Tips on how to pick the best escape room puzzle for your escape room, event, and birthday party.

Figuring out which puzzles to add to your escape room can be difficult. Just because a puzzle looks cool or seems like it will be fun does not necessarily mean it will work.

There are a few things you should take in to consideration when looking for an escape room puzzle.

Does the puzzle fit your escape room's theme?

This one is extremely important. If your room is set in the Wild West you want to avoid plastics or any sort of technology that will seem out of place.

How many Cowboys do you think were using computers?

Keep on theme and help create an immersive and memorable experience for your players.

What is the goal of the puzzle in your escape room?

Having a puzzle in your escape room just for the sake of having a puzzle is not always a good thing.

There should be a clear purpose for the puzzle inclusion.

Take something like the Directional Lock Puzzle for example. There is a clear purpose for this puzzle as it will directly lead to the solution of a Directional Lock. A puzzle is a link in the overall chain of your escape room.

Is the puzzle fun and engaging for players in your escape room?

This can be a tough one as people tend to think in different ways and enjoy different styles of puzzles. However, a few jump out as huge "no's" when it comes to inclusion in an escape room environment.

• Math Puzzles - Seriously, just avoid these. No one wants to be bothered with a homework assignment when they are suppose to be having fun.
• Sudoku - Similar to math puzzles they can be tedious and time consuming taking away from the story/focus of the room.
• Overly Complex Puzzles - Most rooms clock in at 60 minutes. This means the vast majority of groups should be able to get through your escape room in an hour. If a puzzle takes up a significant chunk of that time players will most likely remember that specific puzzle (for better or worse) instead of the escape room as a whole.

Having stand out puzzles is awesome, but they should be remembered for being fun, clever, or how they helped progress the story. They should not be remembered for absurd difficulty or taking forever to solve.

If you have questions or would like to discuss escape room puzzles in more detail please contact me.