What is an Escape Room?

what is an escape room. Paniq escape room atlanta lobby with chair and media wall.

Many of you will have heard of escape rooms. However, What is an Escape Room? The popularity of this relatively new entertainment industry is growing enormously. In this article, we will discuss this in more detail, covering all the details and possible uncertainties.

Escape Room Near Me…

This is one of the most common keywords for escape rooms. I would add, it’s also the easiest way to the search giant lists those near us. Once you have a place to go, let’s be clear: what is an escape room?

Escape rooms are a fairly recent form of interactive entertainment, in which teams ranging from two to twelve players are placed in themed environments to accomplish a shared goal. They do this by working together to find hidden clues and solve puzzles that move them closer and closer to the end. Over time, many new names have been given to this form of entertainment. For example escape games, room escapes, live escape rooms, exit games or exit rooms. But they all mean the same thing: get out of different themed rooms in a certain amount of time while solving puzzles with your team.

Am I Locked in an Escape Room?

Not necessarily. Even if the door is locked, there must be an emergency exit or some kind of escape route in case of danger.

In the very first escape rooms, the door was indeed locked and the end goal was to find a key to open it. Most escape rooms today have evolved a lot and that is not the end goal, as the exit is not locked. You can find this new generation of rooms at PanIQ Escape Room Atlantic City.

So is this actually a Haunted House?

Not at all. There are rooms with themes that are creepy, scary or even spooky. However, the end goal is not to scare players. At most, the atmosphere is a bit more depressing. I guarantee that no one will chase you in an escape room while dressed as a clown.

How much time do I have to get out?

Most typically, you have 60 minutes to get out of the room. Of course, there are longer rooms (90 minutes), but these are not the most common. In the newer rooms, you can decide when you book how much time you want to give your team to get out. So you can even change it from a quick 30-minute game all the way up to 120 minutes. Of course, the number of puzzles in these rooms will also vary depending on this. Remember most new-generation rooms don’t just have one chamber. So if you want to set a record, don’t look at how many chambers you have left!

Can I play with my friends?

Definitely! The more of you there are the better the escape room experience. I’m not saying a date night isn’t fun, but the real atmosphere and experience is when you’re playing with your friends or taking part in a good team-building session. Pay attention, because in the US there are two types of tickets. public and private. With the former, anyone can join your room up to the maximum number of people allowed. So like a movie theater, you can watch it with anyone until the theater is full. While in a private game, the entire room will be yours. True, it’s usually more expensive per person.

What kind of puzzles will there be?

Most commonly, you have to solve some kind of  „real” puzzle or logic puzzle. Sometimes you may be given a maths puzzle, but don’t worry, these games are not designed for nuclear physicists. Less often, you get some skill challenges. You don’t have to think of some aerial gymnastics demonstration here either. It’s usually a task that can be done by hand. The point is to use your head and look for connections between clues and puzzles.

How hard is it to get out of an escape room?

It depends on how difficult a room you have chosen. Most escape room complexes will indicate the difficulty of the room when you book. At PanIQ Escape Room Houston, they use a difficulty scale of 5 padlocks. 3 padlocks is medium, 4 padlocks is hard and above 4 is expert difficulty. True, they don’t have an expert room in Houston, but they do in Atlanta and Boston.

Quantified?

In general, the escape rate from hard rooms is 10-20%. The medium rooms are 30-50% and the easy rooms are 70% and above. Of course, a lot depends on getting out of the escape room. Mostly, it depends on your team. However, there are places where you are limited in the number of hints. Of course, it’s also harder to get out of these units.

Is it family-friendly?

Definitely recommended for the whole family. You will have a very special experience. You will get to know a completely different side of each family member, but it will also bring the family together. It helps you to work together to achieve a common goal, and you can do it all in a very unique atmosphere.

It is important to look at the classification of each room. Not all rooms are family-friendly. Where this is not specifically stated, don’t go, lest you try a horror-themed room with the kids.

I hope I have answered all the important questions and brought you a little closer to what is an Escape Room. I definitely recommend that if you have any questions about the specific escape room you have chosen, you should go to the FAQ on their site. Perhaps write to them or call them with your questions.