Escape Room Puzzle Boxes

Who doesn't like solving a good wood puzzle box?

Escape room players, like the rest of us, love figuring out how to open that tricky secret lock box.

Puzzles boxes have a long history of entertaining people for generations and it only makes sense they have found escape rooms a new place to call home.

How do you know which puzzle box to include in your room though? There is no tried and true methodology behind picking the best puzzle box for your escape room, but there are a few things to consider.

Difficulty Level

I think this is where you should start when considering which lock box to implement. For this you must consider the difficulty level of the puzzle box with no clues and compare it to how you plan on presenting it to the players.

Let's take the Stash Box for example:

In theory it is very easy to open this particular puzzle box; however, in practice it is damn near impossible unless you know the specific trick.

If you know the trick (spin it to win it baby!) you can open it in seconds. On the other hand you may end up launching it through a window if you do not.

With puzzles boxes like the Stash Box the difficulty level can be custom tailored to your room.

Do you want players to spend more time with it? If so, leave the clues sparse and lacking detail.

Do you want players to have a better chance at finding the solution quickly? Use something like the Opticum and engrave "Spin the Box, Lift the Lid." You could even place it on a rotating surface like a Lazy Susan to really drive the point home.

If you want something that players will likely never solve without proper clues then the Money Box is exactly what you need.

Aesthetics 

I know, I know looks aren't everything, don't judge a book by its cover and all that jazz, but in this case looks really do matter.

You do not want to put an puzzle box engraved with Egyptian imagery in a room set in a diner.

Ambience and theme are very important components of an escape room.

You want to do everything you can to make players feel as though they have disappeared into the world of your escape room for 60 minutes.

The best way to stay on theme is of course have a puzzle box custom made for your escape room.

Lucky for you I just happen to know somebody (hint: it is me!) that can customize every one of our puzzle boxes with different images, text, and symbols.

Everything is deeply laser engraved so you do not have to worry about someone's grubby fingers damaging it.

Size

This one is pretty self explanatory, which is why I left it for last. None the less it does need to be mentioned. 

Pick a puzzle box which is large (or small enough) to do what you need it to do.

If you just need to stash a key away then something like the Dragon Lock Box will be perfect.

However,

If you need something with a bit more size then the Stargazer Box and Bottle Box are the best ways to go.

What do you think? How do you decide which puzzle boxes to include in your escape room?

If you have any puzzle box related questions or want to talk escape rooms please leave a comment below or send an Email on over to me.