Escape rooms, also known as puzzle rooms, are modern entertainment that brings the atmosphere from books, movies, and computer games to the real world, provides an unforgettable experience, and is a great way to spend time.
The objectives and challenges that players encounter usually follow the room’s theme and have varying degrees of difficulty.
Typical themes and plot threads often found in puzzle rooms include:
This can be delivered in video, audio, or by the game master. Then the timer is started and players have several tens of minutes to complete the game.
During this time, players explore, find clues, and solve puzzles to progress through the game.
Escape room challenges do not require great physical fitness. Most often, the escape room features various types of boxes, chests, drawers, and cabinets locked with a key or combination lock, and the player’s task is to find the keys or ciphers to them. This requires perceptiveness, the ability to associate facts and logical thinking.
There are also so-called cipherless rooms, where all puzzles are based on logic, rebus, and associations. In some escape rooms, you also meet manual puzzles, requiring dexterity and often the cooperation of several players.
The clues can be provided by paper, video, audio, or by a game master present in the room. Most escape rooms have clues and codes to unlock other areas.
Sometimes, the results of the teams that have completed the game in the shortest time are posted on the scoreboard.
Permanent puzzle rooms in fixed locations were first opened in Asia, and later in Hungary, Serbia, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and South America.
According to various estimates, there are about 50-60 thousand of them around the world, and over the time they have been in operation, they have gone from uncomplicated rooms with simple mechanisms to scenography ventures located in room complexes, saturated with electronics and even featuring actors during the game.
The fun is not for those suffering from claustrophobia, and people with weak nerves should avoid horror-themed escape rooms, where the fun is largely based on fear.