Do you need some escape room tips? Are you about to embark on your first ever escape room experience? The thought of playing your first escape room could feel quite daunting; what should you expect? Don’t fret, we’re here to help. Our Games Masters have put together 5 top tips to get out of any escape room; prepare to feel prepared!
At Escape Live we have escape rooms ranging in levels of difficulty. If you’re unsure which room to play, make sure you ask for a recommendation from one of our Games Masters (they know better than anyone!). Browse here for our escape rooms in Liverpool and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Before we get started, let’s take a closer look at some escape room games…
What is an Escape Room?
Escape room games are a type of physical puzzle where participants are locked in a themed room and must solve a series of puzzles and riddles within a set time limit to “escape” or complete the objective of the game. To complete an escape game, players work together as a team to find clues, decipher codes, and uncover hidden objects to progress through the room and solve the overarching challenge.
Typically designed with a specific theme or storyline, this adds an immersive element to the experience. Here at Escape Live, our game masters are on hand to assist you with clues, guide you in the right direction and answer any questions you might have.
The experience of playing in an escape room can be exciting, challenging, and rewarding. Escape rooms offer a unique opportunity to test your communication, collaboration, and critical thinking abilities whilst also enjoying an immersive activity with friends and family.
Each escape room has its own set of rules and guidelines, so it’s important to listen to the briefing provided by the game master before starting the game. Choose your team wisely and enjoy finding clues and breaking free!
Here are the top tips from game masters themselves…
1. “Don’t overcomplicate clues.” – Ellen, GM in
This is one of our best escape room tips. Sometimes, the clue in your escape room really is as simple as it seems. If it seems like it makes sense, chances are that you’re right. The customers that tend to overcomplicate more simple clues sometimes end up holding their team back, but don’t worry if this happens to you. Our GMs will always help nudge you along if it looks like it’s needed.
2. “Keep your clues organised.” – Mitchel, GM in Coventry
If it looks like a clue, keep it somewhere so you won’t forget about it. Or put all of your clues together in one spot so you’re organised. There will usually be somewhere within the room where you can accumulate all of your clues, like on top of a barrel or a small desk. Keeping your clues there will give you a point for the team to return to once you’ve found all the clues and want to start solving the puzzles behind them.
3. “Listen carefully to any clues you’re given – if you didn’t ask for the help, but you’re being given it, it’s because you need to hear it.” – Alis, GM in Birmingham
Sometimes, our GMs will see you struggling with one clue for a while, or looking in the wrong direction, or coming to the wrong conclusions about the puzzles in your room. Not to be too ‘Big Brother’-esque, but we are watching and want to help you! We don’t want to see you waste your 60-minute experience stuck on a clue, so we will give you an unrequested clue (*don’t worry, there are no time penalties for getting a clue!*).
These clues may not appear to be clues, but every time our GMs speak to your team in the room, listen carefully! Nothing we say to your team is out of the blue.
4. “In larger groups, split up!” – Mitchel, GM in Coventry
Another great escape room tip from Mitchel – split up! Thoroughly search the whole room for potential clues and items of interest. Check every corner, every nook, every cranny. Look inside drawers, paintings on the walls, items tucked inside objects… At Escape Live, we have clues hidden all over our rooms, so make sure you keep an eye out during your experience.
Once you think you’ve scoped out the whole escape room, collate your findings in one place. Your teammates have likely found clues that help to make more sense of your own clues.
5. “Look for numbers in EVERYTHING, don’t take anything for granted… it’s there for a reason!” – Alis, GM in Birmingham
Numbers are really important to helping you figure out the puzzles in your escape room. Alis, one of our GMs in Birmingham, gives some great escape room advice: “don’t take anything for granted”. Remember, everything in your room is placed strategically. Even red herrings can be important clues, Mitchel says.
The biggest piece of advice we can give to those of you going into your escape room is just relax and have fun! Enjoy the experience. If you want to know more about what you’re getting yourself into, read our TripAdvisor here.
We hope this blog has given you some top tips on completing escape rooms quickly. Whether you’re going with experienced players, or are a novice, these tips will help you break free in no time at all!
Escape Room FAQs:
We’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions about solving escape rooms below:
How do you outsmart an escape room?
Whilst you can’t technically ‘outsmart’ an escape room, you can follow a few small tips to ensure you escape within the time limit. Ensure not all members of your team are examining the same object, as this will waste time, and you could be focusing on irrelevant things. Next, make sure each team member is working on one puzzle, or getting involved. Everyone has a strength, so it is important to utilise them! Finally, if there are any unused objects, get the whole team to look at them. General teamwork is a good rule to follow, as the game design is crafted to ensure you all work efficiently together.
How hard is it to get out of an escape room?
Escape rooms are meant to be a challenge, so it is relatively hard to get out of them. Every minute counts when the timer starts, but make sure you’re focusing on having fun! You can choose a room that’s for beginners if you’re new, or one that’s a bit more complicated if you’re up for a challenge.
How do you escape a room for beginners?
Beginners’ tips are to examine everything closely, to take a look at related objects twice and to take your time so you don’t miss anything!
