I enjoy escape rooms. I’ve done a few of them, both winning and losing.
The ones where my team usually loses is when everybody just runs into the room and starts trying to solve puzzles with no coordination. We step on each other’s toes and key clues get missed.
My favorite teams are more coordinated. We have one central place where we try to keep information. One person will look around the room for every padlock and how to unlock it. Some have 4 or 5 digits, some have words, and some have a mechanism where you move it up, down, left, right to open. Other people are tasked with looking for numbers, pictures, etc… We talk openly with each other about what we’re seeing and try to assign only 1 person to each puzzle. Also, in most rooms a clue is only used once, so once a clue is used, we put it int a place out of the way so we can only focus on the open puzzles.
I have to admit that I love it when secret doors or passages open up. It’s very satisfying, especially when you’re down to the last couple of clues and you know you’re about to win.
For a related concept, check out MeowWolf (link is for Denver location, but I’ve been to the Texas Location, and will probably hit Santa Fe NM this year).
Again, this is not an escape room, but a related concept. Imagine a building roughly the size of a shopping mall “anchor” store (or larger) that generally functions as a visual adventure game with hints, clues, and and overarching story, that is revealed by exploring each and every nook and cranny. Buy there are (depending on time and date) maybe another hundred people doing so at the same time. Each area you visit may tell it’s own story, and a part of an overall story, and is full of hidden rooms and concealed doors. Which can be a shame if it’s a busy day and someone going through spoilers it for you, but it may also lead to things you might have missed.
Each time I’ve gone to one, it was a good 4-6 hours, and could have spent longer if it wasn’t a lot of walking on my very flat feet. And it’s almost / just as much an interactive art exhibit or performance.
The one in Grapevine TX is actually inside the greater Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex, only about a three hour drive (traffic permitting) from Austin TX. I should know.
The one in Denver is adjacent (more or less) to I25 in central Denver, and the story there was the better of the two I’ve been. If you go, plan for more or less a full day. Eat ahead of time, there are plenty of bathrooms and water fountains, but only a small snack-sized cafe inside.
We have been to Denver and Omega Mart in Las Vegas. Some of our kids have been to Santa Fe and are going to Texas to visit the others this March. Not really escape rooms, but escape room adjacent and a fun time if you’re into weird off the wall art.
