But Like, What Actually Happens in An Escape Room While I’m Playing?

1. What Is An Escape Room?

Have you ever wondered what happens inside an escape room, like the ones here at Clue Chase when you play? Escape rooms are becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. They offer a unique and exciting experience that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. But what exactly is an escape room?

An escape room is a real-life adventure game in which teams of players are locked inside a themed environment. (Well, not… properly locked in, New York City Fire Code prevents locking people inside rooms without a means of emergency egress).

Players are then presented with a series of puzzles, riddles and challenges that they must solve in order to progress through the game and eventually “escape” from the room before time runs out. 

At Clue Chase we do our best to ensure that the theme of the game will tie into either its physical setting or narrative story arc, preferably both! For example, some one of our escape rooms has you assisting a pirate captain in the rescue of his ship, while another has you mixing mysterious cocktails in an abandoned speakeasy (and there’s more…)

Our Escape rooms all have fun custom built props, such a large cast iron cannon, an enormous Zoltar fortune teller booth, an AI assistant suffering a “bit of a glitch” and more, that add an extra layer of immersion and fun to the game. These props ensure that each visit to Clue Chase will be a fun an memorable one, as you’ll always be interacting with something new and exciting – certainly not things you’ll ever see or use in your day-to-day life. (Unless you lead a particularly unique one… or work at another escape room, we suppose).

2. Benefits Of Playing Escape Rooms

If you’re wondering why so many people are drawn to playing escape rooms, well, it’s because they’re fun. But more than that – there are actually quite a number of tangible benefits that can be gained from playing escape rooms with a team. (This is why so many people come to us for team building events…) Here are just some of those benefits:

• Teamwork: Escape rooms provide an excellent way for groups of people to bond and come together as a team in order to succeed in their mission. Players will need to work together in order to solve puzzles, use each other’s skills effectively, communicate clearly, stay organized and apply different strategies towards reaching their goal. Working together as part of a team is sure to bring about positive results! At Clue Chase, we utilize a number of strategies in our puzzle designs that create moments where communication between separate groups of players is required. You won’t be able to progress if you don’t all share information with each other!
• Social Interaction: Escape rooms also provide a great way for participants to get better acquainted with each other by working together in an interactive environment. Everyone has different strengths that can come into play during certain puzzles—and these strengths may surprise you! Making friends with your teammates can result in more enjoyable experiences overall. This makes escape rooms a perfect fit for new teams just coming together, or even colleagues who have known one another for years but want to do something fun together. They’re also a great option for people just beginning to transition back into the physical workplace after years of remote work!

• Problem Solving Skills: As previously mentioned, playing escape rooms requires strong problem solving skills as well as creativity and quick thinking (especially if time is running out!). Players will have to think outside the box in order to decipher clues, find hidden objects, decode messages and ultimately work together towards unlocking their fate before time runs out!
• Improved Mental Health: Participating in any type of immersive activity like an escape room can help reduce stress levels while improving moods—it’s no wonder why they’re considered so much fun! Players who frequently participate in this type of activity tend to feel more relaxed than those who don’t—so if you want something fun yet relaxing at the same time then give it a go! Can we back that statement up with actual data? Maybe. Let’s just go with it. You’ve read this far, what’s a little bit further? Let’s keep going.

3. Gameplay And Rules Of An Escape Room Game

Before entering an escape room game, it is important for players to understand certain gameplay rules and regulations that govern how the game should be played—as well as safety precautions when interacting with objects within the environment . Generally speaking, most games follow certain rules such as not using physical force on objects or attempting to climb over or under parts of the environment (unless it’s very clearly indicated that’s what they want you to do in that moment). At Clue Chase we have an introductory video that covers everything new players should know before playing an escape room – and offers a bit of backstory explaining just why you’ll be going on this mission. Also, all of our electrical outlets are real, and there is nothing inside and or behind them. Just wanted to put that one out there.

Each of our games lasts for one hour – win or lose. You’ll have a TV in the room with you that will display your timer, as well as any clues your game masters sends to you throughout the game. At Clue Chase, we’re flexible with how we Clue games. If you don’t want any unless you ask, we can respect that. If you want a lot of help, we can do that to. If you don’t want to much help, but are okay with a gentle nudge every now and then, we got you. We’re focused on making sure you have a fun experience, and if you aren’t finding a particular puzzle to be that fun, we won’t make you suffer. (Too much. We’re not just gonna give you the answer, but we will help you get there).

4. What To Look For When Choosing An Escape Room

Escape rooms come in all different themes and difficulty levels. At Clue Chase, we offer four unique escape rooms. Each of our themes contains a different set of puzzles – often designed or propped out specifically to mesh with the overall theme of the room they are in. (For example, we’re not doing any Sudoku on a pirate ship. But we are playing with a sword, some cheese, and a bunch of ropes.)

While our games do come in a variety of difficulty levels, we often find ourselves surprised by just what groups will or will not find challenging. One group’s easy solve is another group’s ten minutes of confusion and debate. It’s okay though, because those exact same groups may swap roles on the very next puzzle. That said, our game masters always do their best to ensure our customers have a fun game. We want you to feel accomplished, and we want you to work for your wins, but we also don’t want to leave you feeling frustrated or annoyed. It’s a careful balancing act between us cackling behind our computer screens as we watch you toil away on puzzles, and us showing a degree of kindness by gracing you with a clue. Very careful. (But of course, we jest – your fun is always our number one priority. After all, we’re a game company, and what are games without fun?)

5. Why You Should Try An Escape Room Today

If you read all that and still aren’t convinced. I mean? Because they’re awesome? Because you’ll be the cool mom/dad/friend/coworker/sibling/boss/whatever when you set this game up for your cohort of teammates, whoever they may be? Because it’s something new? Because even celebrities are into these things and you want to know what all the fuss is about? Whatever the reason is – give us a go! You can book a game online via that big green “Book Now” button, or you can give us a call on the ol’ telephone at 646-829-1690 where we will be more than happy to help you out with any questions you may have. (Well, questions related to our escape rooms, and the booking thereof. We cannot help you with your math homework. Unless you want to fail the class. Then we absolutely can help you with your math homework).

Until the next unhinged rant masquerading as a company’s blog,
Clue Chase