Top Five Historical Labyrinths and Mazes

The concept of trapping people in a confusing space goes way, way back. But while escape rooms are all about a great night out, historical escape challenges—like mazes and labyrinths—haven’t always been about fun and games.

First designed for spiritual contemplation, it took quite a while for labyrinths to become the discombobulating entertainment we know today.

3000 BCE—Labyrinths of Bolshoi Zayatsky

Image: Vitold Muratov (CC)

The greatest number of ancient labyrinths still existing are found on remote islands in the White Sea of Russia. Made of boulders placed in spiraling patterns on the ground, there is definitely no danger of getting lost in these labyrinths.

Instead of being used to confuse and trap people, these structures were more likely used for religious contemplation or even potentially as traps to catch fish in low tides.

1800 BCE—The Egyptian Labyrinth

Image: Archive of Affinities

Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhet III was behind the construction of this gigantic labyrinth, which spanned 12 courts connected by crisscrossing corridors and shafts, with a few fake doors thrown in for good measure.

According to the historian Herodotus, the massive maze was made up of 3,000 rooms and housed the tombs of many kings.

1500 BCE(?)—The Cretan Labyrinth

Image: AnonMoos (CC)

Perhaps the most famous labyrinth of all is King Minos’s inescapable construction on the Mediterranean island of Crete.

Designed by Daedalus and his son Icarus (yes, that Icarus), the labyrinth was a site of sacrifice to the gods. Completing all these sacrifices was the Minotaur, a half-man/half-bull creature who was fed a stream of young kids every seven years.

1675 CE—The Labyrinth of Versailles

Leave it to French king Louis XIV, known for the decadence and splendour of his court, to take the religious and sacred labyrinth and turn it into a pleasure garden.

Designed with an Aesop Fables theme, the 5.6-acre labyrinth at the Palace of Versailles was constructed out of 5-metre tall hedges and included 39 fountains. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in 1778 by Louis XVI.

1880s CE—Gustav Castan’s Mirror Maze

Image: Dave Shafer (CC)

While the date and location of the first Mirror Maze is disputed, its creator is not: Gustave Castan.

Castan, who patented his invention in 1888, took a cue from the distorting House of Mirrors often found at fairgrounds, an attraction that in turn took inspiration from the famous Hall of Mirrors at—you guessed it—Versailles. Thanks, Louis!

You can visit Vancouver escape game Krakit seven days a week. We promise: no Minotaurs.

The Sleuthing Spectrum, from Sherlock to Clouseau

There’s more than one way to crack a case, and there’s more than one way to make your exit from Krakit’s four themed escape rooms. Each type of problem solver gets to the solution in their own way—the only important thing is that you get there.

Below we take a look at the different approaches of famous sleuths, to give you a little inspiration before your next game.

The Know-It-All

These types are what might be considered “classic detectives,” often portrayed as private investigators. The biggest one is, of course, Sherlock Holmes, whether it be Conan Doyle’s original smartypants or the antisocial version played Benedict Cumberbatch.

These investigators have a high degree of fluid intelligence, able to piece together a million tiny bits of information to backtrack through mysteries. They also have vast knowledge on seemingly every imaginable topic—just like kid detective Encyclopedia Brown—to help them crack the case.

The Unsuspecting

In this category you have your Veronica Marses, your Jessica Fletchers, your Nancy Drews. Yes, these are all women, and that (unfortunately) does have something to do with it. Especially back in Nancy Drew’s time, people just weren’t ready to believe that ladies could get the crime solving done.

However, sleuths like Veronica Mars are more than willing to play into people’s ignorance, duping them into thinking nothing out of the ordinary is going on—when really they’re stealing all the confidential files they need to get a solve.

The Techie

This type of sleuth is, like all of the above, extremely clever, but they really excel in one particular area. Veronica Mars’s sidekick Mac is a perfect example of this, using her technological prowess to hack the systems of countless evil businessmen.

Other investigators who fall into this category are television’s Dr. Quincy—medical examiner extraordinaire—and the geeky roles on forensics shows like CSI and NCIS. You know the ones: they always have a lab coat on.

Bonus: The Deadweight

Try as they might, these types just can’t cut it. Think of the classic Inspector Clouseau or the character Jonathan Ames in Bored to Death. Bumbling and incompetent, they more often cause crimes than solve them.

Whether you take the approach of a Sherlock or a Veronica at your next outing to Vancouver escape game Krakit, just remember one thing: Don’t be the Clouseau.

The Anatomy of a Scare

There are a couple reasons why we human beings are so addicted to horror films—but the thrill of a scare is definitely the most fun one.

That’s a thrill also on offer at Vancouver escape game Krakit. Not only are you put in a terrifying situation—a zombie apocalypse, a madman butcher on the loose—with limited time to save yourself, but live actors are prone to jump out at any minute.

All scare fans know and love that feeling: that mixture of dread and glee. Here’s how it works.

The Build Up

We step up to a scary movie or a horror-inspired escape game with some pre-existing knowledge: that is, we know something seriously creepy is going to happen. We don’t know when, we don’t know where, we just know that it will. The anticipation puts us on edge, just waiting for the moment when—

Something Happens

Though the build up is excruciatingly slow, the “something” is lighting quick. Whether it’s the sudden appearance of a menacing face in a window, the sudden cutting of the lights, or the sudden motion of something you didn’t even realize was in the room, it’s always, without fail, accompanied by a loud noise.

Involuntary Reaction

There’s always a noise, because that’s what jumpstarts your automatic nervous system, releasing a flash of fight-or-flight chemicals and making you jump involuntarily. Specifically, a loud noise activates something in our primal brain (aka the amygdala) called the Startle Circuit—which goes off with no conscious thought, taking you from “loud noise” to “spilled popcorn” in 50 milliseconds.

Giggle Fit

Because we know we’re ultimately safe—that the Krakit Butcher’s knife isn’t real—the next response is usually to laugh at ourselves. Once our lizard brain catches up and also realizes we’re not really in danger, the effects of the adrenaline pump we just received are reversed, slowing our heart rate—and preparing us for the next scare.

It’s Fluid Intelligence, My Dear Watson

You’ve only got a certain amount of time to beat an escape room (you get 45 minutes at Krakit’s Vancouver escape game) before the clock hits zero and the mission is failed—or conquered.

What are the skills that are going to put you on the winning side?

There are many factors that come into play when trying to crack an escape room, but one of the main ones is your big ol’ brain. In order to put together all the clues like a regular Sherlock and make a successful exit, you’ve got to use your noggin.

However, there are different types of thinking to consider, especially when you’re putting together your escape room team. Intelligence boils down to two main types: fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence.

Fluid intelligence is used to solve problems. It’s the ability to take on new bits of information (read: escape room clues), see patterns, make connections, and think abstractly. In short, fluid intelligence is the ability to think logically, and to use inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning means gathering different pieces of information until you’ve got a likely solution to your problem. Despite being famous for “the science of deduction,” induction is actually what Sherlock Holmes mostly uses—and what is most going to help you at your next outing to Krakit’s escape rooms.

While fluid intelligence is definitely going to be more useful as you’re trying to outwit zombies and evil madmen, you’re still going to need both fluid and crystallized intelligence to conquer an escape game.

Crystallized intelligence, in a nutshell, is knowledge. It’s the collection of facts in your brain: all those memorized song lyrics and facts about the lifecycle of a bean plant. Crystallized intelligence is what will set off your brain—ding, ding, ding!—when you need to know, say, a bit of literature to understand a clue.

Some people think that the Internet is making us lose our fluid intelligence, so actively trying to use it to combat the evil World Wide Web is a good thing. See? Krakit Escape Game is good for your health!