or messages that might be displayed on posters or pieces of furniture.

2. Look for patterns and clues that may help guide your next steps. For example, certain symbols or objects may be repeated throughout a particular escape room theme, leading you toward one specific set of puzzle solutions. Similarly, colors and numbers often have symbolic significance in escape rooms that can point you in the right direction.

3. When solving puzzles, focus on one challenge at a time. Try to avoid getting overwhelmed by the escape room as a whole, and focus on one small piece of the puzzle at a time. This will help you stay organized and make progress more quickly.

4. Work together with your teammates to get through escape rooms faster. Each person’s strengths can be used strategically to help everyone win the game. For example, someone who is good with math or numbers may be able to quickly figure out numerical patterns in puzzles, while someone more creative might excel at interpreting clues and building mental maps of escape room layouts.

If you are struggling with an escape room and feel like you need some extra guidance, remember that there are many online resources available

It always helps to remain calm. A good escape room company will have run their rooms through extensive testing and unless it’s a brand new room, hundreds upon hundreds of people have played the room before you came along. An hour is enough time to complete all the necessary puzzles, so long as you are up to the task.

Don’t let the clock psych you out, especially not when you’re first starting your hour.

When finding clues there are a few things to keep in mind:

Look for conspicuous objects or writing. Did you find a table covered in strange and distinctive markings? It’s probably important, maybe you can find those same markings elsewhere in the room.

Did you find a letter or a newspaper article with many oddly placed typos? Do the typos follow a pattern? If you see a lock that’s got four separate colors on it consider that you are likely looking for numbers that are those specific colors.

Escape room games are often chock-full of puzzles employing color in one form or another. (To all the colorblind escape room aficionados out there, I admire you, and I do not envy you).

Escape room puzzles are centered around pattern recognition and putting two and two together. Frequently puzzles will consist of just one or two pieces that, when found, will be connected in some way. If you can make that connection they will give you a code or some other information that will allow you to progress through your escape room.

Remain calm, communicate with your teammates when you find something, and listen to your teammates when they talk. You will likely find half of something that one of your teammates has the other half of. If you aren’t talking, you can’t know that you’ve each got one half of a whole. Communicate. 

In addition to the tips above, here is another important thing to remember when playing escape rooms: If you get stuck on a puzzle, move on. Do not spend too much time on any one puzzle, especially in the early stages of the game. There are plenty of other puzzles to work on, and you can always come back to the one that’s stumping you.

The clock is ticking, so don’t waste precious time trying to solve a puzzle that’s not giving up its secrets easily. Chances are that if you move on and come back later, the answer will be much more obvious.

So, to recap: escape rooms are all about communication, pattern recognition, and not wasting time. If you keep these things in mind, you’ll be well on your way to escape room success!

Can I Move This Object In My Escape Game?

The short answer is yes, with a few exceptions. An escape room resembles a film or TV set in that nothing happens by accident. The rooms are designed to be investigated by physical interaction rather than just looking at them. There are some exceptions, mostly minor ones that you should be aware of. If something is huge, heavy, or fastened in place, it’s very unlikely that it’s supposed to be moved. A good escape room designer is always taking into account what players might think they can or cannot move (within reason, of course).

Sometimes things in escape rooms will have “Not part of the game” or “Do not tamper” written on them – these decals aren’t there to deceive you; they’re simply intended as warnings. Those signs usually indicate an item that contains batteries, sensitive wiring, or just something that you shouldn’t get distracted by as it is not relevant to any part of the room.

Electrical sockets can be assumed to be real, and if an escape game company elects to hide things in fake outlets they’re also electing to potentially endanger their customers, don’t give them your patronage.

In most cases, it’s safe to assume that no puzzle elements will be hidden in the ceiling or areas beyond the reach of a typical-sized human. If you come across anything in a room that isn’t identified as “Don’t touch me,” or fastened/nailed/screwed down, you may move it about as you see fit to achieve success.

That being said, it’s probably not necessary to pull drawers completely out of desks or to flip tables and chairs upside down. Consider that puzzle pieces are meant to be found so that you can get to the real challenge, solving the puzzle. Finding puzzle pieces is fun, but shouldn’t be the most difficult aspect of the room.

Furthermore, if an item looks strange or out of place, it is. Trust your eyes, and pay attention to your environment. Share discoveries with teammates.

Overall, you should use common sense when moving objects in escape rooms – be careful not to break or damage anything, but don’t be afraid to interact with and manipulate items to solve puzzles. To win escape games, always keep your eyes open and maintain a collaborative, problem-solving mindset.

I’ll reiterate this again, communication within a group is the difference between a successful escape and a tragic loss. 

Two Safety Tips for Escape Room Newbies

Escape rooms are a super-safe, super-fun activity that just about anyone of any age or physical background can take part in. That being said, as with any new activity, it’s always good to listen to basic instructions…

1. Always listen to the game master’s instructions.

They are there to help you win, and often provide clues that can help you escape the room. If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification.

2. Do not touch any of the escape room clues or props until you are instructed to do so.

Sometimes there will be specific instructions you need to be made aware of before you can complete an escape room. If it is your first escape room, you will particularly benefit from listening to the game master’s introduction. Two quick tips upfront – don’t touch the electrical outlets. (Seriously, they’re real). And please don’t climb on anything or use brute force on anything unless specifically told to do so.

What’s My Goal in Escape Rooms?

While rooms will frequently have many smaller “sub-goals” that must be completed before the room reaches its ultimate conclusion, your overall goal is always to complete the escape route. Think of the puzzles within a room as a pyramid. When you begin the room there will likely be several different puzzles that you can tackle in any order.

This is the base of the pyramid. These puzzles will in turn lead you to open up a few locked drawers, or maybe even another room entirely. These drawers will in turn each contain the pieces to another puzzle – but each drawer only has one piece, rather than an entire separate puzzle for each drawer. So you can see that as you progress through the room and solve puzzles they begin to narrow down until finally you are left with just one final puzzle that all your previous work has narrowed down to.

This final puzzle, once solved, will complete the narrative of the room (If it is a story-based mission) and will also reveal your escape route to you. In a less literal sense, your goal is to have fun and to build bonds with your teammates through strong use of communication and good sportsmanship. Win or lose, the game is the fun, the ending of the game is just the end.

I hope that this post has helped alleviate some concerns or questions you may have before going into your first escape game experience. I understand that these rooms can be overwhelming at first encounter, I remember my first escape game well, it was stressful but fun.

Rest assured, however, that if you remain calm, keep an open mind, and practice good listening and communication, you will come out feeling fulfilled and having had a blast! If there’s anything more specific you’re wondering about related to bookings or other guidelines our FAQ has further answers, it can be found at https://cluechase.com/faq/ – and of course, you can reach us via email at info@cluechase.com.

If you’re looking for somewhere to host your company, we would love to welcome the whole team, just give us a shout! Just you and your friends? We’d love to have you in for a game as well. You can check our escape room availability via the “Book Now” link at the top of your screen! Don’t wait to until the last minute to reserve your time, as our most popular games book out fast, especially on weekends.

 Clue Chase, signing off.