The Amazing Escape Room is a company that is making big money simply by locking people in a room. It sounds crazy, I know. People are willingly handing over money so they can be locked up. There’s more to it though. Each escape room has a theme to it and a bunch of hidden objects that lead you to a series of puzzles. The name of the game is self-explanatory: escape. Sounds easy enough, right? That’s what my family and I thought. Fortunately enough we got out, but with only an hour on the clock, it can be a bit challenging. Here’s what I learned.

1. The First Few Minutes Are The Most Crucial

As soon as that clock starts, you need to move. An hour may seem like a long time but you’d be surprised how fast it can go when you’re stuck on a puzzle or you can’t find the next one. Every second is precious in this game. Use them all wisely.

2. Remain Calm

The beginning is overwhelming when you have everyone finding the most obvious clues lying around and they’re all being called out. The worst thing you can do is panic. Be mindful of the clock but at the same time, don’t spend too much time panicking over the loss of time because you waste even more time in doing so.

3. Write Down Everything

By everything, I mean every number and letter hint that you find. It could be as simple as 123 but trust me, there are a bunch of number codes involved in the game. Use the wrong one and you just wasted time punching in the incorrect code. Plus, it’s simpler to see everything laid out for you on paper rather than trying to remember it all.

4. There’s No "I" In Team

Don’t be greedy. If you’re having trouble solving a puzzle, chances are your teammate could solve it faster. At the same time, don’t be so quick to think you can solve something faster and push someone out of the way. If you’re going to do that, be absolutely certain you have the answer first, or else you’ll just be wasting time.

5. Have Patience

Some of the puzzles can be tricky. Take your time and think out all of the logical solutions. It’ll come to you eventually.

6. Don’t Crowd One Area - Spread Out!

Crowding is probably one of the biggest mistakes you can make in an escape room. You could potentially be missing out on an answer across the room. It’s also a lot faster if you split up and work on separate puzzles as apposed to all solving puzzles one at a time.

7. Book Cases Are Your Best Friend

Book cases hold books, books hold words and words could lead you to the next piece of a puzzle. It could also be a trap door to another room. Just saying.

8. Communication Is Key

There’s nothing more exciting than finding an important answer to a clue. Don’t be afraid to shout so that your team members are aware. Simply saying something could just be lost in the sea of words being thrown about the room by other people. You need to make sure everyone communicates in order to lead each other to the next clue.

9. Always Think Ahead

Often times, you may find the answer to a clue that you haven’t found yet. Always keep these in the back of your mind. You never know when you’ll need to recall something you saw earlier.

10. Never Be Hesitant To Ask For Help

Hints are never a bad thing. Don’t look at hints as cheating. They just help to nudge you in the right direction. The employee watching the room through cameras will be able to help you out if you get stuck on what to do next.

11. Never Close A Door You Already Opened

We learned this the hard way. We ended up wasting more time having to reconfigure the code to the lock on the door that we closed thinking it would still remain unlocked for us. This goes back to tip number three. We should’ve written down the code when we found it the first time.

12. Think Creatively

Does the picture of the man hanging up on the wall have a weird eye? Are there little adjustable mirrors around the room? Sometimes you can figure out what to do with these things without having to read a clue. Play around and see what you can do.

13. Be Mindful Of Red Herrings

There’s always going to be some clues that are meant to throw you off. Treat them like actual clues but don’t become discouraged if it isn’t meaning anything to you. It may just be there to throw you off the trail.

14. Don’t Overthink Things

Sometimes the simplest solutions are right in front of your face. Overthinking anything in this game is dangerous. Test out the first thing that comes to mind. It’ll more than likely be right the first time you try it.

15. Have Fun

In the end, you’re there to have fun. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t escape before the time runs out. You live and you learn. Maybe next time you’ll be able to get out before the hour is up.