It’s midnight and I have willingly brought my son and fiance along on what has turned out to be a visit to a haunted carnival. But it’s not just any haunted carnival. This one only materializes every 20 years. And if we can’t figure out what’s going on, we’re going to be cursed.
Insert the bwah-hah-hah here.
OK, so obviously not really. We actually were taking part in (for us) our first escape the room game.
Escape games have been online for quite a while, but, according to Puzzle Break, located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, the real life versions originally began in Asia and Europe in the late 2000s. There are a handful of companies in the Seattle area that offer various games, but Puzzle Break bills itself as the “first U.S.-based company to offer escape room experiences and first company of its kind in the Pacific Northwest,” having been cofounded in 2013 by Nate Martin, a former software executive at Electronic Arts and Microsoft, and Dr. Lindsay Morse, a former classics professor at the University of Puget Sound.
“In 2013, we read about escape rooms happening all over the world and how the idea was growing in popularity,” Martin said, “but rooms were inexplicably absent in the U.S. We knew the concept would be a smash hit in Seattle, where we both lived.”
“Escape the Midnight Carnival” is Puzzle Break’s fourth Seattle installment. The company also offers a game room for passengers on the Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas cruise ship, with plans for another game to be launched on a different ship in May.
Escape the room games require participants to work together to solve a series of interactive puzzles. There are games to play and there are clues and objects concealed almost everywhere. You and your teammates must put your mental powers together to figure out how these all relate, because they do.
Puzzle Break’s challenges are primarily designed by Morse, who keeps a log of ideas.
“When it’s time to create a new room,” Martin said, “our creative team sits down and evaluates what theme on our backlog makes the most sense to do next, and what sort of puzzles we envision creating in order to offer the best possible experience for our players.”
Ideas are whittled and refined, puzzles are added and removed and all are tested until the team is satisfied with the final result.
Newer installments, including “Escape the Midnight Carnival” employ professionals “to ensure Hollywood-quality experiences,” Martin said.
My particular experience started with our group assembling on the sidewalk outside the venue. In the line, I was surprisingly nervous but also amped up on plenty of coffee and scoring a parking space directly in front of the venue. (Have I mentioned this was in Seattle, on Capitol Hill and on a Saturday? Small victories, people.) I couldn’t help but face-scan and wonder how smart my teammates were. Only one other person had played an escape game before, so the rest of us didn’t really know what to expect.
Our guides led us to an anteroom below ground to sign waivers. Despite being warned about not being allowed in if we were late, our group opted to hang tight while one participant booked his way from a transit station up the hill. While we were waiting for him, our guides went over the rules with the 10 of us present. We were told what to prepare for, and to lean on them for hints if we became stuck.
As I discovered, it’s more than just being clever that will help you figure out a puzzle. It also requires keen observation, enthusiastic curiosity and, above all, the willingness to communicate and work together with a bunch of people you know pretty much nothing about.
“In the beginning,” Martin said, “we expected a lot of technology or engineering types — but we were surprised in that our players really include an eclectic mix of families, friends, coworkers, tourists and strangers.”
We’re asked not to reveal too much of the game so as to avoid spoiling the experience for others, and I am happy to comply. In fact, each person is allowed to play a specific episode only one time. It’s make or break.
I will share one little bit (no spoiler worries). Puzzle Break describes “Escape the Midnight Carnival” as paying “homage to the beginnings of traveling carnivals of the 19th century, such as circuses, novel exhibits and curiosities, amusement rides, and games of chance and skill.” In other words, there’s a bearded lady and a strong man involved. My son, Liam Church-Okeson, who’s a few months shy of 16, is fascinated with the subject of freak shows (as am I) and actually takes classes in contortionism. And his interest actually came in handy with working through one of the puzzles. (Not to brag … OK, I am … I was instrumental in solving another puzzle on my own.)
Some tips: It can’t be emphasized enough that every tiny detail likely plays a role in the success of winning the game. Communicate with each other. Don’t be afraid to ask for a stranger’s help when you think you’re just this close to solving a puzzle. And make sure to buy early. These escape the room games are immensely popular and I had to schedule our playtime for a few weeks out.
Just before you leave, groups can opt for a photo, which is posted on Puzzle Break’s Facebook wall.
We had 60 minutes to find all of the objects, solve all of the puzzles and escape. How did we do? Well, the bar was high.
“Our games have both increased and decreased in difficulty,” Martin said.
My fiance, Chris Swanson, agreed that “the puzzles were a good challenge.”
Martin said “Escape the Midnight Carnival” is designed to be a little easier, with an estimated success rate of 35 percent to 40 percent. Our group, sadly, was not among this statistic.
A final walk-through showed us what we missed, and we figured that if we had another eight minutes, we totally would have been freed from the curse.
Now, however, I feel like I’m being watched.
Puzzle Break
1423 10th Ave in Capitol Hill (between Pike and Union on 10th). Line up by the sandwich board on the sidewalk and you’ll be guided in.
Open to the public Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays (days and nights), with private and corporate events available. “These corporate team-building game includes onsite escape games or groups of varying sizes, offsite escape games for small to medium-sized groups, and large-scale custom experiences for up to 500 players,” co-founder Nate Martin said.
The whole experience is about 90 minutes, with 15 minutes for the guides to go over rules and offer suggestions and another 15 minutes for reviewing and/or revealing the full solution. Guides accompany you inside the room to ensure sure things go well and to drop hints.
$30 per person
Typically 18 and older, though 16 and older are allowed with a parent’s signature, and they made an exception for my son.
Right now, the company offers two escape games at its Seattle location. Find more information and times at www.puzzlebreak.us.
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