Escape Rooms

[SarahSouth]

Anyone else done escape rooms? How did you find them?

We enjoy them

Only played them with family and we escape more often than not...just

We did a serial killer one and a titanic one, they were both excellent

We've done more than two!

I've done one with family and it was fab. We weren't "locked in", that was made very clear to us at the beginning; we could walk out any time we wanted.

There was a screen on the wall which the staff used to give us prompts if we were way off field, and which counted down the time.

We didn't escape within the hour, but as the puzzle didn't just involve eventually finding a key, but was more of a story which was revealed in parts by solving clues, we were allowed to stay and complete because no one was booked in the room after us.

All in all it was a fab event.

We plan to do another soon with friends.

We have also done a game in a box at home.

Are these like murder mystery events, because I dispise them

@Bravelurker

IME a murder mystery event is when you go to watch a play, either performed on stage with little or no audience participation, or at a "dinner" or "dance" where one of the "guests" (in most cases one of the actors hired as part of the event). It's generally pretty much scripted and as a member of the audience you watch, observe and conclude.

In an escape room you, and whoever you choose to go with, enter a room where they is usually a starting clue. There will be little or no interaction from people not with your group. You search the room using observation, knowledge and logic to solve a series of clues. For example you may enter a room with a desk. On the desk may be a padlocked box with 4 unusual symbols on it. The padlock is one which requires 4 numbers to open it. In a drawer in the desk you may find a blank parchment. On a shelf you may find an ultraviolet torch, and in a filing cabinet, some batteries. When you insert the batteries into the torch and shine it on the blank parchment a key will appear, matching matching 10 symbols, including the symbols on the box, to the numbers 1 - 9. Using those numbers you can unlock the padlock. The box will open to reveal an envelope. Inside the envelope is the beginnings of the next clue...

I've done quite a few mystery escape rooms that I got online, free*, from the App Store. I am not very good at them, and I am impatient so I used walkthroughs for all of them. However, the more of them I did, the better I became, at least, at figuring what was required.

• They are free, but if you use up the free hints, you can buy more.

It doesn't appeal to me at all, I'm claustrophobic and also think I wouldn't be very good at solving the clues! My worst nightmare would be doing one with work colleagues.

I can see why others enjoy them though.

DD did one at Hallowe'en a couple of years ago (she enjoyed it , she went with friends)

I always think of them as being Hallowe'en events , not occured to me that they're year round

Both the escape rooms I went to, the hosts made it very clear you could get out whenever you liked (e.g. to go to the loo) and told us where the fire exits were.

They were the size of normal rooms, and neither had what I'd call a horror theme - one was based on gangsters and the other was a laboratory type environment, so it wasn't really a frightening atmosphere, it was just tense because the clocks were ticking.

I think there are rooms to suit all tastes - I'd suggest looking at reviews before you go if there are things you might find triggering, but the rooms I visited weren't at all frightening.

@Refus . They both sound great .

Would you be kind enough to tell me where those escape rooms are please ?

Rufus*

I've done a couple with teen Dd and our friends. We've enjoyed them - and escaped each time. We like the logical puzzle type ones.

Dd did a more themed one which sounded a little more scary. Dark, locked in cages etc. Not sure I'd be so keen on that style.

The one I did was a laboratory one, the first room was quite small, but it was fine and the laboratory bit was huge and not claustrophobic at all.

Brilliant! Took dts for their 11th birthday

Ive pmed you when

Did one with DH and was an absolute blast and a funny insight into a relationship! I couldn't solve any of the clues he got and vice versa!