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I visited one escape room with my party and tested out myself what it feels like to be locked in a room full of secrets while trying to escape from there as quickly as possible. You need to stay focused and execute the best possible team work at the same time. What did this experience offer me and what is the Escape Room as such?

Is it very scary?
Escaping the first time, it is quite normal to feel anxiety and slight panic. It is unclear what is about to happen. At the same time, it gives you a thrill for the images, advertisements and the room descriptions on the website are nerve-wracking. The game themes are anything but ordinary – you can escape from prison (Prison Break), save a daughter who is taken hostage (Taken), experience the dreadfulness of a slaughter house (Slaughter House) or escape from a mysterious laboratory (The Secret Lab).

Rauno Herik, the manager of the Escape Room, assures that there is no need to be afraid, though. “At first I worried whether some of the things might be too scary for some guests, but there have been no problems,” he said. Only one person has suffered from a claustrophobic attack but he was with a serious condition and would have been uncomfortable in any confined room. “Also, children under the age of 12 should play under parents’ supervision,” added Rauno.

A real 60-minute challenge
There are already many companies that offer escape games but if you want a real challenge, it is worth-while to visit the Escape Room. We were convinced after a very intensive and unforgettable hour in an escape room named Taken.

The aim of the game is simple – be smart, search for clues, solve tasks, don’t lose your focus and get out of the freaky room in 60 minutes. But to fulfill this task in reality is not as easy. It appears that only 10% of the players are able to escape from the most difficult room.

Manager Rauno says that the rooms’ contents are a secret. Even the advertisements of the games have been composed in a way that the rooms themselves are not visible. „This way, you find yourself in a completely new setting. An image of the room would ruin the surprise,” Rauno explains. As a matter of fact, it is not allowed to take our personal belongings into the escape room, thus eliminating the opportunity to take a picture. Even more, your eyes are blindfolded when entering two of the rooms.

The last advice from the game manager before opening the door was: “Good team work is key, and listen to each other”. He keeps an eye on the escapers through a camera and is allowed to give hints via a radio transmitter when players find themselves stuck. Before entering the room, our party was smiling and feeling joyful, but the second the door closed, serious action began and continued until the end of the game. Our efforts to escape unfortunately didn’t pay off, but the experience haunted us for quite a while.

In the escape room it is important to keep the focus but you can’t escape a slight anxiety.
Confusion struck us all in one way or another, and suddenly even the simplest of things seemed quite difficult. At the same time, the smallest of solution and progress injected us a new dose of adrenaline.

Some escape rooms are filled with traps and details in order to mislead the players. ”For example, if you find an object of no significance but you are convinced that it is a part of the hint, then you’ll spend precious time in vain,” the manager explains. It is actually very easy to take the bait.

Different age groups have a different approach
Rauno describes how exciting it is to observe people of different ages act in an escape room. “Children’s focus tends to fade quite easily because there is so much to watch and touch in the room, and the aim of the game is forgotten,” he says, and adds that there are no rooms specially designed for children yet, but they plan to build those in the near future.

Middle aged and older people often find answers in a different way than the younger. Sometimes also comical situations evolve. “I have seen that a person takes off his shirt in order to solve a task, although something else in the room is meant as aid,” explains Rauno. It is possible to reach the goal this way but usually there is no need for extreme measures. Everything can be solved using your cleverness, logic and good team work.

The Escape Room can fit up to 50 people. It can be arranged in a way that half of the party is playing games in the rooms and the other half is spending time in the cozy lounge, enjoying drinks and snacks and good company. “The range of our activities is wide, just ask and we can make it happen,” Rauno assures.

Come and challenge your brain and courage at the Escape Room in Tallinn!

Kati Aasov

www.theescaperoom.ee