Online Escape Rooms: What to Expect
Live Escape Rooms are physical spaces where you get to interact with the room, the props, puzzles and equipment, to overcome a series of problems and escape the room. Online escape games come in all manner of formats, including text adventures, Google play games, Live Avatar games or play-on-your-own Online games. Here at Escape, we specialise in recreating physical rooms in a virtual environment. We’ve tried to keep the experience as close to live games as possible, and have used innovative techniques to enhance the experience where this isn’t possible.
So, you’ll be asking yourself, what are our online escape rooms actually like then? What are you really getting when you book one of our online games? And will it really be as good as the live versions? Here, I’ll break down exactly what you can expect to get when you book one of our Online Escape Rooms.
Booking the game
We currently have three online games to choose from: Dead Man’s Hand, First Contact and POW: Prisoner of War. It’s £39 for the first two devices, and £10 for each additional connection. Each ‘room’ can accommodate up to 5 connections, so larger teams will have to play in smaller groups. However, unlike live Escape Rooms, all of your teams will be able to play the same game simultaneously, making online games a great choice for corporate or competitive teams.
Once you book your preferred date and time online, you will receive a confirmation email with the details you will need to start the game. You can then forward this to your team for their information.
Starting the Game
Please make sure you have your computer set up properly before you begin, to save the whole group time. You’ll need access to Zoom, the internet and a microphone. You can also use your video, but that’s not mandatory. Desk or laptops are best, but you can also play on your phone.
You will be sent a link to your specific game 15 minutes before your booking is due to start, to allow everyone time to log in and make themselves comfortable. When your game is beginning, you will be allowed in to your own private zoom meeting room, and greeted by your Games Master, who will introduce the game, split you into your teams, and be on hand throughout the game to provide hints and clues if you get stuck on a puzzle.
Playing the Game
Each game has been created using state-of-the-art technology from our friends at Telescape, using 360° photography and video capture to bring these physical games into an online space. After your team’s briefing, your Games Master will put you and your team into that virtual room.
You can use your mouse to look around the room, click on puzzles and locks, change numbers on padlocks and even move some props around. Your team will have a group inventory, so that you all have access to what the whole team has found, and whenever a clue is found or something is unlocked, the whole group will see this is in video form. You can chat with your friends as you play, and although our Game Masters monitor your progress, they don’t listen in to your conversation. You get to discuss all your options as you work together to solve sound puzzles, visual puzzles, logic puzzles and even physical puzzles.
These rooms are specifically designed to be as close to live Escape Rooms as possible. You will have to work together, just like in a physical Escape Room, to find clues, solve puzzles, match props and eventually escape the room.
After the game
Once your team has managed to solve all the puzzles and escape, you will be brought back into your team’s Zoom Room to compare notes with other teams and find out your time! We have a weekly scoreboard, as well as a ‘Top 10 of all Time’ list. If you manage to break our record, you might find yourself winning a prize!
After the game, of course you’re also going to want to tell your friends, play the other games, and leave glowing reviews on Google and Facebook. They really are that good.
Escape – bringing our Escape Rooms to your living room
We have specialised in live escape rooms for over 7 years, and now we are leading the way in recreating our physical rooms in a virtual space. You must come and try these games with as many friends as you can – you won’t believe how much like real Escape Rooms they are. With three different rooms available, and more being developed all the time, you can book your favourite theme here.