Types of Locks, Codes and Puzzles found in Escape Rooms
We love everything about escape rooms. We love the anticipation, the tension, the adrenaline, the problem-solving, and (mainly) the puzzles.
If you’re a problem-solver at heart, and you love figuring things out and working through puzzles… You’re going to love escape rooms. They appeal to the problem-solver in all of us, encouraging us to think outside the box and really engage our brain in what we’re doing. It’s a great chance to practise with codes, puzzles and locks – and for many people it’s the beginning of a new found fascination with them!
What types of locks, codes and puzzles are in escape rooms?
Here are some of our favourites…
Numerical locks
If you see a numerical lock, you’ll likely need a 4 digit or a 6 digit code to unlock the door. This means that the code needs to be worked out or discovered – so your time will likely be spent looking for numerical clues. The numbers could be anything, and hints could be everywhere! Think about page numbers in books, birthdays, historical dates… It could be anything and everything.
Key locks
Key locks, need a key to unlock them. Sounds pretty obvious right… But what is the key is hidden, or what if the key is only the first step in the puzzle. You might even be given multiple keys, and it’s your job to discover which is the one that will work.
Word locks (or Cryptic)
Similar to numerical locks, but using letters instead of numbers. Instead of finding the perfect combination of numbers, you’ll be searching for the perfect combination of letters instead. Sometimes this might spell out a word (no doubt an important word to the plot of your escape room) or maybe it’ll spell out initials. It’s up to you to discover which.
Logical puzzles
A common puzzles you’ll come across in escape rooms are logical puzzles, where you’ll need to engage your mind to solve the problem. Logical puzzles can work in many ways, but they mainly revolve around locks, codes and equations. It’s putting these together in a logical way that will mean you succeed.
Math puzzles
You might have left your math skills in high school, but there’s a chance you might need them once more during your escape room experience. Math skills and Math puzzles are often tricky and require lots of concentration. Hopefully with multiple people in your team, you’ll be able to figure it out.
Maze puzzles
The classic puzzle, a maze is designed to test your intuition and memory. Not many escape rooms have large walking mazes, but many will have smaller mazes where you’ll need to move an object through a complex and confusing design.
Hide and seek puzzles
Some clues and puzzles will simply be skilfully hidden, and your job will be to find them. These are great puzzles for the more observant and thorough people in your group – the kind of people who will leave no corner untouched and no stone unturned.