Escape rooms are becoming really popular. A group of people are locked in a room and given a series of riddles to solve in order to free themselves from the room. I’ve been really curious what they are like but they can be expensive and we have a very busy schedule with sports which really limits our time for any extra activities. When I heard about EXIT: The Game I thought it would be a great experience that we could fit into our schedule and get an idea what an escape room might be like.
EXIT: The Game is a series of party games for up to four players that offers a unique, unforgettable gaming experience. These games allow you to bring the excitement, intensity, and team spirit of an escape room to your living room. In each EXIT game, your team starts out locked in an imaginary room or trapped somewhere. You must solve a series of riddles and puzzles in order to unlock doors and reveal new riddles. The clock is ticking: You must solve all of the puzzles as fast as you can because the faster your team escapes the room and the fewer hints you use along the way, the more points you earn. Can you crack the codes and manage to escape the room?
These games are available in many different themes. We tried The Haunted Roller Coaster where we were “trapped” on a roller coaster ride at an amusement park. The ride takes you on a series of creepy gated rooms inside the ride — the gates lock in front of and behind you until you solve a strange riddle. Get the right answer and you progress to the next section where another locked door and riddle awaits.
If you get stumped there are some clue cards to help you. This is a one-time use game that will take 1-2 hours to play. You’ll need scissors and might need some scratch paper but otherwise everything you need is included in the box. I played this game with my 12 year old son and his friend on a friday night. They had decided to stay in rather than go to the high school football game because they were both tired after a long week.
We got through the first few rooms and had a lot of fun working together and figuring out how to use the decoder but we hit a wall on the third or fourth riddle. It was starting to get late and the kids were tired. They said their brains just weren’t up to the task after being at school all week and they just wanted to watch a movie. I can completely understand where they were coming from. I was tired too! I carefully set the game aside so we can come back to it.
My son loves riddles and thought this game was really cool. He’ll be more up to the task when he’s feeling refreshed. I also really enjoyed the game and loved that it was something we could do together. This particular set was a difficulty 2 out of 5. The games are designed for ages 12+. I read the kids the rules and story riddles. I am sure they could do this on their own but depending on the kiddo, it could be frustrating for some. I love that there’s an app that can help with this! Just download the Kosmos Helper App. In the app, you can find animated explanations of the instructions and other helpful features for a selection of Kosmos games. It is available on iOS and Android devices.
These games can be played with 1-4 players and typically take 1-2 hours to complete. They’d be great for sleepovers or playdates or even small parties. For larger parties you’d probably need multiple games and could split up into groups. It would be super fun to play in teams for a birthday party! Each game sells for $14.95 which is a lot more affordable than going to an actual escape room and you get to play in the comfort of your own home!
You can find out more and purchase a game at thamesandkosmos.com.