My husband has
been interested in escape rooms since they first became popular. For his
birthday this year, I not only gave him a Kickstarter tabletop escape room game
but also booked an experience at Escapade 360 in Elgin, IL. We played it last
week.
When I reserved
the room, there was only one scenario available—a Sherlock Holmes-themed one.
When we arrived, the couple who run Escapade 360 told us there were so many
puzzles in that room it would be difficult for a couple to complete them all in
the hour. Luckily, they had a second room available that might be a better
match for us. It’s set in Leonardo da Vinci’s studio, and you have to find his
hidden masterpiece before thieves come to steal it. We had the opportunity to
switch, so we did.
I’m not going to
give out spoilers for the room. I will say it was smaller than I expected, so
it would feel crowded with a full group of eight people. The doors aren’t
locked due to regulations, but there’s no time to leave either. There’s a
monitor in the room where you can track your remaining time and get occasional
hints. We probably got more hints than you normally would, but given it was our
first time and it was late in the evening, I didn’t mind. It was still an
intellectually stimulating experience. There were a variety of different
puzzles to solve, and some of the ways to interact with the items were
surprising. Ultimately, we managed to escape with eight minutes left. The
owners were super-friendly and helpful. After we finished, we discussed
specific aspects of the room before getting our picture taken.
As a writer, I
find the escape room concept fascinating. You start anew with the same goal, setting,
and obstacles each time, but the outcome depends on the teamwork of the characters.
Eugene and I have known each other for 27 years. We have respect for each
other’s abilities and are used to working together as a team. There was one
point in the hour where we had different ideas on what to do with a particular
object in the room. Thanks to a hint, we resolved that quickly and without
fuss. If we’d been with other people, I’m sure the dynamic would have been
different--and not in a helpful way. With bigger groups who don’t know each other well, I can imagine
much more time is wasted on arguments or persuasion. Still, I’d like to go back
with a few more friends and tackle the Sherlock room. The game’s afoot!
5 comments:
Very cool gift! A friend in England goes to those all the time.
I've known my wife just a bit longer and even though we met in our early twenties, I can't remember when she wasn't there.
That sounds cool.
Alex, Eugene and I have been together for over half of our lives. We celebrate our twelfth anniversary on Sunday.
Thanks, Pat! I hope you get to try one sometime.
How fun! And what a great idea. We love to solve puzzles like this.
I might have to look into it for Greg's birthday.
If you like puzzles, Maria, I'm sure you'll like escape rooms!
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