What is an Escape Room?

An escape room is an interactive themed adventure room, where you need to look for clues to solve riddles and puzzles to “escape the room” in one hour. Or, maybe you have heard one of these other terms:

– Escape Game
– Room Escape
– Adventure Room
– Exit Game

I don’t want to bore you with the history of them, but just a quick side note: They first appeared in the United States in 2012. Although they have been around in the United States for 7 years, it’s still unheard of by many individuals. Many of our guests have never played an escape room before. There is still a lot of education that needs to be done on our part to teach the community what an escape room is. Now onto the fun stuff!

Why would you want to go to an escape room?

Escape Rooms are an amazing way to bond with friends, family and co-workers. Some describe it as being inside a video game or a movie. You get to be a robber in a bank heist, be a hero and defuse a bomb, survive a plane crash and escape the island, or escape from a serial killer. There are some themes that have become redundant and too many escape room companies used them. However, there are a ton of unique and interesting themes out there. There is something that will interest everyone.

Escape Rooms have two different functions: Entertainment and Team Building. For entertainment, they are a unique way to spend an hour with your family or your buddies. Cell phones are put away, it’s just quality time with your team. Usually the bonding continues after the Escape Room is complete with conversations about the experience during dinner or drinks.

Escape Rooms are replacing boring company picnics and bowling for team building activities. They are a great way for team members to work together to bond in a fun environment outside of the office stresses. Large groups can be split into different rooms or complete the same room back to back for some friendly competition. Escape Rooms are also great to judge leadership potential for job candidates or internal promotions. They are an excellent way to develop communication amongst your team.

What do I need to know before booking an Escape Room?

Here’s a few tips before booking your first experience:

I’m an enthusiast now (meaning I’ve done a number of escape rooms and it’s become a slight addition. So much so, I opened my own… That will be a story for another day!) , so I want to play all of them! But, I’m sure you’re wondering…how do I choose one? How do I know if it’s a worthwhile one? Let’s be real for a minute, escape rooms are an high ticket hobby. They are totally worth it to me, I personally hate going to the movies or the mall to hang out. But, you also want to make sure you are going to one that has great game play and the owners or employees go out of their way to ensure you are having a blast. In the beginning the best thing to do is to look on the website for a couple of the closest escape rooms to you. What themes call your attention? Maybe a horror themed room, a pirate room, or break out of jail theme? Pick one, then check their reviews on Google to see what others thought of their experience. You can’t make everyone happy, but if the overwhelming majority gave 5 stars and had fun, you will probably make a good choice!

Sometimes you can find a promo code on their website, signing up your email with them, on their social media pages or on their Google profile. Every little bit helps!

Escape Rooms generally have the same “rules”, however, there are so many different companies out there you might want to research them a little ahead of time. One of the most popular questions is, “Do we have to play with strangers?” In other countries, most escape rooms tend to be private. In the United States, generally the games are public. Not all of them though! Some places also offer a hybrid method, where you either pay more per ticket or you have to buy a certain amount of tickets to convert the room from public to private.

We are proud to say at Nexus Escape Room, we only offer private games and at no extra cost! Score! We decided we wanted to do what’s best for our customers and ensure they have the most fun and memorable experience possible. Most companies will answer this question in their FAQ on their website. If not, you can call to find out.

The FAQ and the booking confirmation email will usually give you some useful information. Usually, Escape Rooms ask that you arrive 15 minutes early. This allows you time to sign waivers, use the restroom and for them to go over the rules. It’s important to arrive on time because you might not be able to play or you will lose part of your hour depending on the Escape Room’s individual rules.

What can I expect during my first Escape Game?

Hopefully a fun and memorable experience that will leave you wanting to do more! You may not escape or you may need a lot of help, but that’s okay! Escape rooms are meant to be challenging! The more you do, the better you will get – we promise! We have done over 30 rooms, and sometimes we still get lost and confused. But, as long as the game master (your host who is monitoring your game via audio and video) helps you along the way and ensures you are having fun, and that’s all that matters!

Are Escape Rooms scary and will I be okay if I’m claustrophobic?

A majority of Escape Rooms aren’t scary, but it all depends on the individual company. Usually, you can tell by the title and the description of the room if it’s scary or not. We will have one scary room, but the other rooms aren’t scary at all! As for being claustrophobic, you should call prior to booking to ensure you will be okay. Our escape rooms are fairly large and we aren’t even allowed to lock you in due to fire code in the city of Pembroke Pines.

One more thing...

If you’re still on the fence about whether you should make the leap and try one out, go for it! Escape Rooms are so much fun! Try something new! It’s fun to challenge your mind and do something different! We’ve had so much fun doing Escape Rooms, we decided to open our own! If you’re ever in South Florida, check us out!