Escape Rooms are an interesting exprience. Typically, an escape room drops you into a specific scenario, be it solving a murder or finding a hidden treasure, that must be resolved within a time limit. And as the name indicates, this scenario often involves being trapped in a specific location until either time runs out or the players escape. An Escape Room is, in essence, a puzzle with a story, a story whose outcome depends on whether or not the player or group of players can solve the puzzle before it's too late. There is usuallly an in story reason for the time limit, be it a ticking time-bomb or a procedural patrol. Most of the fun of the escape room comes from the thrill of trying to find all the clues, figure out how the riddles piece together, and the ever-impending sense of doom that the time limit provides. It can be a stressful experience alone, but fun with the right-sized group.

A good escape room has a story beyond "you're in this room and have to get out". Typically the scenario has some sort of explanation as to why you're in the room and what will happen o you or some other character in the story if you don't solve the issue in time. That's why the experience is best with multiple people bouncing ideas off each other. With multiple ideas bouncing around and getting tested, multiple tasks can be achieved in under half the time it would take only one person. At the same time though, multiple minds doesn't mean that everyone will always see all the clues.

In some cases it's even possible to feel like you're stepping into a whole new location, such as a house in London or a submarine thousands of miles underwater. Both rooms present very different feels to them. Even the stakes in the stories vary, where failing one room simply means a case goes unsolved while failing another means that your character in the story suffocated in a metal tub deep under water, never to see the light of day again. This means that, even though I, the player, was never in any real danger, there was an ever-present feeling of tension regarding whether or not I'd actually succeed. Which makes success into an incredibly satisfying moment, especially when the clock is ticking down the last few minutes.

Granted, I can only say so much about these rooms without spoiling the experience, since these rooms are best experienced with a fresh pair of eys and some friends. So find one that appeals to you and give it a try. You'll likely be glad you did.