Puzzle Room or Escape Room and what's next?

At Escapism we like to experiment and try new things, and that has led us to create what we call Puzzle Rooms. So what is a Puzzle Room and how is it different from an escape room? Well, escape rooms are team based, themed entertainment where you solve puzzles and generally complete some kind of mission. One aspect many players also expect is mystery - some kind of unknown as they search around - surprises like hidden rooms or unexpected lock mechanics. They’re the things beyond the puzzles that leave a lasting impression and a sense of wonder in the moment.

Early on we created our first Puzzle Room, The Mad Hatter’s Hat. The reason for a different design was to make it replayable, a very rare feature for escape rooms. This new style of room would have many puzzles, and we’d add more and more over time, so if you came back to play it you’d get a new set and it would still feel fresh and entertaining. With so many puzzles, we thought it best to make gameplay linear, so you always know exactly what you need to solve at any one time - no searching through 50+ other possible puzzles and getting completely lost. We also added in-game help via the Mad Hatter; he can provide extra info or hints on any puzzle to help you along as you need him. Somewhat unexpectedly we created a new style of escape room - not the format that experienced players expect, but a really fun and often referred to as a “refreshing” take on escape room fun.

Eventually we created our second Puzzle Room, Steal The Crown. It’s not replayable but has similar features to The Mad Hatter’s Hat. It’s a single room, and the more linear lock-and-key gameplay means more focused play. You also have an extra team member, Sam, to feed you more info or clues when you need him. Steal The Crown wasn’t initially intended to be our second Puzzle Room, and has more exploring and clue finding than The Mad Hatter's Hat, but we realised that any single-room experience should be built to the same Puzzle Room structure so people have a clear idea of what they’re booking and which room best suits how they want to play - more focused puzzling or more exploring and surprise.

Will these remain our only two types of escape room experiences? Probably not. As we continue to try new things we might create another format. How does a Survival Room sound - something that requires a bit more physical coordination and more practical thinking?

So whether a mysterious escape room is what you’re after, or a focused Puzzle Room is more your thing, come visit and see the Escapism difference :)

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