Mystery, Intrigue, and Cryptology: 5 Codebreaking Books/Films for Escape Game Fans

Inferno, the third installment of director Ron Howard’s film version of the wildly successful Da Vinci Code book series, is due to hit theatres in just a few weeks. As most everyone knows—due to the massive phenomenon that was Dan Brown’s first novel back in 2003—the series centres on symbologist and general code nerd Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks in the films.

This got us thinking about what other codes and ciphers have gotten audiences as excited about cryptology as we are here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game on an everyday basis.

While you’re waiting patiently for your codebreaking fix with Inferno (which is out October 28), here are five other book-to-film adaptations to check out in the meantime. Read the book, watch the movie—or do like us and do both. Plus don’t forget to try your own hand at cracking codes by playing an escape game.

1. Sherlock / The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Where would cryptology be in popular culture without Sherlock Holmes? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s no-nonsense detective has been cracking cases since 1887, when the first Sherlock novel, A Study in Scarlet, was published. And cryptology abounds in the BBC’s Sherlock series. For example, in the 2010 episode “The Blind Banker,” he and Watson investigate—and make cool—a cipher based on an ancient Chinese numeral system.

2. A Beautiful Mind

Like Inferno, A Beautiful Mind is directed by Ron Howard (the man must have a thing for intrigue). Unlike the Da Vinci Code series, however, this story is based on fact, not fiction: it narrativizes the life of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician and Nobel Laureate in Economics, whose obsession with patterns led him to cracking code for the Pentagon. Sylvia Nasar’s book, also called A Beautiful Mind, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

3. The Imitation Game / Alan Turing: The Enigma

Another true story of impressive mathematical feats, The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (aka Sherlock Holmes), is based on the biography of Alan Turing. The logician and his team at Bletchley Park were responsible for cracking one of the hardest codes ever known—the Enigma cipher—which helped to end WWII.

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Like The Da Vinci Code, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has proven as popular in film form as in book form. Though this series isn’t as completely focused on codebreaking as some of the other entries on this list are, a cipher plays an important role in the mystery the main characters, Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, must solve. In this case, they come in the form of extremely creepy encrypted Bible verses.

5. Zodiac

The director behind the US version of The Dragon Tattoo film, David Fincher, is also the man who took the story of cipher-loving serial murderer the Zodiac Killer to the big screen. Definitely one of the darkest cryptography-related stories out there, we recommend having a strong stomach when viewing or reading this one.

Book one of Krakit Vancouver Escape Game’s four themed escape rooms here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Halloween Escape Games: 11 Best Haunted House Films

Here it is: October—the most wonderful month of the year. While we at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game are no stranger to horror movie marathons, this month is for going all out on spooky flicks.

In honour of our Haunted House for the Halloween season (book online here—no lineup required!), we’ve put together a list of our favourite haunted house films.

Like our escape rooms, there’s something here for everyone, from kids to adults, from newbies to horror film freaks, and from unshakeable, unspookable stalwarts to those who will only watch from between their fingers.

First, the classics:

1. House on Haunted Hill (1959)

When someone offers you an obscene amount of money to stay in a haunted house, there’s probably a reason the reward is so large. Especially if the person asking is horror king Vincent Price. Remember to just say no.

2. House (1977)

In this Japanese cult classic, a girl and her six friends go on a trip to her aunt’s house in the countryside. It’s full of fun things like totally non-dangerous wells, clocks, pianos, and kitty cats.

3. Poltergeist (1982)

If you insist on putting a housing development on ancient burial grounds, you’re probably going to have a problem. Not least of all with your electricity and cabinetry, as it turns out.

Next up, the gore fests:

4. Thir13en Ghosts (2011)

The title alone lets you know that this is the silliest film on our list. But if you’re looking to be grossed out while you get your haunted house fix, the 13 incarcerated ghosts of this film will help you out with that.

5. Amityville Horror (2005)

Like Thir13en Ghosts, this Amityville Horror is a remake of an older film. But the remakes have much better special effects—and in this case, the added bonus of a shirtless Ryan Reynolds. A purportedly true tale of a family who moves into the site of a recent mass murder to find the killing isn’t quite over yet.

For those who like it a mite more psychological:

6. The Woman in Black (2012)

Blood and gore not your thing? The film version of the stage play of Woman in Black has tense moments galore, as a city lawyer travels to the countryside—and a massive old house—to escape his painful past. Unfortunately, he finds his future is actually to be a whole lot worse.

7. The Conjuring (2013)

Yet another purportedly real family has the misfortunate of moving into a rickety old house that holds a lot more than they bargained for. In this case, the family has the added bonus of encountering not just a ghost, but a ghost witch. Bad luck.

8. Stir of Echoes (1999)

This under-the-radar '90s thriller might just be the most psychologically tantalizing story on the list, as Kevin Bacon masterfully pulls us into his character’s unwinding as he becomes obsessed with one particular ghost—and one particular house—after being hypnotized.

And last but not least, for young and old alike:

9. Casper (1995)

Kids these days might not care who Christina Ricci and Devon Sawa are, but it’s not too late to teach them. Bonus points for cartoonish CGI that has stood the test of time.

10. Monster House (2006)

Like the eponymous house itself, this film is somewhere between a haunted house film and a monster flick—but it’s such a good time we’ve added it to the list anyway. Three teens set out to prove that the house next door is a-a-a-live!!

11. Beetlejuice (1988)

This entry on our haunted house list should be self-explanatory, but in case not:



Book your slot at Krakit Escape Game’s Vancouver haunted house—on for the Halloween season only—here: http://bookeo.com/krakit

Haunted Escape Rooms: Top 5 Things Every Haunted House Must Have

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—at least according to us at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game. When the nights grow longer than the days, that means one thing: more time for creepy crawlies and spooky ghouls to do their thing. Namely, scaring us human types.

To celebrate the fall season and the approach of Halloween, we’re making one of our escape rooms into a full-fledged haunted house experience. So not only do you need to use your brain to solve the puzzles and escape the room, you also need to watch your back, because you never know who—or what—might be lurking, just out of sight ...

As every horror fan knows, there are certain elements that every haunted house needs, especially these five.

5. Ambience

Dry ice? Spooky music? Low lighting? A chilling draft coming from somewhere unidentifiable? That’s all part of building the truly eerie haunted house experience. If your haunted house doesn’t have at least one element that raises your hackles before the experience even begins, they’re not doing it right.

4. Loud and sudden noises

There’s nothing more frightening than walking around a darkened and silent room when—bang!—there comes a sudden pounding from the other side of the door. This incredibly vital haunted house element is a big part of the next item on our list ...

3. The jump scare

The jump scare is a staple of horror cinema—and Krakit’s haunted house-inspired escape game, too, of course. These all-important rushes of adrenaline come courtesy of sudden loud noises and the unexpected emergence of a masked menace from a corner you previously thought empty.

Remember: no haunted room can be called complete without at least one live actor to scare the bejeesus out of you when you least expect it.

2. Perfect timing

You’ve got your horror-soaked ambience, you’ve got your Method actor going mad in the break room, just waiting to drag their fingernails across an unsuspecting guest’s back—what else do you need? Absolutely perfect timing.

The best haunted houses have a perfect tension between empty moments that build the tension and all-too-sudden events that make your heart pound.

1. A good story

Everything else won’t work the way it’s supposed to if there’s not a good narrative to go along with it. More than anything, haunted houses—and escape rooms, too—are about engaging the imagination. An immersive story to get you hooked from the get-go will make every shadow deeper, every noise louder, and every sudden scare that much more heart pounding. Accept no imitations this Halloween.

Above is just a little of what you can expect when you book your haunted house escape game with us here in Greater Vancouver. Grab a slot here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Under Pressure: Timed Escape Games and the Benefits of Stress

Out here on the West Coast of British Columbia, we like to think of ourselves as people who live a relaxed, go-with-the-flow lifestyle. But maybe sometimes we take things a little too easy.

As it turns out, a bit of stress can actually be a good thing. And in the controlled environment of a Vancouver escape game, it can be a fantastic thing.

There’s nothing to get those brain cogs turning like knowing a clock is quickly ticking down to your ultimate failure or success.

1. Healthy pressure makes us accomplish more

Although the phrase “I strive under pressure” sounds like something made up just to impress at job interviews, it’s actually true.

Quite simply, when we’re under the gun—like have 45 minutes on the clock and a mad doctor waiting to lobotomize us—we’re more likely to really, really, really try to accomplish the task at hand. In the case of escape games, pressure pushes us to make our way through all the puzzles and unlock the last lock that leads to freedom.

2. Low-level stress makes our brains work better

No, really. When you’re stressed (but not too stressed), your brain will pump out more chemicals called neurotrophins. These work to strengthen the connections between neurons in your brain, meaning you will start to sort out all of those escape game puzzles a lot faster.

Basically, what this means is that the time limit we place on you at Krait Vancouver Escape Game only really helps you to win. So, you’re welcome.

3. Dealing with pressure makes you more resilient

The more you put yourself in situations that are a little stressful, the better you will be able to cope with the next one.

So instead of that super calm, uber relaxing yoga retreat deep in the forest, perhaps the best way to deal with real-world pressure is to exercise your stress reflexes within the controlled (and fun!) stress of an escape game. Maybe even a weekly regimen is in order!

See how well you do under the gun at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game in our brand new Wonderland Room. Book here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Escape Game History: The Art and Science of Cryptography

When you play escape rooms, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter a cryptography-based puzzle. Cryptography is the art of writing and solving codes—so you can see why it’s a favourite tool for the creators of escape games.

Although people have been writing codes to protect their secrets for literally thousands of years, cryptography as a science has only been around for about a century. That’s because it really took off during the World Wars. With a vast network of telephones and telegraphs and even carrier pigeons encircling the world, code writing suddenly took on global proportions during the Wars.

But we’re jumping ahead.

The first known use of a code goes way back, right to the ancient Egyptians and the tomb of the nobleman Khnumhotep II. Written around 1900 BCE in hieroglyphs (which proved to be their own code for Egyptologists to crack!), this burial script features symbols that don’t appear anywhere else in the language—intentionally obscuring the message.

The first use of encryption to deliver messages, however, is attributed to a man famous for many things: Caesar. The army general used a simple substitution cipher to send encrypted messages to his top men at the front. Known as the Casear cipher, this code shifts the letters of the alphabet over three, so “A” is written as “D” and “B” as “E” and so on.

It’s not the toughest code to crack, is it? That’s why, when electricity started making automated codes easier, there arose intensely complicated ciphers, such as the famous Enigma code of WWII. Any cipher becomes a race between the codemaker and the codebreaker, and in the case of war, crypotography plays a life and death role.

Information sent through wires continues to be encrypted (including the messages you send from your computer), making cryptography a daily part of our modern lives—and not just when we’re playing an escape room.

However, remember that escape games don’t take a degree in cryptography to crack. Any single puzzle definitely isn’t meant to take up all of your time, so if it’s starting to do that, you’re probably overthinking it. More than likely, the puzzle is of the Caesar variety rather than the Enigma.

Try your hand at the codebreaking at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game by booking a spot here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

3 Reasons Lewis Carroll Would’ve Loved Escape Games

Lewis Carroll, self-portrait, c. 1856

While he was born into the world as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, history—and generations upon generations of children—knows him best as Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was released into the world in 1865, followed six years later by the sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.

And ever since then, Wonderland and its cast of characters have been a part of our world.

This includes us at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game: we’ve found inspiration in the fascinating world Carroll created for our latest escape room: the Wonderland Room.

Not only does Alice’s journey down the rabbit hole and her bid for escape make a great escape room theme, but we have a sneaking suspicion Carroll would’ve been a master of escape himself, if he had lived to take part in the escape phenomenon.

1. He was a polymath

Though he’s best known for his two books about Alice and her Wonderland, Carroll was also a mathematician, a logician, a photographer, and a deacon. Phew! With a wide knowledge base like that, Carroll would have a good chance at answering any trivia question thrown at him.

2. He loved riddles

To make your way out of an escape room in the allotted time—at Krakit, you have 45 minutes—you’re going to encounter a riddle or two or three. Wonderland is positively riddled with riddles, and, as it turns out, Carroll is responsible for one of the most famous head scratchers around: “Why a raven is like a writing desk?”

3. He had serious imagination

The most important ingredient of an escape game whiz? Great imagination. While logic and linear thinking are great assets in an escape room, the ability to get creative and think way outside the box is what will inevitably get you the win.http://www.krakit.ca/

Fall down the rabbit hole and into our Wonderland Vancouver escape room by booking a spot for you and your pals here. (Costumes optional!)

Once Upon an Escape Game: 3 Modern Fairy Tales that Should Definitely Be Escape Rooms

Technically, a fairy tale should come from a folk tale and be so old we’re definitely not sure who the “original author” was. But who needs technicalities!

Here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game, we think any good story that has a little bit of magic and a whole lot of delight for both kids and adults is worthy of being called a fairy tale. We refuse to discriminate against recently written stories—especially when they’d make top-notch escape games, like our three faves below.

1. Alice in Wonderland

Has there ever been anyone more desperate to escape their situation than poor Alice? Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s tale sees Alice thrown into all sorts of bizarre situations that take some serious wits to escape, along with a riddle-spewing Cheshire Cat to throw spanners into the works.

Could you get out of Alice’s mind-altering Wonderland in 45 minutes or less? Because we’re not so sure.

2. The Princess Bride

Whether it’s Wesley trying to escape the torture dungeon of his true love’s soon-to-be husband or Princess Buttercup trying to flee from her captors (and the shrieking eels), The Princess Bride is all about daring escapes. Really, you could do an entire escape game themed solely on the Fire Swamp and those dastardly ROUS’s.

3. Spirited Away

The most recently written fairy tale we’d like to see turned into an escape room is Hayao Miyazaki’s modern masterpiece Spirited Away. Like Alice, Chihiro finds herself engulfed in a strange and unusual world full of tasks she must complete to get herself and her parents home to the real world. And a Spirited Away escape game wouldn’t be lacking in great visuals, that’s for definite.

Fall down the rabbit hole of our Vancouver escape game by booking here: http://bookeo.com/krakit. Our Alice in Wonderland escape room opens Wednesday, August 31!

Once Upon an Escape Game: 3 Classic Fairy Tales that Should Definitely Be Escape Rooms

Hansel and Gretel ... Once upon an escape game (Illustration: Alexander Zick)

If there’s one thing that every fairy tale is good at, it’s helping us to escape. Because who needs reality when you can have gnomes and never-ending childhood and talking gingerbread men?

While we at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game often visit the darker regions of our brains to come up with our eerie escape room themes, we’ve also got soft sides too. To prove it, here’s our the top three classic fairy tales we’d like to see made into escape games.

Beauty and the Beast

One of the classic tales of incarceration, ain’t it. Boy meets girl, girl meets Beast, girl meets Beast’s custom-built jail cell. Ultimately though, both players in this escape story triumph (what with finding true love and all), which makes for a nice change of pace from the ending of our Zombie Apocalypse room.

The Princess and the Pea

Imagine the confusion on the escape gamers faces when they enter the room to find nothing but a stack of mattresses. A scaled-back escape room like Princess and the Pea would offer opportunity for some seriously inventive clues. Plus, watching participants search for something as tiny as a pea would be highly entertaining for the escape game master.

Hansel and Gretel

If there’s anything that will provide more motivation to solve an escape game than a cannibalistic, candy-loving witch, we can’t think of it. Also, imagine all the fun clues you could plant in a Hansel and Gretel-themed escape game: jellybean counts that lead to lock combinations, maps made to look like chocolate box selection cards, and a whole lotta sour keys (wonder if they make sour locks ...).

Got any other escape game themes you’d like to see, Vancouver? If so, you’re always welcome to drop us a line and pitch the idea here.

In the meantime, book a go in one of the four current themes at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Escape Games: The Legend That Is Frank Abagnale Jr.

Escape Games:
The Legendary Frank Abagnale Jr

What’s more impressive than outsmarting law enforcement—time and time again—through nothing but your own fast thinking? Being that quick on your feet when you’re just fifteen years old.

We’re sure that solving escape games are no tough feat for Frank Abagnale Jr., who, although he is now a trusted American security consultant, is best known for his time as a teenage con.

Despite his criminal career ending at the tender age of 21, Abagnale remains one of the most famous imposters in history. He took on eight different identities—from airline pilot to medical doctor to lawyer—before he was arrested. Made famous in the movie Catch Me If You Can, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Abagnale’s tale of hijinks and narrow escapes is one of those true stories that most definitely is stranger than fiction.

Not only did he—as a teenager—work in a hospital for nearly a year in addition to clocking upwards of a million miles on commercial flights, he also managed to escape police not once, but twice.

His first escape from the authorities happened on a runway at JFK, where he scaled a fence and went by rail to Montreal. Unfortunately for him, a Mountie recognized him and sent him back into US custody. Abagnale’s second escape happened from within a prison—by convincing them he was an undercover police officer.

Ah, must be nice to be blessed with a platinum tongue.

Abagnale’s legendary con streak eventually came to a close in 1969, when he was incarcerated for five years. These days, at the age of 68, Abagnale works for the authorities, as a security consult who stops the kinds of crook he used to be. (You can read more about his current work in this recent TechCrunch article.)



Though we at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game certainly don’t commend criminality, we can’t help but be impressed by Abagnale’s extreme quick-thinking confidence and aptitude for escape.

Test out your own wits by attempting to break free of one of Krakit’s four themed escape games. Book here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

5 Locks You Don’t Want to See in an Escape Room

Escape rooms and padlocks go together like peas and carrots (CC BY 3.0)

One of the major features of an escape room is solving clues that will either lead you to a key or provide the code to open a lock. Solve enough puzzles and open enough locks, and you might just win your freedom.

Being such an essential part of play, you should fear any escape game that uses locks beyond the regular padlock or keypad lock. Keep your eyes peeled for these.

1. The Houdini Dead Lock

You might’ve guessed it from the name, but this lock has a few tricks up its sleeves. The Houdini Dead Lock may look like a simple padlock, but this puzzle lock is anything but. If you come across one of these in an escape room, you’ll probably use up all your time just trying to figure out how to get it to pop.

2. The Android Pattern Lock

Sure, they may look cute on your smartphone, but could you imagine trying to crack one of these while under the pressure of an escape game countdown, with zombies clawing on the other side of the door? Using just nine dots, the Android Pattern Lock has 389,112 possible combinations. Yikes.

3. The Lunatic Lock

Looks like a lock, walks like a lock, doesn’t talk like a lock. The Lunatic Lock is another that on first glance looks like any regular old padlock—but once you look closer, you realize there’s no spot for a key to go. Repeat: NO KEYHOLE! This one would keep your escape room all tied up, for sure.

4. A Musical Lock

While this type of lock—which requires the correct musical tones to open it—might not be uncrackable, it would mean you have to do a little acapella for your escape room team. If we had one of these at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game, it’d probably be set to Meatloaf’s “I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That).” So, watch out.

5. An Iris Scanner

If you encounter any escape room that features an iris scanner—run, don’t walk. You really don’t want to have to deal with any Minority Report-esque enucleation situations on your Friday night out.

See how many locks you can pop at Krakit Vancouver Escape Room by booking a game 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.

Escape Games Go Wild: 5 Craziest Animal Escapes

Think escape games are only for clever human types? Think again! Animals are masters of the genre, and as long as we humans have been putting them into corporals and cages, they’ve been—well—escaping them.

For their daring, ingenuity, and sheer determination, we have no doubt the animal escape artists listed below could crack any one of our Vancouver escape rooms.

5. A Mob of Emus in Texas

Emus are native to Australia, which means they don’t really belong in Texas—and they most definitely don’t belong in the suburbs. That didn’t stop four emus from making a break for it in Round Rock, Texas, in October of last year.

Emmitt, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were eventually apprehended by slightly amused police (who filmed the entire thing) and were returned to their owner’s garden.

4. The Toronto IKEA Monkey

How did he get out of his owner’s car? Does he know how to work locks? Did he choose that coat himself? We may never know, but the Toronto IKEA monkey—aka Darwin—will forever remain in our hearts for his totally relaxed and casual approach to escape. Darwin now lives in an animal sanctuary, and probably has no further plans to go on the lam.

3. The Calgary Zoo Hippos

The most terrifying animal escape on the list is definitely the hippos who managed to slip out of their enclosure at the Calgary Zoo, thanks to rising flood waters in 2013. Luckily, that’s as far as they got on their unexpected escape run, though they were in danger of making a clear break into the nearby Elbow River.

2. The Swiss Elephant

Perhaps even more strange than emus in Texas is an elephant in the Alps. Back in 2010, the 10-foot tall elephant Sabu made a break for it from his circus handlers, spending two hours calmly wandering around the city, taking in the sites. Sabu was calm through the entire jaunt, and there was no recorded damage.

1. Evelyn and Jim take LA

The Los Angeles Zoo had to take serious measures to keep tabs on Evelyn and Jim, a pair of gorillas. The clever escape masterminds broke out of their enclosure not once, not twice, but five times—that we know of—using teamwork to make their multiple breaks.

While there might not be any animals at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game (except maybe the occasional werewolf), they’re still plenty of fun to play. Book here: http://bookeo.com/krakit

Can’t Escape the Mystery: The Shugborough Inscription

The Shugborough Inscription -- Krakit Vancouver Escape Game

We’re willing to bet that most escape game fans are also big mystery fans—we know all of us here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game sure are. And what’s better than a mystery? A real-life mystery. Especially one that involves ciphers, shepherds, a famous artist, and an even more famous scientist.

In the relatively unassuming county of Staffordshire in the English Midlands, there stands a Shepherd’s Monument from the eighteenth century. The sculpture at its centre is an adaptation of the painting The Shepherds of Arcadia by the famous Baroque artist Nicolas Poussin. But that’s not what’s most interesting about the monument.

Beneath the sculptural relief, there is a sequence of eight letters—O U O S V A V V—positioned between two more: D and M.

Photo: Edward Wood (CC BY-SA 3.0)

For more than 250 years, the meaning of these letters—this cipher—has been a mystery.

While some people are convinced these letters are nothing more than old-school graffiti (chiseled very finely, we might add!), other, greater minds have taken the code more seriously. Among the would-be codebreakers who have visited the Shugborough Monument are Charles Darwin and Charles Dickens—neither of whom was able to figure out what exactly the Anson brothers, who commissioned its creation, were trying to say.

Along with the mysterious cipher, there are a few other clues to deepen the mystery. A handful of details from Poussin’s original painting have been changed for the sculpture, including the addition of two faces, one of which appears to be the horned god Pan, and—get this—an extra sarcophagus. Weird, to say the least.

However, even with these extra clues, it appears there is no escape from the mystery of the Shugborough Inscription. It remains unsolved, making it one of the world’s greatest enigmas.

Although some of the mysteries at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game are hard, rest assured they are at least designed to be solved! Test out your codebreaking skills by booking a spot for you and your friends here: http://bookeo.com/krakit

Escape, Murder, Sleepaway Camp: Top 5 Summer Horror Films

Don't let that scenery fool you—camping is far from peaceful

Summer is the best time for horror films. Or at least that’s how we feel here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game. In summertime, everyone is free and easy, and even people who aren’t usually up for a scary movie will watch one when the sun stays up until 9 pm.

Not only is summer the best time to watch tales of escape, murder, and sleepaway camp, but it’s also one of the classic horror film settings. It’s probably for the same reasons we listed above: everyone is free and easy—making the appearance of a decidedly uptight murderous maniac all the more unexpected.

1. Jaws (1975)

With one simple line, Steven Spielberg ruined summer for millions of kids: “Don’t go in the water.” The beachgoers in Jaws likewise have their summer ruined, when the resort town they’re all hyped to be at turns out to have a monstrous man-eating shark trawling its pristine waters. Oh well, there’s always next summer.

2. Friday the 13th (1980)

Arguably the most iconic summer-themed horror film, with little (or not so little) Jason Voorhees unable to leave the grounds of Camp Crystal Lake after tragically drowning there. His mother doesn’t help the situation either, making sure Jason’s death is never resolved thanks to her murderous rampage on the camp counsellors.

3. Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Playing on the success of Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp has a similar premise to its predecessor, with one crucial difference: this time it’s a girl who is bullied at camp! Or—is it? Bizarre moments and plot twists abound in Robert Hiltzik’s film, making it a cult favourite.

4. Cabin in the Woods (2012)

In the more recent Cabin in the Woods, an unsuspecting group of friends is heading for a—you guessed it—fun and carefree camping trip. Unlucky for them, the summer horror film is by now a well-studied phenomenon, with the bizarre moments dialed up to 11 by a team of experts. Unfortunately, this means their chances of escape aren’t looking good.

5. The Final Girls (2015)

By now, the summer-themed horror film has developed into pure parody, as seen with 2015’s The Final Girls. Though escape and murder are still on the menu, the top priority here is comedy. After falling through a cinema screen into a Friday the 13th-esque horror film set at Camp Bloodbath, a group of friends must figure out a way to dodge the murderous maniac and also somehow get back to reality.



Try your luck with Krakit Vancouver Escape Game’s own homicidal maniacs in our Saw or Asylum escape rooms. Book a slot 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.

The Ultimate Escape Challenge: Alcatraz’s Most Infamous Prison Breaks

Alcatraz—the ultimate escape room?

The island prison in San Francisco Bay imprisoned some of America’s most notorious criminals during its 29 years of operation. A great deal of them were mobsters, many of them were murderers, and all of them were tougher and scarier than any of the spooky characters that haunt the halls of Krakit Vancouver Escape Game.

While the most famous men to ever have the misfortune to sleep within its walls are undoubtedly Al Capone, James “Whitey” Bulger, and Robert Stroud, aka the Birdman of Alcatraz, they also have something else in common—they never attempted to escape Alcatraz.

That distinction belongs to just 36 of Alcatraz’s inmates. Here are the most notorious of the bunch.

Clarence “The Choctaw Kid” Carnes

Alcatraz’s youngest ever inmate was also involved in one of its most notorious inmate-guard standoffs, known as the Battle of Alcatraz. Clarence Carnes and several other prisoners seized weapons and held guards captive in their attempt to escape. It went horribly wrong, resulting in the death of three prisoners and two guards.

Frank Morris

Immortalized in the film Escape from Alcatraz and played by Clint Eastwood, Frank Morris was the mastermind behind arguably one of the most notorious prison breaks in history. He and two other inmates literally used a spoon to help dig their way to freedom, which in itself is impressive enough. The trio was never tracked down, but it’s unclear whether they perished in the Bay or made it out alive, possibly to Brazil.

Arthur “Doc” Barker

Though held in Alcatraz’s most secure unit—D-Block—Doc Baker and four other inmates managed to escape the prison and reach the island’s shore, where they began constructing a makeshift raft. The escape was foiled when the guards spotted them and, after Barker refused to surrender, opened fire, killing him and wounding one other.

John Paul Scott

John Paul Scott has the sole distinction of being the only Alcatraz escapee to make it to the San Francisco shore by swimming. He was also one of the last prisoners to escape from the infamous jail, along with Darl Lee Parker, after cutting through bars with a makeshift saw. Both were captured and re-incarcerated shortly after escaping.

How to Build the Perfect Escape Room Team

There’s no one right way to put together a team for your experience at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game. But after seeing hundreds of folks pass through our halls—some more successful, others less so—we’ve got a good handle on what makes for a crack escape room team.

Since the game play requires a lot of different skills, a diverse team is where it’s at. A group of people with different knowledge, different experiences, and different areas of expertise will be able to come at a room from all possible angles.

Here are some of the key players you’ll want to consider.

Someone to take the lead

This player has no problem delegating, and knows the best strengths of each member of their team. More than anything, this person gets everyone to put on their “game face” and keeps motivation up.

Someone to think out of the box

Escape games require many different types of knowledge, so having someone on your squad who can see what others might miss is always a bonus.

Someone to calm down and refocus everyone

Hey. Things can get a little hectic when the clock is ticking down, you’re out of hints, and the bad guy is banging on the door. This team member is good at pulling everyone back to the task at hand, while also settling nerves.

Someone who’s really hands-on

Although an escape room is about using your brain, there’s still a physical aspect to it. Every team needs someone who will investigate every nook and cranny, looking for the clues that everyone will then piece together to win freedom.

Someone with an organizational brain

When you’re uncovering clues left, right, and centre, someone who is good of taking stock of everything laid out before them and mentally rearranging it into a logical solution will always be an asset.

Someone to lighten the mood

Every class needs a clown, and an escape room is no exception. When stress levels get a little too high, it’s good to be reminded that is, after all, just a game. Which means it’s supposed to be fun!

At Krakit Escape Game, our rooms have a maximum of between six and eight players. Find a slot for your crack team here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Right Twists and Wrong Turns: Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth” Turns 30

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: this month, the ever-popular film Labyrinth turns 30 years old. Unsurprisingly, it’s an old favourite with the folks here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game.

Starring a very young Jennifer Connelly, the film follows the somewhat tempestuous teenager Sarah as she attempts to rescue her brother back from Jareth, the Goblin King (the unforgettable, late, great David Bowie)—who she sort of accidentally maybe gave her baby brother away to.

It’s hard to say what’s most memorable about the film. Is it Sarah’s insanely gigantic ball gown, the Goblin King’s many song and dance numbers, or perhaps the image of one dog using another dog as his steed? When it comes down to it, it’s really the Labyrinth itself that sticks in the brain: the sprawling, constantly changing, dangerous and tricksy maze that dominates the entire story.

Here are some of the best wrong turns the Labyrinth has to offer.

The Oubliette

Though she just wants to get away from the creepy hands that compose the walls of the hole she has fallen into, Sarah never should have instructed them to send her downwards.

The Fireys’ Forest

After she becomes separate from her gigantic furry friend Ludo, Sarah unfortunately runs into the domain of the Fireys, who are convinced her head can come off just as easily as theirs.

The Bog of Eternal Stench

An act of kindness—kissing her reluctant helper Hoggle after he saves her—lands Sarah and company quite suddenly in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Luckily, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius are there to help them get back on track.

The Junk Yard

For a split second, Sarah gets to think her experience in the Labyrinth has all been a dream. Until the walls of her room come crashing down, and she realizes she is, in fact, in the middle of a trash heap.

The Escher Staircases

It all comes to a head when Sarah finally confronts Jareth in his castle—and finds herself in a vertigo-inducing mishmash of staircases straight out of an M.C. Escher drawing.



Love labyrinths as much as we do? Check out this previous post on real-life labyrinths and mazes before booking your own escape adventure at one of our four escape rooms, here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Woods, Cubes, and Hills: 5 Best Canadian Escape Thrillers

Canada is kind of a scary place. No—really. We’re not all polite mounties and adorable moose. Our country is vast, and full of dark corners. This place is mysterious! All you have to do is look at Canada’s film legacy to know that our countrymen have got a seriously dark edge—and a fear of getting stuck in any number of terrible situations.

Have you seen The Revenant? Sure, it’s not set in Canada, but we all know it is Canada (Kananaskis Country in Alberta and Squamish, BC, to be exact). Need we say more? It’s a scary place.

In fact, this entire country could be considered an escape game, given the right situation. Whether thriller, horror, or drama, the Canadian films below certainly have escape on the mind. It’s simply an anxiety that comes with living in a sprawling, unknowable, unpredictable country.

Krakit’s Five Favourite Canadian Escape Thrillers

1. Cube (1997)

What began as a Canadian Film Centre First Feature Project has turned into one of sci-fi’s most beloved cult films. Six strangers wake up in a maze made of a series of interconnecting cubes. Unfortunately, some of the cubes are death traps just waiting for some unlucky soul to crawl into their centres.

2. Backcountry (2014)

Here is Canada in all its glory: the great outdoors. But in this case, the outdoors ain’t so great. Two campers—who come from the city, of course—get lost in one Canada’s many provincial parks. Unfortunately, the bear that’s tracking them knows the woods a whole lot better than they do. Even better: Montreal-born director Adam MacDonald based his film on a true story.

3. Silent Hill (2006)

The video game may not be Canadian, but the creepy, nightmare-inducing film version is the work of Flin Flon’s own Roger Avary (who also works a lot with Quentin Tarantino). In the search for her daughter, a woman enters the deserted town of Silent Hill—then finds herself desperately trying to escape it.

4. The Captive (2014)

Vancouver-born Ryan Reynolds—currently the darling of both Hollywood and the Internet in general—stars in fellow Canadian Atom Egoyan’s recent crime drama. A little girl goes missing, locked up against her will and unable to escape. It’s eight years later, and her father, Matthew (Reynolds), begins to experience strange events that suggest she’s still alive.

5. Prisoners (2013)

Celebrated Quebec director Denis Villeneuve helms this offbeat thriller, which sees a troubled cop (Jake Gyllenhaal) and an anguished father (Hugh Jackman) go head-to-head as they try to track down the man’s missing daughter and her friend. Things quickly spiral out of control as desperate men take desperate measures. This film is not advised for people afraid of small spaces.


Book your own escape thriller in one of Krakit Vancouver Escape Game's four themed rooms, here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Summer in the City: Best Summer Group Activities in Vancouver

It’s no secret that Vancouver is a great place to live. But there is one time of year when it really shines, and that is summer. The mountains, the ocean, the parks, and more fun activities than a person knows what to do with—it’s really just the best.

It’s easy to hide away when the winter rains are falling, but now that June is here, it’s definitely time to get back out there. Because summer is for spending as many sunshine hours out and about with friends as possible.

Here are just some of the best activities Van City offers in summertime.

Thom Quine (CC BY 2.0)

Craft Beer Bike Tours

Craft beer? Check. Bicycles? Check. A tour guide to make sure you don’t cycle into traffic before you reach the last brewery? Check. Sprinkle in a handful of your besties, and you’ve got a recipe for some serious summer memories.

Find out more here.

Evo Summer Cinema

The outdoor cinema screenings are now a fixture of Vancouver’s summers, with outdoor theatres set up everywhere from Richmond to Stanley Park. With a mix of recent flicks and retro classics, the ability to bring your own snacks, and the great outdoors, what’s not to love?

Going with a group of friends makes the screenings the most fun, as you can all bunch together as the temperature dips and, just as importantly, take turns being human furniture once that blanket starts feeling a little too thin.

The 2016 lineup will be announced here.

Krakit Escape Game

One of the best things about summer is the fact that the sun stays up nearly as long as you do. Krakit Escape Game is open late into the night (the last games start at midnight), helping you to stretch your summer calendar as much as possible. Groups of up to eight pals can work together to solve the room, before time’s up.

Book one of four themed escape rooms here.

River Tubing in North Van

There’s nothing like a long, slow tube down the Capilano River. Some tubes, some lifejackets and paddles, and a half-day’s worth of “refreshments” make for a relaxing float down the river with a group of buddies. There are some rough patches though, so make sure you don’t bring too many refreshments.

More details here.

Cracking Horror-Themed Escape Rooms: The Benefits of Fear

Though not all of our rooms at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game have a hair-raising theme, you’ll notice we do have a taste for the horror-esque. Beyond being fans of horror films and spooky thrills, we use scary scenarios for our escape rooms because it adds to the challenge—and excitement—of the game.

In addition to pumping more of those fun, fun endorphins into your bloodstream, here are a few other benefits that our horror-themed escape games bring.

1. The ante is upped

Quite simply, the added pressure of escaping from the clutches of a madman or a horde of zombies ups the ante. Even though you know its not real, psychologically you’ll be much more motivated to save you and your team mates from certain death than you are to solve a scenario with lower stakes.

2. Fear is good for you

There’s nothing that will give you focus like a good dose of fear. It helps you to zero in on what’s important, which is a huge benefit when it comes to the basic goals of an escape game. With the shot of adrenaline that comes from the sound of zombie fingernails scraping on the other side of the door, quickly assessing the clues in the room and piecing them together will be your only interest.

3. Stress is your friend

Any escape game scenario is going to be a little bit stressful: all it takes for most of us to develop sweat on our brow is the knowledge that there is a clock ticking down the seconds until we’re deemed either a success or a failure. Add the knowledge that a chemical lobotomy also awaits at the end of the countdown, and badda-boom: you’re doubly stressed.

We know what you’re thinking: Why would I want to be even more stressed?! Because, friends, stress can actually boost brainpower and stimulate your drive to succeed. Not a bad trade off!

An escape room with a scary scenario, besides being extra fun for horror fans, actually puts you in conditions that will make you your best puzzle-solving you: focused, motivated, brain boosted.

Despite all this talk of the benefits of fear and stress, please do remember that an escape game

is meant to test your wits, not your ability to be in small or confined spaces. It’s a puzzle room, not a claustrophobia challenge!

Book your next go-round with our zombies or asylum here: http://bookeo.com/krakit

#AlbertaStrong: Krakit Escape Room Supports Fort McMurray

As the fire that has consumed much of Fort McMurray continues to burn, Krakit Escape Room, like much of the country, continues to follow the story of the thousands of people that have been misplaced.

This Monday (May 16, 2016), Krakit will donate 20 percent of all ticket sales collected in the previous week to the Red Cross’s Fort McMurray appeal. Krakit Escape Room thanks all of its players for their contributions to the donation. To make a further cash contribution, visit the Red Cross here: www.redcross.ca/fort-mcmurray-fires‎.

Although the fire has begun to move away from the town and into wildland, the journey for Fort Mac’s people is still just beginning. As the evacuees face massive questions like how to start anew in a different place, how to jump into new careers, and how to salvage the infrastructure of an entire town, Krakit joins millions of other Canadians in helping to provide the funds for the more concrete task of replacing lost homes, vehicles, and possessions.

In addition to making cash donations, small Canadian businesses across Canada have been finding other, inventive approaches to helping the folks from Fort Mac out. Here are just a few:

• Anyone who lost their prescription glasses to the fire can get a replacement pair from Urban Vision and Optometrists in Edmonton.
• Also from Edmonton comes one of the most inventive approaches to keeping Fort Mac spirits up: a strip club is offering free lap dances to evacuees.
• Celiac sufferers can go to Kinnikinnick Fresh for a $50 voucher for gluten-free food.
• As the fire has come at the end of the school year, hair stylist Lisa Byrne of Newfoundland has collected hundreds of prom dresses to ship to graduates in Alberta.
• Everyone across the country can by a “Fort Mac Strong” or “Alberta Strong” pillow from Lethbridge-based company Décor Out The Door, with 100 percent of profits going to the cause.

Krakit Vancouver Escape Room challenges all other small businesses, especially those in the Lower Mainland, to pitch in for the people of Fort Mac, who will continue to need our support for months to come.

The Perks of an Escape Room Date

The modern-day dating scene is a lot different than it once was. Whether you met your new special someone online, via an app, or the old-fashioned way, the goal is still the same: two people connecting.

But while cell phones have made communication easier and lightning quick, there’s still no substitute for face-to-face interaction—something that millennials are well aware of, of course. The “real world experience” that escape games offer is one of the major reasons they’re so popular—and one of the major reasons it makes an escape room the perfect place for a date.

You and your date actually have to talk.

Unlike a going out to a movie or attending a concert, this is one real world experience that you can’t get through silently. If you don’t start communicating immediately—and effectively—then you might not escape the clutches of the evil genius that haunts our Saw-themed escape game. And that, my friends, would be a crying shame.

You can see how well you work together.

Although it’s probably a tall order for a first date, an escape room with a newish beau or beau-ette can help you figure out whether you gel as a team. As we all know, relationships are ultimately about partnership, so testing those waters early on is never a bad idea. Plus, escape rooms are mighty fun—which is never a bad thing either.

You can dazzle your date with your intellect.

There aren’t too many dating activities out there that give you a chance to show off your brain muscles without seeming like a know-it-all. An escape game is the perfect way to let the new person in your life know you’re not just super suave and good looking and uber funny—you’re also a brainiac. Or—on the off-chance the escape game prevails and you don’t win the evening—you can at least show off your “good sport” skills.

Book two slots at one of our Vancouver escape games here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Modern-Day Escapologists and the Legacy of Harry Houdini

If you’re anything like us at Krakit Vancouver Escape Room, then you’re plenty excited for the new Houdini & Doyle TV show. A grand mixture of Sherlock, illusion, and the supernatural, the series is right up our escape-room alley.

Even though it’s been nearly a century since his death, Harry Houdini still continues to dominate the world of escapology. Although Houdini, and his impressive list of illusions and escape stunts, cast a mighty big shadow over the genre, most escape artists embrace the legendary illusionist, often making nods to him in their shows.

While you may not be able to use the tricks of an escapologist to break out of escape rooms (remember: physical strength is never needed to solve an escape game!), we can all take inspiration from their tactics.

Dorothy Dietrich

Dorothy Dietrich (b. 1969) was the first woman to gain fame as an escape artist and has been called “the Female Houdini.” In addition to her straitjacket escapes (hanging from a burning rope, no less!), Dietrich has also paid homage to Houdini through her Houdini Seances, which she holds each Halloween—the date of the master escapologist’s death. She also regularly performs at the Houdini Museum in Pennsylvania.

Doug Henning

Born in Winnipeg, Doug Henning (1947–2000) was a multitalented man: on top of being an illusionist and escape artist, he was also a politician (no comment on their relatedness). He performed his first magic show at age 14, and went on to study psychology before becoming a professional illusionist. Henning took a page directly out of Harry Houdini’s book when he performed the Water Torture Escape live on television, to an audience of more than 50 million viewers.

Criss Angel

Although perhaps best known for his street magic and television show Mindfreak, Criss Angel (b. 1967) is also one of today’s top escapologists. He’s performed several escape stunts live on television, including the Houdini Death Escape, which had him escape from a straitjacket while hanging upside-down in midair. As a reminder that we shouldn’t try this stuff at home, Angel also once had to rescue a fellow magician, Spencer Horsman, from a water-tank escape trick gone wrong.

Gopinath Muthukad

This India-born escapologist and magician—otherwise known as “India’s Houdini”—performs with a goal loftier than gaining television viewers. With a motto of “Magic with a Mission,” Gopinath Muthukad (b. 1964) uses his feats to spread messages of peace, including spreading anti-terrorism and the ideals of Gandhi. Although he failed to complete his Propeller Escape in 2002, Muthukad tried, tried again in 2012, and wowed fans with his successful mid-air escape.

Feel the thrill of escape by booking a game at one of our four escape games, located next to Lougheed SkyTrain station, here: http://www.krakit.ca/book-now.php.

Ingenuity, Charm, and Mystery: The Greatest Codes in History

The history of codebreaking isn’t just filled with mathematics and ciphers. And neither is it populated only by spies in trenchcoats and trilby hats. It also involves a whole lot of ingenuity, charm, and surprise—and even a whole bunch of regular, non-spy folks, who just happen to have a thing for brainy puzzles (much like us here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game!).

Below we look at some of the most fascinating codes in human history, whether they have been long solved or are still keeping us guessing.

Edward Elgar's Dorabella Cipher

The Enigma

The reason that the Enigma code from World War II—recently recounted in the movie The Imitation Game (2014)—is such a famous cipher is not because it is unbroken, but because it has been solved. And by no easy means. The amount of ingenuity required by Alan Turing and his Bletchley Park team to crack the code was astounding, with the very real goal of saving human lives and ending the war.

The Dorabella Cipher

The stakes of cracking the Dorabella Cipher are nowhere near as high as they were for the Enigma team. In fact, by comparison, the story of the Dorabella Cipher is positively charming.

English composer and code-enthusiastic Edward Elgar is the cryptographer behind this 87-character message, written for his friend Dora Penny (who he called Dorabella). Penny claimed never to have been able to solve the message, and its contents remain a mystery to this day. However, some codebreakers say the reason for this is because it’s not a message at all, but a coded composition. (Makes sense!)

Cicada 3301

Not strictly a code, the mystery of Cicada 3301 instead involves a set of puzzles that have been unleashed upon the public once per year since 2012 (or, almost once per year: there was no puzzle in 2015). According to Cicada 3301, the reason for the puzzles—which heavily feature cryptography and computer programming—is to recruit codebreakers from the general public. Recruit them for what, exactly, is not clear.

For more codebreaking hijinks, check out our posts on the Kryptos Sculpture at the CIA, the mysterious Voynich Manuscript, and the ciphers of the Zodiac Killer.

Or, even better, get your very own brain in code-cracking mode at one of our four escape rooms by booking here: http://bookeo.com/krakit

Crack Team Assemble! Corporate Team Building in Vancouver

With the huge number of hours we spend with our workmates, it makes sense that a lot of workplaces are putting tons of energy into creating good environments for their staff. Sure, we can’t all offer the perks of the Google campus, but there are plenty of ways of perking up a team that all businesses and workplaces can engage in.

Getting groups of co-workers to bond over an interactive activity is something we’re highly familiar with here at Krakit Escape Game. Below we share our top places for team building in Vancouver that are both fun and effective.

Krakit Escape Game

We are have no doubts about the fun factor at our four Vancouver escape games, and we’re also have no doubts about the bonds solving an escape room builds among team members. When you’ve only got 45 minutes to save you and your officemates from lobotomization, people quickly put on their cooperation hats.

Grouse Mountain Zipline

Heading out for a day on the mountain’s zipline is definitely high on the fun factor. But not only does it get everyone’s adrenaline pumping and allow workers to interact offsite, it also offers opportunity for any scaredy cats to step up to the plate and any hidden leaders to shine.

Sunshine Coast Rafting

We live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, so why not take advantage of it and head out into nature on the Sunshine Coast. Nothing spells teamwork like trying to keep your boat afloat, right? There are plenty of companies that cater to groups, including training for any novices.

City Scavenger Hunt

If you’ve got a crack HR team, then perhaps a self-devised scavenger hunt is what the team-building doctor ordered. Splitting co-workers into small teams and then having them race to win is a great way to see how your company’s workers both cooperate and compete.

6Pack Archery Tag

Forget paintball or laser tag—times have moved on to archery tag. 6Pack Indoor Beach in Richmond will let you rent out their whole space, and then you just have to let organized chaos ensue as the entire office takes out their frustrations by launching foam-tipped arrows at one another.

The Voynich Manuscript: A 600-Year-Old Mystery

In the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University lives a mysterious and ancient book, catalogued as MS 408 and known more commonly as the Voynich Manuscript.

Though it has been around for six centuries, it remains one of the human world’s greatest mysteries. Written in an as-yet-unknown language (plus a few lines in Latin script), it contains 240 pages that include both text and illustrations. Many amateur and expert codebreakers have taken a stab at it—including some famous codebreakers from the First and Second World Wars—but it has yet to be cracked.

However, we do have some hints as to what the Voynich Manuscript contains.

The illustrations reveal the book is largely about the natural world, with images of plants and animals as well as astronomical and cosmological diagrams. Some pages even appear to contain recipes.

The manuscript’s name comes from one of its more recent owners, a Polish antiquarian book dealer by the name of Wilfrid Voynich, who acquired it in 1912 and who attempted to decipher its pages and determine its mysterious origins for the better part of a decade.

He had no better luck than anyone else who has attempted to crack it. The Voynich Manuscript has, in fact, been a mystery since the 16th century, with one of its early owners, Georg Baresch, describing it as a “Sphynx.”

Some think the manuscript is a complete fake, and that Voynich created it himself to guarantee himself (or at least his name) a spot in history. As a rare book dealer, Voynich would’ve had the knowledge and means to fake such a document, wouldn’t he?

However, thanks to advances in science, this possibility has been all but eliminated, since the carbon dating shows the materials to be from between 1404 and 1438 CE.

Some think the book is not in an unknown language at all, but is actually written in cipher, a code meant to obscure the book’s contents. Perhaps it contains alchemical recipes that the author wanted to keep secret? However, other experts suggest the writing doesn’t appear be coded at all, as it flows smoothly and there are no corrections.

Whatever the case may be, we know one thing for certain: we don’t know much. Whether in an unknown language or a complicated cipher, the process of determining the key to the Voynich Manuscript is ultimately the same.

However, 600 years on, it is a code we still have yet to crack.

If you, like us at Krakit Vancouver Escape Room, love a good old-fashioned mystery, then book a game in one of four themed escape game here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.