Too many people forget that Escape Rooms are a game of strategy. Yes, it helps to be a great puzzle or problem solver, but take it from us, the real key to escaping the chilling grasp of The Dark Lord or Dracula is using strategies that will get your team to work together in the smartest, most efficient manner possible.

As any experienced escaper will tell you, escape rooms can be very difficult if you aren’t aware of the best practices to successfully escape. So, let us talk you through the main strategies that will improve your chances of escaping.

Strategy #1: Communicate

This is key!! Our rooms are designed to be fully immersive and we know it’s easy to get in the zone and forget you are locked in with an entire team who is there with the same goal – escape! Why wouldn’t you work together to give you the best chance at escape?!

As they say, two brains are better than one, so use as many of them as you can. If you find a clue, make sure to communicate this with your team because it is very possible they have other pieces of the puzzle that connect to your clue. Likewise, if you find yourself stuck with a specific clue or puzzle, ask the rest of your team for help. Sometimes all you need is another set of eyes that will see things differently. Don’t hesitate to ask your friends for help.

Strategy #2: Search High and Low

In our escape rooms, almost anything goes. Hidden rooms, secret doors, concealed drawers and other clues are deceptively hidden throughout every escape room. This means that it is especially important to take a good hard look at your surroundings. There is ALWAYS more than meets the eye – turn things around, flip them over, hold them up to the light – and you might just find a pleasant (or not so pleasant depending on which of our Horror rooms you’ve got yourself locked up in) surprise. Just make sure not to take this too far! If you are trying to force something, that means you are veering off track. AND, we never hide clues beneath the floorboards or above doorframe height, so don’t go pulling at the chandelier or tearing up the Persian rug… they’re props, not clues. Duh.

Strategy #3: Use the Candles

If you find a candle in any of our escape rooms, light it up from the bottom and use it as an additional light source… you never know what clues hide in the dark corners and crevices of our rooms. This one seems quite a logical tip, but you’d be surprised how many teams forget to use the candles.

Strategy #4: Divide and Conquer

Once the countdown begins, you only have 60 minutes to escape, so effectively using what resources you have at your disposal is especially important. And what are the most valuable resources in any escape room? YOUR TEAMMATES! Team members should be spread throughout the room looking for different clues and puzzles to solve. If multiple people spend too much time in certain parts of the room, you may be missing out on other important clues. But remember, communication is key to success so talk it out!!

Strategy #5: Use Clues When You Need Them

Yes, it is an impressive feat to complete an escape room with zero clues, but doing so is very unlikely, and might even cost you your successful escape. Don’t have too much pride to ask for clues! In nearly every escape room game, your group will come to a stalemate where you do not know how to proceed. When you need that extra little hint, ask for a clue. Have your team wave at our CCTV camera and one of our eagle-eyed Gamesmaster will drop you the clue you need to hopefully help you along your way.

If you haven’t yet successful escaped one our Escape Rooms, we hope this post helps get you there. Next time you step into an escape room, keep these strategies in mind and be ready to execute. You’ve got one hour... good luck!