Escape rooms are super captivating, fun and compelling above and beyond the usual boardgames we’re all so used to. They use interesting and mysterious storylines, time-pressured action and tricky clues to challenge us mentally and sometimes physically.
We may all have some familiarity with escape rooms, but have you ever wondered how to build an escape room at home?!
It is certainly possible, and probably easier than you think!
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Why Build an Escape Room at Home?
Well, firstly, you won’t have to leave the house!
Given the current coronavirus pandemic, many typical escape rooms are closed off for health and safety reasons. Setting up an escape room in your own home is the ideal solution.
It’s an awesome novelty being able to play in your own front room, bedroom or even a kitchen.
You can dim the lights, add some ambience, play some spooky music and even dress up your family members in costumes! You’ll also be able to play to your own accord and add house rules if you like. Also, if you have difficulties with the puzzles then it’s really no problem, you can always have another go in your own time.
How Do I Get Started?
Epic Escapes offer our own escape-room-in-a-box. The Starter Pack contains 3 awesome unique escape rooms that are specifically designed for use at home! The Starter Pack contains everything you need to get stuck into some awesome escape room experiences.
“The quality of the product is strong, particularly in terms of design and hardware. The story is very different to others so gives this experience a very different feel to Epic Escapes first puzzle we played. All in all, a really good experience” – Kent Escape Room Reviews
Storylines and Plots
Storylines are so important to the escape room experience. Our Epic Escapes escape rooms contain their own awesome storylines but you can come up with your own too. Common plots might include stopping criminal activity, or escaping imprisonment. But you could go off-piste and come up with some weird wonderful storylines if you wanted to! How about a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings plot for example?
Puzzle Ideas
Creating your own puzzles is easier than you think, so here are some DIY puzzle ideas for creating escape rooms at home:
Balloon Clues
Balloons can hide clues for your DIY escape room. You might start with a riddle such as “Big as your head but light as a feather”, thus triggering players to look at balloons. Once burst, a sheet of paper with the next riddle falls out of the balloon.
Mirror Clues
Using a bit of soap, you can draw a message on a window that shows when it’s steamed up. You could use a riddle urging players to steam up a mirror; “Gaze at your misty reflection and the answer will reveal itself!” Add some steam to the room (turn on a hot shower for example) and voila! The message is revealed!
What’s Missing?
If you stage a fake crime scene in your living room, you could show players two separate pictures. One shows that a certain item is missing from the room. This might draw them towards a certain part of the room.
For more riddles, be sure to check out our awesome compilation of top riddles here on the Epic Escapes Blog!