7 Tips for Winning at Your Next Escape Room!

Escape rooms are fun, but for some of us, the fun comes in winning. Maybe you’ve never played one before, or perhaps you’ve played many and you’re hoping to hone your game. No matter your experience level, we hope these tips help you out the next time you come to the best escape room in Arlington!

7. Search thoroughly.

You won’t find clues hidden too obscurely – you’ll never need to check inside the ceiling or take apart walls or furniture – but it’s common to get a little stuck because you simply haven’t found an object you need to solve a puzzle. Instead of trying three cupboard drawers and assuming the fourth won’t open, try that fourth drawer too. Pick up every object and look at the back of it, look at the bottom of it, and examine all surfaces. Make sure you look under tables, cushions, and pillows – I have personally wasted ten minutes in an escape room because we didn’t notice a rolled-up piece of paper hidden between two couch cushions. And when you find something, don’t put it back where you found it! Put it in a central location so other people don’t have to go digging for it.

6. Think Logically.

You only have one hour, it’s ticking away quickly, and you feel like you haven’t done enough! Escape room players may underestimate the power of adrenaline at clouding their judgment. It’s important not to panic – take a deep breath, stay calm, reassure yourself that you will escape, and approach the situation logically. Ask yourself straightforward questions – what type of combination am I looking for? I have a four-digit lock in front of me – what clues might give me four numbers for this lock? Also, keep in mind what we’d reasonably make as a puzzle – we’d never expect players to unscrew or disassemble furniture or the like, and we’d never expect players to program electronics, do complicated math, or pick locks. Likewise, if you have four or more digits, you’ll never need to guess what order they go in – something will clue you. If you’re struggling with translating a message from a puzzle, try reading the chart or object from left to right.

5. Create a structure for your clues.

It’s important to have a mental map of what’s useful in the room including what has been used and what hasn’t. We provide you with a whiteboard and markers for note-taking, so use them! You’d be surprised how often groups waste time looking for a combination for a lock when they had found the combination thirty minutes ago, but forgot it existed five minutes after. If you write down everything and cross things out as you use them, you’ll have a better idea of what information you need to work with.

Likewise, creating a physical workflow is equally useful. A great solution many groups utilize is to create two piles – a “not used yet” pile and an “already used” pile. Physically creating piles is a great way to keep track of what you need to focus on while removing distraction. If you do this, you need to still remember to write things down, because not all props can be moved! Finally, if you find yourself stuck, don’t forget to give a quick peek through your “already used” pile. Someone may have accidentally put something there when it doesn’t belong.

4. Ask for help when you need it.

Our Supervillains room has a lot going on - Communication is key!

Hubris is one of the biggest factors to groups not succeeding. If you’ve never played an escape room before, you likely will not succeed without help from your host. Also, you will not set the record for the room if it’s your first ever escape room. These facts are not a reflection of your intelligence or value as a person, so don’t let your pride be the reason you fail. It is far better to experience the entirety of the escape room than to be stuck on one puzzle for thirty minutes because you were too stubborn to ask for help, so do it!

As a side note, if your host asks if you’d like a clue or a small nudge, that’s their polite way of telling you that you’re far behind pace, or that it’s unlikely you’ll notice what you need to focus on. If it makes you feel better, upwards of 95% of players who escape our rooms do so by using clues. The groups that don’t use clues and still escape are generally the groups who’ve played over 20 escape rooms. You can’t take the clues with you, so use them! Don’t ruin your friend’s fun birthday party idea because your ego is too big!

3. Don’t over-complicate.

Occam’s Razor states that the simplest explanation is often the correct one. The same is true in escape rooms! Overthinking puzzles is a common mistake, and it’s often fueled by the clouded judgment of adrenaline. If you think you’re overthinking something, take a breath and step back. Ask yourself, “If I designed this puzzle, what would I make the player do?” If you find the number 135, instead of looking for a secret code on page 135 in the book on the table, maybe try putting 135 into the three-digit lock. If you have a large quantity of similar objects (such as dice, toys, or playing cards), instead of counting and doing complex math or statistics, take a look and see if any of the objects are obviously marked and different from the rest. The solution to a puzzle will always be unambiguous – if you’re unsure about whether that arrow is pointing up or left, or whether you’re supposed to count objects in the paintings on the walls, maybe you’re not quite on the right track. Remember to take a deep breath and look at clues with fresh eyes.

2. Have fun!

This one’s important. Remember why you’re here, and make sure everyone is having a great time – not just you. If you’re barking orders at your friends or family, they’ll resent you for it. If you’re taking things too seriously and competitively, the experience may get too stressful and morale can plummet. Never yell or take out your frustration on your teammates. Never shove people off of puzzles they’re working on because you want to be a part of the action. Never take props, boxes, or keys out of teammates’ hands. Never shut down ideas your younger teammates come up with – children are correct about puzzle solutions far more often than you might expect. The more you actively ensure everyone is having a great time, the better of a time you’ll have as well, and the better your team will work together. This leads into the last tip…

1. Communicate!

Communication is why escape rooms make for the best team building activities and corporate events; the biggest single reason teams don’t escape is a lack of communication. Everyone needs to be on the same page! If you’re working on a puzzle and avoiding speaking your thought process until you open the lock because you want to look smart or cool, you’re only selfishly slowing your team down by not letting them participate in the puzzle with you. Likewise, everyone in the room needs to know what has been tried so that nobody is retracing anyone’s steps.

Did you find an interesting object in a cupboard? Tell people! Don’t just put it back where you found it, or walk around with it in your hands without letting others see it. Do you think those strange symbols might be an alphabet, but you’re not sure if you’re right and you don’t want to look stupid? Say it! Even if you’re wrong, you might help someone else arrive at the correct solution. Talking through your thought process about puzzles will help everyone solve the puzzles faster together. Talking through what everyone is working on and what needs to be done will help everyone keep better track of what they need to focus on. As any great team building exercise teaches you, when communication stops, so does progress.

There you have it! The next time you’re celebrating a birthday party or looking for a fun corporate event at the best escape room in Arlington, keep these in mind and you’ll be sure to succeed!