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July 15
2020
blog post

11 Winning Escape Room Strategies

Top 5 Universal Escape Room Strategies

Did your boss organize an escape room team-building exercise that awards the winning group Amazon gift cards? Were you invited to challenge an escape room with a competitive group of friends to race the clock? If this is yourfirst time participating in an escape room or have tried once or twice and have yet to solve all the clues in time, we prepared a list of the top five universal escape room strategies proven to help your team no matter which escape room you select.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

Unless you and your teammates are all telepathically inclined, it would be nearly impossible to complete an escape room without communicating with one another. The more your team works together like a well-oiled machine, the faster you’ll move through all the clues and puzzles.

Share everything you find.

Don’t be shy when you find a clue or solve a puzzle.If you think you’ve discovered another clue or answered a riddle, shout it out! Though the room can be hectic at times, the teamwork will be more effective if you communicate what has already been solved. What you may be working on could directly correlate with another riddle your teammate is solving; or it may even direct you where to look for another clue. The possibilities are endless with what a solved clue can do for your team.

Share leadershipAre You an Assertive or an Aggressive Leader? And What's the ...

In most groups, at least one leader takes charge in delegating roles and creating a sense of order. While it’s good for someone to begin establishing order in a scenario requiring speed and concentration, that individual may unintentionally lead the team in the wrong direction. If you find yourself becoming that person, continue to help collaborate with your team but be careful by avoiding steering the team in the wrong direction.

Divide and conquer by splitting up!

This is a simple escape room strategy that will help move things along quicker. At the very beginning of your time in the escape room, quickly assess your surroundings and have a team huddle to figure out what areas each person will work on. An escape room could have any given number of clues. The sooner everyone is on the same page, the more efficient your team will work.

Don’t spend too much time on one clue or puzzle. It might be a red herring!

If half of your team is looking at the same clue and shouting out potential solutions, who else will help solve the other clues? Some escape rooms contain items, numbers, and artifacts meant as “red herrings” to distract you from the real clues. If you find a key or number that could crack a code, one or two people should work on that code while everyone else continues looking for other escape elements.

Watch the Clock.


Time flies when you’re trying to solve your escape room. Sixty minutes isn’t very long, and most of the groups that escape successfully make it with just a few moments to spare. You must make every second count and minimize idle time.

Rotate.

On hard clues, rotate who is figuring it out to keep a fresh set of ideas rolling. If you previously split up the room by assigning one person to a section, switch up the sections every ten minutes or so to ensure that everyone is keeping interest and solving clues.

Stay organized. Place all useful clues in the same spot!

An easy timewaster is misplacing a discovered clue. You could miss your escape because of spending those three extra minutes looking for that one misplaced lock, book, or number. Establish a clue table, chair, or shelf where everyone neatly places all the items found. Keep in mind that some clues and objects can be used more than once in a single room. That way, when you need something, you will know exactly where to find it.
 

Keep all used keys in their appropriate locks.Old key in lock - Stock Photo - Dissolve

In most escape rooms, keys are never used more than once. To prevent forgetting which key belongs to an appropriate lock or accidentally re-locking it and not knowing the key’s whereabouts, keep the key inserted in the lock. This saves precious time and helps keep track of where you are.

Don’t forget the room’s theme!

Most of the clues you will find are related to the overall theme of your escape room. If you are trying to escape a casino, what elements in there would hide clues or keys? Like method acting, getting into character as you complete the escape room will help you find clues to crack the code and help your team escape. Well-designed games will have puzzles that relate strongly to the theme.

Arrive to your escape room early.

This may not seem like a helpful tip, but the more energy you spend rushing to your escape room in fear of missing your start time, the less mental and physical energy you will have when it matters most! Try to arrive at your escape room fifteen minutes early to prepare yourself mentally for the challenge ahead. If you know that you cannot concentrate on an empty stomach, try eating a meal before you come!

In addition, arriving late will reduce the amount of time your group has to finish the game!

Test your Strategies at EscapeWorks Denver

At EscapeWorks Denver, we work hard to keep all our escape rooms engaging and challenging for your team. With rooms an ancient Egyptian tomb to a virus outbreak, we would love to have your group test us out.

Escapeworks has even been featured in the team-building press, including in Epic Team Building Denver and the Let’s Roam’s Team Building Blog.

If you think you have what it takes to escape on of our rooms, contact us today to book your next escape.

Tickets

$32 per person

Location

1529 Champa St.
Denver, CO

The Reviews

  • There is paid parking options near this location. Friendly, helpful staff and a fun experience! Felix was a great game master! We were able to make it out in under an hour with 4 people.

    Sarah Kallsen Avatar Sarah Kallsen
    February 27, 2023

    Fabulous staff and had a great time with our teens. We usually do this in every major city we visit. This location was creative and we had a great time. We chose the hardest one with a pandemic, but succeeded!

    Carolyn K Avatar Carolyn K
    December 27, 2022
  • Visited from Michigan to see some couples from the Black Love and Marriage Program and we decided to check this place out! We had some much fun! The staff was very helpful and hospitable. Their facility and restrooms we clean. We enjoyed our time and we ESCAPED!

    Kenitha Rabb Avatar Kenitha Rabb
    December 8, 2022

    First time doing an escape room adventure for all members of our group(4). We did Blackbeards Brig. We had such a great time. Stephanie was a great host and explained everything very well. Because it was our 1st time we were a little unsure on what to expect. The clues were great, and we were able to win our adventure with 33 seconds to spare. The facilities were well decorated and clean. The clues were somewhat hard but yet achievable. Can't wait to go back for a different adventure.

    Brig Church Avatar Brig Church
    September 22, 2022
  • I had a great time at EscapeWorks Denver! We did the Egypt escape room, and it was wonderful! The team bonded wonderfully, and we now work stronger together in more business appropriate parameters. I had a great time dancing around in silly costumes and sifting through sand. However, I'm glad I came with a larger group. You'll definitely need a few sets of hands to escape (which we did!) though I'm sure the experience would be enjoyable regardless. I also did a prohibition themed room a few years back. I don't remember much about it except that I had loads of fun.

    Rebecca H. Avatar Rebecca H.
    August 22, 2022

    Helen was an amazing worker! She helped us with our escape room and she was incredibly kind. Helen really made my experience completely worth it! I would come back just to talk with Helen!

    Olivia Svenson Avatar Olivia Svenson
    August 17, 2022
  • We had a great time with the Speakeasy room. The setup was fun and the room was detailed. There was a variety of puzzles and it was fun to try to fit things together. Helen!!!! Helen was fantastic at setting the scene and helping us through with little hints when we had the right idea but just couldn’t get something to work because we were slightly off. Thanks!!

    Kaitlyn Kelly Avatar Kaitlyn Kelly
    August 12, 2022

    We just did the Speakeasy and it was great! The puzzles were designed well; challenging but not impossible and really fun to solve. The rooms themselves were high quality filled with all sorts of fun props and hidden secrets. Helen, our host, was fantastic! Our unseen benefactor kept the action moving and just made the whole experience way more entertaining. Had a blast!

    Brian Sankowski Avatar Brian Sankowski
    August 12, 2022
  • This was awesome! The escape room we did had everything—Ancient Egypt, Indiana Jones references, hieroglyphs to translate… It was challenging, but able to be solved in an hour. Our game master Tobi was really friendly & cool. And the “hints” sound was an “Easter Egg” of sorts 😉 Definitely check it out!

    Doug “K'laamas” Johnson Avatar Doug “K'laamas” Johnson
    August 12, 2022

    Just did the Egyptian tomb n I had a great time. They put a lot of effort into the design, and story. Helen helped us out and made the experience very fun. We almost went back to do a second escape!

    Liy Taliaferro Avatar Liy Taliaferro
    August 10, 2022
  • We had a great experience with 5 people in the Blackbeard room. Our first time with an escape room challenge and picked the easiest one they offered and thoroughly enjoyed completing the puzzle. Felix was a fantastic host and hints were given appropriately to keep it fun but definitely not excessively. Lots and lots of fun, would highly recommend. We will be back after having such a great time. Thank you!

    Morgan Phillips Avatar Morgan Phillips
    July 30, 2022

    This was an unforgettable experience! We did the virus outbreak scenario for a teambuilding event. Everyone raved about how fun this was, it far exceeded expectations even for a bunch of engineer dorks. The game was brilliantly designed, the puzzles were very challenging but not frustrating. Each stage or unlock brought a great sense of satisfaction and motivation to move onto the next. Many of the puzzles required unconventional thinking and multiple knowledge domains to complete. Teamwork was a must. Staff was super helpful and their hints were perfectly timed to keep us on track. 10/10, would do again. Thank you!

    Jeremy Smolik Avatar Jeremy Smolik
    July 14, 2022
  • Been to Escape Works twice now. Had an excellent experience both times. The puzzles are very clever and the rooms are fun and challenging. Particularly enjoyed the casino heist game. Stephanie was a great hostess and even spent some time with us afterwards to explain how things worked. Good fun!

    Stephen Weitz Avatar Stephen Weitz
    June 26, 2022

    Visiting my friends in Denver and we wanted something fun to do - we made the RIGHT decision here. We booked Blackbeard’s Brig and it was awesome. Well paced and not too difficult. Just the right amount of stress. Patrick was awesome he had our backs and made the experience so fun and enjoyable. He was an awesome host. Highly recommend!!!

    Meredith LoRusso Avatar Meredith LoRusso
    June 26, 2022
  • My friends and I went to Denver for the weekend and decided to do the Casino Heist room at EscapeWorks. We had so much fun trying to figure out the clues; we didn't end up 'winning' but had a great time anyway. Rose walked us through the clues to the end of the game which was a lot of fun. Thank you Rose and Felix for a fun night. If we are ever back in the area we would definitely to this again.

    Deb Gregg Avatar Deb Gregg
    June 4, 2022

    We had the best time at EscapeWorks Denver. My friends and I traveled to Denver for a fun weekend and decided to do the escape room experience. We chose the Casino Heist and had the best time ever!!! A huge shout-out to Rose and Felix who did a fabulous job of making it so fun for us!!! They went above and beyond. Thank you Rose and Felix for making it so memorable!!! We will be back!!! Signed..."The Fun Girls" from South Dakota

    Kim Klundt Avatar Kim Klundt
    June 4, 2022
  • I love this place! I went in March with my daughter and we did Blackbeard's Brig, the easiest one, since I was new at escape rooms. We were paired up with another family of three. We had a blast and escaped! It was such a positive experience, I brought my family back for my daughters birthday. We did the Egyptian Tomb as a private party, since we had a group of five, and escaped! That room was amazing too! My family still tells everyone about how much fun they had in that escape room. The rooms are really well done. The puzzles are fun, unique, not easy but also not so hard you are frustrated the whole time. The themed rooms are spot on with the stories. Everything looks well maintained and clean. The staff is professional and kind. Next Denver trip we will be back for another escape room. Thank you for making our trips fun and memorable.

    Chena Kline Avatar Chena Kline
    May 7, 2022

    The Casino Heist room was a challenge but extremely fun! It’s different than other escape rooms as you’re not allowed to ask for hints; the game master gives them to you at their discretion. Tobi was an awesome game master and only gave us hints when we were completely lost. Highly recommend!

    Amanda Bertelli Avatar Amanda Bertelli
    April 26, 2022
  • EscapeWorks in Denver is AmAzInG! The gamemasters we're great! We went first to play Blackbeard's Bring, ended up loving it soooo much that after we won, we immediately wanted to do another. We did Outbreak next which was a little more challenging but was a blast to play!!! We're going back to do the other games soon, and I recommend this place to everyone! They have weekday deals, and discounts if you do multiple on the same day!

    Jazz Ramey Avatar Jazz Ramey
    April 26, 2022

    We had a great time in the Egyptian Tomb! The puzzles and riddles were challenging and fun. Our game master Steph helped us stay on track with minimal hints. Definitely worth the money, for it was an exciting and bonding experience. It was very realistic and there was a lot of thought behind effects and puzzles. If we return to Denver again I would be happy to try out another room!

    lilly M. Avatar lilly M.
    April 15, 2022

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