Why would anyone need an escape games dictionary? Every industry has its jargon, and the escape room industry is no exception. If you’re visiting our facility for the first time, it can feel overwhelming to hear all those terms being thrown around, but not to worry! The team at Escape Games Canada always has your back and we’re here to break down some of the more mysterious terms that might be used in an escape facility so you can feel like a pro.
Assistance-Let’s set the record straight, assistance is not a hint. We define assistance as calling a Game Master to help you out during your mission. We don’t count it as a hint and you can ask us for assistance as often as you need. Not sure where to align a lock? Didn’t quite catch an audio clue? That’s why we’re here to help!
Difficulty– It’s a common misconception that the difficulty of a game is predetermined and set in stone. At Escape Games Canada, that’s not true. We design games with difficulty in mind, but we don’t actually know how hard it will be until the game is open to the public. It’s also tough to determine the difficulty of an escape game at our facility because we keep our stats in real time. That means everyone who plays contributes to our live success rates and our statics board!
Divergent Design– Some escape games lead you in a straight line. You’ll go from clue to puzzle without second guessing what comes next. A game with a divergent design is different; players can access multiple puzzles at once and they may not need to be solved in order. A good example of a game that uses a divergent design is The Haunting Of Noriko. These games can be a bit more challenging since players not only have to solve puzzles but also sort through information.
Game Master– A Game Master is someone who works at an escape room facility and helps customers with their games. A Game Master might brief you into your game, or answer any questions you might have. They are a key part of the experience since they know the games inside-out, so try to befriend them and they might even give you some bonus hints!
Hint– It might seem obvious, but for new players what is considered a hint can be confusing. At Escape Games Canada, hints come from a hint box that is found at the beginning of your game. Most of our missions contain a hint box. This computer allows you to push a button that corresponds to the puzzle you are working on. The information provided will help you solve the puzzle. You won’t find a hint box in every mission though. And just for the record, we don’t consider it a hint if a Game Master helps you out.
Linear Design– Escape games that follow a linear design tend to be more beginner friendly. They are missions that guide players from element to element intuitively instead of introducing lots of pieces of information to sort through, like our Mayan Curse mission. Linear games allow players to focus on solving one puzzle at a time without distraction and are excellent for escape beginners.
Logic– We’re quite sure you know the meaning of the word “logic”, but we’re talking about logic puzzles specifically. Logic puzzles are very common and are based on deductive reasoning. They often have many elements to keep track of and it helps to have a good strategy before you take them on.
Mechanical Puzzles– Not all puzzles involve pondering the endless possibilities of the information provided. Mechanical puzzles are hands on! Players interact with devices or other physical elements to solve their way through. These puzzles are always crowd pleasers!
Pattern Recognition– Pattern recognition is what it sounds like. They are puzzles in which players must find the relationships between pieces of information. Pattern recognition puzzles are often found in rooms with a lot of information, this can increase the overall difficulty of the game, so be careful and study the information carefully!
Image by rawpixel.com