What is an escape room?

An escape room is a real-life adventure game where players must work together, look for clues, solve puzzles, discover secrets, unlock new places, and reach the game’s goal within 60 minutes.

If you’ve never played an escape room before, and are curious about what is an escape room, this article is for you. At The Other Tales we love introducing people to this new genre of entertainment. We’ve had hundreds of first-time players play their first escape game with us.

What to expect in an escape room?

The escape room game usually has a theme or a story. In the past the main goal was to escape from a room. Currently, however, escape rooms became more elaborate with a variety of different goals. The goal can be about finding an unusual object, saving somebody, stopping a criminal, finding treasure, and so on. The games are usually limited by time. In most escape rooms you have 60 minutes to play.

Usually, in escape rooms, there is a game guide who greets you, explains the rules, and then helps you while you play.

Once you enter the room, you will be in a setting that’s based on the story of the game. There will be interesting objects and artifacts. Many things will be locked. The way to unlock things in escape rooms is by solving puzzles. Together with your team, you have to look for clues, solve puzzles and try to open the locked places. Sometimes things will open by inserting the correct combination into a lock, and sometimes by interacting with some objects in the game. As you will progress through the game you will uncover more clues, open new places, and progress through the story. Once you will reach the final goal, the game will end and it will be time for a victory group photo.

Who are escape rooms for?

Escape rooms are becoming more popular every year, offering an engaging new form of entertainment for all ages. There are many family-friendly escape room games, however, there are many games designed for adults. Make sure to check with the company if the game is appropriate for your team.

Escape rooms are great for families.

Family-friendly escape rooms are perfect for family outings. Escape rooms are a great multigenerational activity.

At The Other Tales all our games are family-friendly. We’ve had players from 7 to 97 years old. In fact, escape rooms are really great at bonding families together.

Escape rooms are great as team-building activities.

Escape rooms are all about working together, listening to each other and finding the best solution. Teams who are looking for an interesting way to make their team’s interaction stronger, should give escape rooms a try.

Escape rooms are great for friends’ outings. 

Escape rooms are great for friends doing something together. The puzzles are very different, and that ensures that everybody will have something to contribute.

In fact, escape rooms are great for a variety of occasions: birthdays, outings with friends, date nights, and even proposals.

Do escape rooms have stories?

Many escape rooms have just a theme and puzzles. Recently, however, there are more games that put more emphasis on great stories in escape rooms. Stories in games, if done correctly, greatly increase the engagement of the players. At The Other Tales, we often hear people mention, that they felt like there were in some kind of movie when playing one of our games. Stories in escape rooms allow for more meaning added to the experience. Very often after playing a good escape room people continue their conversation about the experience long after the game was over.

Are escape rooms scary?

Since Escape Room the movie came out a lot of people think all escape rooms are scary. Although, there are some that are, the majority are not. Definitely contact the company if the website description is not clear enough. There are many different themes of escape room games besides horror: adventure, heist, magic, fantasy, and many more.

Are you locked in?

In most escape rooms in the United States you are not locked in. If you come to an escape room that locks you in, ensure they have an emergency exit. At The Other Tales we never lock people in.

What types of puzzles are in escape rooms?

Escape rooms have a variety of different mental puzzles. The game is about observing and  making connections. There can be logical puzzles, visual puzzles, ciphers, puzzles where you have to manipulate objects, and many more. Part of the fun is to figure out what the puzzle is and then proceed to solving it.

Do you need a PhD to play an escape room game?

No. The beauty of escape rooms is that all the information that you need is inside the rooms. You just need to be observant, share the information with your friends and have fun. We often tell to the players that Google is not your friend in escape rooms. Most escape rooms are designed for teens and adults, but very often the games can be enjoyed by younger kids. Here is an article that has escape room tips for teams with kids. 

What do you need to bring to an escape room?

If you use reading glasses, don’t forget them when going to an escape room. In most games there might be some reading involved. Other than that just wear comfortable clothes or dress up for the theme for a great victory photo at the end of the game.

What if you get stuck?

Most escape rooms have a game guide who observes the game and gives hints. Some places have a limit on hints, some have unlimited hints. If you get stuck, don’t worry, review what information you have, what still needs to be opened. If you are not sure what to do next don’t be afraid to ask for a hint.

How to begin?

It’s best to book the game in advance. The weekends tend to sell out, so if you would like to play at a particular day and time, buy the tickets in advance. Look at the themes and stories that the company has to offer. You can usually buy your tickets online or over the phone. At The Other Tales Escape Rooms we have three games you can choose from: adventure, science fiction or fairy tale. Select one today.