Durban - Have you ever screamed answers at contestants on television quiz shows, or started reading a book and got mad at the characters for failing to piece together what’s clearly an easy-to-solve mystery? Do you fancy yourself a modern-day Nancy Drew, or to be in the Amazing Race?
Well, now is your chance to put your skills to the test in “escape rooms”.
It is a new trend in Durban which challenges your mental skills, bringing out the Sherlock Holmes in you.
The concept is still catching on in South Africa, but internationally, the idea of being locked in a room and solving complicated puzzles in a limited time to “escape” from the room, has fast caught on as a team-building event, a birthday celebration, or simply just for fun.
Clint Green, who created the Brainstorm escape room in Riverhorse Valley, Newlands East, said the mental challenge made players want to come back again and again.
“You are placed in a scenario you wouldn’t normally face, and you have to figure your way out. You become characters in a situation that tests your skills, and instead of sitting on a couch in your lounge screaming answers at contestants on a TV show, you are that contestant figuring your way through the puzzles.
“And no, Google won’t be able to help you out as my fiancée Chelsea and I created these puzzles ourselves, so the answers cannot be searched for online. It really is logical, but when faced with the time limit, you see people act very differently,” said Green.
The puzzles could be anything from mysterious handwritten notes, to sliding letters that when arranged in the correct form, reveal another clue.
At the beginning of the game, you are told the end goal, such as finding an object of value or importance, which then unlocks the door for you to “escape”.
Team players are able to communicate with Green and his team, who watch via cameras.
If the players are unable to solve a puzzle, they can ask for help via a walkie-talkie, and Green gives hints and tips on the TV screen in the room.
The game can be played in teams of two, upwards, but Green said judging from the performance of previous groups, a party of four performed the best.
“Groups have to work together to figure out the puzzles. Sometimes, if one person gets stuck on solving a puzzle, it’s best to let another member attempt it, this helps in building team spirit and teamwork. It really is fun,” he said.
Green said during the
holidays, he had many visitors from England and Canada
who had completed escape rooms in their countries, and wanted to experience the local ones.
“It becomes a challenge to complete them. It’s highly addictive and people come back to finally figure it out - if they did not do so previously, or to beat their time from the last visit,” he said.
For more info, visit https://brainstormescaperooms.co.za/