Puzzling Logic: 9 Ways to Step-up Your Escape Room Game

A puzzle is something that needs to be solved, but that doesn’t have an obvious, predetermined set of steps you can take in order to solve it. This practically sounds like a puzzle in and of itself—which is why it’s a smart move to brush-up on your puzzle-solving skills before tackling your next escape game.

1. Remember the first two rules of puzzle solving. Written by puzzle experts Gianni Sarcone and Marie Waeber, they go: 1) Nothing is as difficult as it looks. 2) Nothing is as easy as it looks.

2. Do the straightforward tasks first. Is there a math problem to solve? A word to unjumble? A cultural reference to nail? Figure that out, and only then start thinking about how it fits into the grand scheme.

3. Remember the rules. Your escape game master will tell you the dos and don’ts of your escape game. Not paying attention to the introductory spiel can spell disaster for even the cleverest of clue solvers.

4. Jot down notes. With all that’s thrown at you with puzzles—especially when there’s multiple ones to deal with, like in an escape room—you need a good way to organize your thoughts. An old-school pen and paper set usually does the trick (especially since we take your smartphones away!).

5. Watch out for double entendres and puns. Humans are usually willing to take things at face value, so plays on words and visual puns can be hard to spot at first. But keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything with the potential for two or more meanings.

6. Keep an eye out for oddities. If something seems out of place, it almost certainly requires some sleuthing. In other words, what appears to be an intentional error might as well have giant neon arrows pointing at it that scream, “Scrutinize me!!”

7. See what’s hidden in plain sight. Sometimes something that seems entirely irrelevant or mundane is actually the key to it all.

8. Let it simmer. If you can’t figure it out but you know something is there (see point 5 above), give the task a rest and turn your attention to something else. Things often fall into place once your brain is given some breathing room—otherwise known as a “eureka moment.”

9. Use your hints. It’s not a “cheat” to use a hint—it’s part of the game!

Put your escape game skills to the test in one of Krakit’s four themed escape rooms. You can book your next sleuthing experience here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.                                                              

10 Reasons You Should Play an Escape Game RIGHT NOW

1. Escape rooms are fun fun fun

Let’s just get this most obvious reason out of the way. Why play an escape game? Because it’s 45 minutes of pure fun, from the word go to the last second on the timer.

2. All the kids are doing it

Although people of all ages love a good escape game, they’re especially popular with millennials. Clearly, hitting an escape room is the hip thing to do.

3. Escape games work out your brain

Not just fun and popular, escape rooms offer a chance for you to put to work brain muscles you might not have exercised since high school. Keeping those synapse firing and your logic gears working means escape games provide great brain care.

4. You can impress your date with your bravery

Not only can you show your new beau how smart you are, you can impress him with your bravery when the zombies begin snapping their teeth at you, with only 5 minutes left on the clock …

5. Being under pressure is good for you

There’s proof that pressure makes us accomplish more, helps our brains work better, and turns us into more resilient people. Thanks, escape games!

6. Escape games make for some serious bonding

Need to make a team gel? Throw them into an escape room. Then see what a well-oiled machine they are after working together to crack all the codes and clues we throw at them.

7. A little scare never hurt anyone

Although not all escape games are scary, our favourite ones sure are! Here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game we currently have three horror-themed rooms to get your blood pumping. Extra shot of adrenaline, coming up!

8. Belly laughter is the best medicine

What follows a jump scare or a seriously fumbled clue but serious laughter? You and your friends are guaranteed at least three giggle fits with each escape game you play.

9. You get your money’s worth

Pound for pound, a ticket to an escape room provides you with more than any movie ticket or baseball game (especially on Cheap Tuesdays at Krakit!). Why? Because immersive entertainment is more fulfilling and memory-making.

10. Escape is good for the soul

Taking some time for a little fantasist escape is necessary to staying sane in today’s hyper-paced world. It’s like Dungeons & Dragons come to life! What’s not to love.

Test your skill in one of Krakit’s four Vancouver escape games by booking here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

5 Steps to Your Ultimate Vancouver Escape Game Experience

Lucky for you, our Vancouver Escape Games don't include oubliettes

1. Assemble your team

Pretty simple: get the gang together. You want to make sure you’ve got a nice mix of people, so see our guide on putting together the perfect escape game team here.

Remember: most people are pretty curious to try escape rooms, so be sure to ask around. You could be surprised who wants in—maybe even Steve from HR who never wants to go to anything!

2. Do a teensy bit of research

Right, we get it—research isn’t typically fun. But this kind is! Make sure you read over the game options available. Like it super scary? Like it more mysterious? Looking for an easier game or one that will drive your brain to its limits? Make sure you read about all your options—Krakit Vancouver Escape Game has four rotating themes—and figure out what will be most fun for you and your pals.

3. Do some cerebral jumping jacks

Before you find yourself behind lock and key, take time to prime your mind for the impressive leaps of logic and untangling of riddles that await. It’s basically like doing stretches before you go on a run—except you don’t have to wear any spandex.

Check out BrainDen.com for a treasure trove of excellent brainteasers.

4. Dive in and let go

A major part of having an amazing escape room experience is letting yourself become immersed in the situation. Yes, some rooms at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game can be a little scary—but go ahead and let yourself get spooked. It’s half the fun! And definitely don’t forget to laugh. A lot.

5. Recap for next time

Didn’t make it out? Doesn’t matter! Because it’s not over till you say it’s over. While playing the same escape room over again isn’t recommended, that doesn’t mean you can’t do a post-mortem in preparation for the entirely new escape challenge that awaits you—just down the hall.

Or are you clever clogs who busted the puzzle wide open? Well done! Figure out your top tactics so you can try a harder room next time

Assemble your escape room team, check out Krakit’s four current themes, then book an immersive experience here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Experience Immersive Entertainment in Vancouver: Escape Games and More

The trend is being witnessed all over the world: millennials don’t want entertainment that merely entertains or adds to their “pile of stuff”—they want experiences.

From Secret Cinema in London, who turn classic films into catered, costumed extravaganzas, to the rise of escape rooms, beginning with Takao Kato’s Real Escape Game in Japan, entertainment that offers more than a way to “turn off and tune out” is on the rise.

In fact, experiential entertainment is more than just “on the rise.” In 2014, JWT Intelligence—whose business is identifying the “global zeitgeist”—identified immersive experiences as the “leading trend changing the entertainment industry in 2014,” a trend that is continuing to play out as we roll our way through the decade.

Vancouverites craving immersive experiences of their own can find a variety of options right here in the GVRD.

Darkened Theatre (photo: Lloyd Dirks)

Interactive Theatre: Forbidden Vancouver

Not a fan of theatre’s “fourth wall”? Do you love it when actors come into the aisles and maybe even pull you up to dance? Well, then, one of Forbidden Vancouver’s city tours or special events is probably right up your alley.

For their “Lost Souls of Gastown” tour, Forbidden Vancouver combines a walking tour with a theatre piece to bring the history of the downtown neighbourhood alive, while their “War for the Holidays” event combined a holiday party with a WWI-set play.

Find more on Forbidden Vancouver here.

Expanded Cinema: Scent-sory Cinema

Taking a page out of Secret Cinema’s book, the Vancouver-based duo Here There put on experiential cinema as one of the many immersive events they run.

Their Scent-sory Cinema series has featured screenings of Strange Brew, complete with local ales, Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, and Hawkins Cheezies, and a showing of Amelie, paired with a Parisian tasting menu, to name just a few.

You can details on upcoming Scent-sory Cinema screenings here.

Immersive Gaming: Krakit Escape Room

Those looking to take their gaming off the screen and into the real world can immerse themselves in one of four imaginative scenarios at Krakit Escape Room in Burnaby.

Escape games present a way to bring gaming, puzzles, and mysteries into the three-dimensional world, putting you—literally—in the middle of the action. Whether surrounded by zombies or under threat by a mad doctor, you have 40-minutes to solve the mystery in front of you and emerge triumphant.

Investigate Krakit’s escape room themes here, for teams of up to eight.