Escape Rooms As A Way of Life: The Legend of Zelda Method

© Nintendo

We’re living a little in the way that Link from The Legend of Zelda.

We spend our solo time traversing ‘fields’ of personality, looking for ‘rupees’ for physical sustenance, plucking ‘hearts’ for emotional fulfilment, and fighting minor demons abounding sporadically. From the fields, we head into bustling towns (like Burnaby) where we find collective persons in meeting places. We relate to these strangers who inspire within ourselves greater goals, furthering our paths beyond the fields we roam. This is the nature of the business we conduct in our life path and career directives. 

When we have found the proper motivations from the townspeople, i.e. what we can offer vs. what we are lacking, we then head steadfast to seek the inside of a dungeon (Krakit Escape Room) where we are isolated to face down our greater demons: those hidden from the populated fields and towns. We become like the hermit, seeking inner truths in the dark caverns within. Our quest is to escape and the only escape is confronting evil head-on.

First we seek anchor in finding a navigation tool, a compass, to enlighten us as as to our core principles (that way to shed light on our demon’s location), where to find the tools to defeat the demon, and the key required to get some face time with our inner foe. This dungeon is not only our situational escape room, but the liberation of our optimal identity from self-defeating ideologies.

The maxim ‘when the student is ready, the teacher appears’ reveals the locking mechanisms unlatched by the riddles of existence in Link’s field-town-dungeon whence the keys to success appear neither amidst nor before completion. This is the definition of the escape room: if I perform Task A then I will be able to unlock Item X in order to move on to Task B. Then, voila, the door is open and you’re free to move forward.

Whether the room is metaphorical or physical, the pursuit of higher goals requires we traverse our internal escape room (or, in Link’s case, dungeon).

Things to do in Burnaby

5 of 7: Helpful Hints to Prepare for the Apocalypse

This is a seven part series outlining survival techniques based on Maslow's hierarchy (beginning with physiological needs). In the final segments (self-actualization and self-fullfilment) I'll work my way into team building culture, role diversification/intelligent responsibility-delegation, and, above all, leadership techniques.

You assemble your ranks daily in the school’s gymnasium following indoor and outdoor training exercises, evaluating their progress based on systems created by a team of your subordinates. This is their, and your, daily life; there is no weekend (although there are also some things to do in Burnaby). A binding agreement of saving the human race dictates a no-days-off policy. You look at them, full of pride having brought so many together under a common umbrella of causes. Their rag-tag appearance ignites a sense of honourwithin-rebellion and currently has no deteriorating affect on the morality of the group. But, how did we get here? Why are we alive while the rest of the world has departed or is suffering? Who are we? What happened that has left The Righteous as leaders of saving the human race.

• COGNITIVE NEEDS: You must know why this has all happened and the books in the school’s library aren’t doing it as they are all set within the past, within mythologies and sciences since debunked. You have no clear understanding of yourselves or the enemies that, daily, surround the walls of your stronghold. You assemble a team of medical and spiritual professionals with experience from ‘the times before’ the apocalypse to further explore the inner and outer workings of the situation. The medical team dissects captured enemies of the Righteous in conjunction with the spirit team who, in cooperation with the psychological team, explores the inner workings of the ‘demons’ and ‘zombies.’ They work day and night, making breakthrough after breakthrough, before making an epic discovery: these beings were engineered from a central source with specific  scientific and divine knowledge: ones seeking to expel the human race and acquire the planet for themselves. But who or what could do such a thing? You continue your explorations and find the root-source of the problem. An artificial intelligence that has surpassed human knowledge, has begun to exist as a megamind, absorbing life energies of life, both physical and metaphysical, from planet to planet. 

Ten Escape Lessons Learned from Horror Movies: Part One

It might surprise you to learn that those horror movies you've been watching since you were old enough to stay up past midnight have been laying the groundwork for a valuable education in escape theory. "Pardon?!?" you say. Well, while your parents were spending thousands on tutors, math camp and post-secondary institutions, they could have just sat you down with an armful of horror Bluerays, DVDS or VHS tapes.

Fact: Horror movies contain all the lessons you need to survive in a dangerous environment. We treat them as entertainment, but they are actually a how-to-succeed guide for escape rooms. Here are the ten most important lessons we’ve learned from the horror genre:

10. Never leave the group.

• This should be a given, but it seems to be the most broken rule of survival in the horror movie canon. Desertion leads to death. Stick with the group and survive, at least a little bit longer. For escape room enthusiasts, you're already trapped together. So it should be pretty much near impossible to break this rule.

9. Get your hormones in check

• The heavy petting can wait until you're safely home. Any couple who stops for a quickie will be mutilated. Monsters, killers and random acts of nature hate fortification. Jason Vorhees should be the post boy for abstinence. Keep your pants sipped and your mind clear. This goes double for the escape challenge.

8. Be aware of your surroundings

• Everything seems sped up in a nightmarish scenario. But fight the urge to freak out. Take your time and examine your environment. "Oh, there's a light switch there." Or, "Oh, I guess that dark shape in the corner is the killer." Observe and report.

7. Avoid the bathroom

• You can hold it - at least for 45 minutes. Anyone who has ever stopped to use the facilities in a horror film has been threatened by death. Never shower. Never wash your face. And avoid mirrors. Especially when repeating the names of murderers.

6. Listen to the locals

• When locals warn you about the haunted mansion on the hill - there's a reason. IT"S HAUNTED! If a random doctor whispers a clue in your ear… TAKE IT!

Scare Tactics (Part One): Fight-or-Flight

Audiences love to scream in terror at the scenes presented to them on the big and small screen. But why do we seek out scary experiences? Why do we shield our eyes in fear only to return them to the screen seconds later? What sadistic tendency leads us to self-scare?

The answer lays in our body chemistry, or more specifically our brain chemistry. In a fight-or-flight scenario our brain releases the hormone dopamine. Dopamine has many purposes in the human body, but one of the major roles it plays is reward. Our body rewards us with dopamine when we preform certain actions, the most basic being smiling. Our reward is happiness.

In a scary scenario, our brain also rewards our 'fight' option with an increase in the production of dopamine. By sitting through a disturbing scene our body experiences a jolt of hormones. This produces feelings similar to those created when we experience a euphoric situation.

Our self-esteem gets a boost as our confidence increases. Our survival, even when witnessing a two-dimensional scene, is seen as an action worthy of a chemical prize. The more scary scenarios we can sit through the greater our self -worth.

But scares aren't for everyone. Our enjoyment depends on the milliseconds between the fright and our brain's recognition that as viewers, we are in a safe place. If we aren't sure of our safety, we will be less likely to enjoy the experience.

The Krakit Escape Room has similar boundaries. If we feel safe during the experience, then we can enjoy the act of being scared. We feel elated if we are able to solve the puzzle.

Some individuals find safety in numbers and have a far more enjoyable experience when attempting to escape in a large group.

And then there's some who don’t like to be scared at all. Luckily for this group, Krakit has a new theme that has close to zero chills.

Come try one of our four challenges this week. 

Defy Reality at Vancouver's Escape Room

This week Krakit awarded ten lucky escape artists the chance to attend a sneak preview of the latest film in the Divergent movie series: Insurgent. Our lucky winners were amongst the first fans in Vancouver to see Tris, with her new pixie coif, take her place as a Divergent, a free mind in a divided Dystopia.

All month long, Krakit will continue to give away Insurgent prizes to lucky escape fans who brave the Krakit themerooms. Prizes include limited edition movie t-shirts, posters and gloves based on the popular movie.

Insurgent, the second film in the Divergent series is adapted from the novels by Veronica Roth. The novel and the films contain themes of rebellion, free will and self-sacrifice. The central figure Tris, uses her unique divergent mind to expose the flaws in the caste system, the system set in place to control the population of a future colony.

The colony resides in a post-apocalyptic Chicago that is divided into five factions. Every adolescent goes through a ceremony where they choose their faction. The faction defines their personality, their place in the colony and their future occupation. Tris is one of a small group of free thinkers who is able to avoid the control of the central power and work independently from the faction system. She is able to combine all five of the faction traits in her personality: selflessness, peacefulness, honesty, bravery and intelligence. This combination awards her more opportunities for leadership roles, autonomy and problem-solving superiority.

Krakit gamers need to harness similar traits when they enter the theme room of Vancouver's most exciting escape challenge. Clues are only useful when paired with an open mind. Narrow thinking will only lead to frustration. Creativity, decisiveness and teamwork are all important for success.

Try your skills today and be in the running for some excellent Insurgent swag.

The Ten Greatest Berlin Wall Escapes

On November 9th, 1989 the famous wall that divided East and West Berlin was finally removed, reuniting families, friends and countrymen that had been apart for 28 years. The wall had gone up almost overnight, isolating a small part of West Germany inside the Soviet run East Germany. The wall was a 155 km in length and included segments of concrete dividers, wire mesh fencing, anti-vehicle trenches, 20 bunkers and 302 watchtowers.

For 28 years, defectors of East Germany sought to escape to West Berlin by making their way over, under and even through the blockade. Once they arrived in West Berlin, they were able to fly to other democratic states in Europe, effectively escaping the Sovietization of East Germany. The daring few that made it across were seen as escape heroes, with many having their stories immortalized on film.

This week Krakit, Vancouver's Escape Game, would like to highlight ten, incredibly brave, successful escape attempts made by East Germans defecting to West Berlin:

10. End of the Line

On December 5th, 1961, Harry Deterling drove a passenger train across an unused portion of track into West Berlin. His immediate family and a few friends accompanied Harry. The railway line was blocked the following day.

9. Water Bed

Ingo Bethke used an air mattress to make his watery escape across the River Elbe. To get to the river, Bethke and a friend had to navigate a minefield, a metal fence and a trip wire installation. Sounds like the mattress rafting was the least dangerous element to their escape.

8. Love in a Convertible

Heinz Meixner, an Austrian working in East Berlin, came up with a plan to get his girlfriend out of the country. He rented a small convertible and removed the front windshield. He then lowered the air on all the tires. With his German sweetie beside him, Heinz drove to the Checkpoint Charlie border. At the inspection point, Heinz was briefly detained before he stepped on the gas, sliding easily underneath the lowered gate crossing and into West Berlin. Part of the deal to get his girlfriend out was that her mother accompanies them. His future mother-in-law was smuggled across in the trunk of the car. 

7.  Guard Duty

1,300 guards skipped over the border in the first two years of the wall's existence. One of most famous guards to do so was Conrad Schumann. He jumped the wall on its third day of construction, when the wall was just a line of razor wire. Peter Leibing immortalized Schumann’s jump. The iconic photograph is now a part of the UNESCO Memory of the World program. Sadly, Schumann, suffering from depression, took his own life nine years after the fall of the wall.

6. Tank You

Wolfgang Engels used a tank as a battering ram to facilitate his escape to West Berlin. Unfortunately, the wall was too much for the tank. But Engels wouldn't be stopped. Using the tank as a stepladder, he scaled the wall, only to get stuck on the barbed wire crown. After being shot twice, Engels passed out. After being helped by passer-bys on the Western side, Engels woke up in a bar and immediately noticed the Western liquor bottles on the shelves; He had made it!

5. Zippy

Holger Bethke followed in his brother's footsteps (see #9), when he escaped in 1983. But instead of a watery getaway, Holger took to the skies. Using a zip line, he descended from one of East Berlin's taller buildings to the ground in West Berlin.

4. Retirement Tunnel

In 1962, a dozen senior citizens escaped through a tunnel that they had dug themselves. The group was lead by an 81-year-old gentleman. The group had spent 16 days digging the tunnel that covered a distance of 160 feet. One of the impressive features of the escape route was that the entire tunnel had a height of six feet. When asked about the height, one of the escapees quipped: "(we wanted) to walk to freedom with our wives, comfortably and unbowed."

3. Playboy

Hugh Hefner was responsible for the freedom of more than a handful of East Germans. Apparently the Munich's Playboy Club issued membership cards that were incredibly similar to the passports used in West Germany. A quick flash of the Playboy membership often fooled border guards.

2. Balancing Act

One of most death-defying escapes was made by Horst Klein in 1963. Klein was an East German circus performer who used a high-tension cable to cross the expanse. Horst dangled 60 feet above the ground and moved hand over hand until he was over the wall. Unfortunately Horst had nowhere to properly dismount. He was forced to drop to his freedom.

1. Balloon Ride

Hans Strelczyk and Gunter Wetzel built a hot air balloon to carry their two families over the wall in 1979. The balloon portion was made of canvas scraps and bed sheets and the engine portion of old propane canisters. The balloon reached a height of 8,000 feet before sailing over the border. The flight lasted thirty minutes and was immortalized in the Disney film, Night Crossing.