How to create an Escape Room: Tips from the NWO Team

Creating an Escape Room requires a lot of time and patience. There are many things to consider! The room, theme, and challenges combine to deliver a truly fulfilling and exciting experience. Here are some tips from our NoWayOut team to get you started on building your own Escape Room.

Room, Theme, and Time

First, choose a room that is spacious enough for a small group of two-six people to move around comfortably. Players should be able to freely navigate the space while searching for clues, without bumping into each other or furniture.

After discovering the perfect room, choose a captivating theme that will enchant and thrill your guests. The beauty of Escape Rooms lies in the variety of themes you can apply to each room. Horror, comedy, fantasy, or historical – choose whatever interests you!

Top Tip for beginners: A great idea to select room a theme based on a popular film franchise like Harry Potter. By doing so, you'll possess a remarkable blueprint to inspire your ideas.

You can find Escape Rooms featuring witchcraft and wizardry all over the world! Make sure to also see if there are enough props and decorations before you make your final choice. It's crucial for creating the perfect atmosphere. You wouldn't want to commit to a theme only to end up with an empty room!

Escape Rooms typically last for one hour, but since this is your first game, aim for 30 minutes. It's less likely that you'll feel overwhelmed or stressed in a new setting. Instead, you can concentrate on making a few top-notch puzzles and challenges that will truly captivate your guests. It makes easier to entertain your guests.

Plot and Challenges

It goes without saying that the storyline should be relevant to the chosen theme. For example, if you've opted for a room with Harry Potter motifs, the plot could be as follows:

"The School of Magic is in great danger! While your peers are enjoying their holidays, you are the chosen ones summoned by the headmaster for assistance. Embark on a magical journey into the realm of wizards! Cast spells, use wands, solve puzzles, and defeat dark followers of 'He Who Must Not Be Named."

If you set the stage in this way, your guests will have a goal to strive for. They will move through the gameplay to escape the room. The pressure of battling a perceived threat while the clock keeps ticking will heighten the excitement. It's advisable to use a flowchart to clearly map out the direction of each phase and link challenges to each stage.

Solve puzzles -> Search for objects -> Decode codes -> Solve the 2nd puzzle -> Find keys -> Unlock the door

Make sure to mix things up and offer a diverse range of challenges at each stage. Keep it fresh and exciting without repeating the same tasks. This will keep things fresh and exciting as your guests make their way through the room. 

While we can't disclose all the secrets, following these tips will give you the groundwork to build your own exciting room!