If you’ve never tried one of the escape rooms in Tallinn, you’re missing out.
I know what you’re thinking. Why should you try something new – possibly something you’ve never heard of?
Maybe you already have a list of activities you enjoy with your family or your mates. Or maybe the idea of an “escape game” or “exit room” sounds too weird.
Well, my friend – it’s time to disrupt your routine.
What is an escape room?
You might already be familiar with escape games and not even realize it!
If you’ve ever played one of those exit room puzzle games on your computer or mobile device in which you have to solve clues and manipulate objects to move to the next room or level, you’ve experienced something similar.
The difference is that live escape rooms are . . . well, live!
You’re not discovering secret doors and unlocking mysteries with your mouse or fingers on a flat screen – you’re physically maneuvering through a fictional world. You can touch objects and try solutions to puzzles in real space and time.
You know all those times you were playing a video game and you were frustrated that the program wouldn’t allow you to pick up certain objects and examine them?
In an escape room, you can pick up and examine everything.
So, escape rooms are like acting out a story?
In a way, yes.
Almost all escape rooms have a narrative that explains why you’re in the room and what you need to accomplish. Many of them also tell you what the stakes are – or what will happen if you fail to complete all the puzzles within the time limit.
So in that sense, you’re living out a story in a fictional world that has been designed for you to play in it.
On the other hand, it’s not the same as LARPing where you pretend to be someone else.
You may have a role – secret agent or archaeologist or astronaut, for example – but you’re still you. You don’t have to talk with an accent or wear a costume or pretend to be anything other than what you are.
Unless you want to.
Wait. You said time limit. There’s a time limit?
There’s a time limit.
The escape rooms in Tallinn give you one hour to solve all the puzzles and “escape” the room.
Once you’re briefed on the backstory and the stakes, you have 60 minutes to accomplish the objective. Sometimes you just have to solve a series of puzzles; sometimes there’s an overall mystery you have to solve along with the individual challenges.
A countdown clock generally tells you how much time you have left.
What’s the bad thing that happens if I fail?
In some exit games, you’re told that a plague will wipe out all of civilization or your spaceship will crash to Earth if you fail in your mission. A prison break room might end with your execution if you fail to escape. In a secret agent room, you could have only an hour to accomplish your objective before being caught by Nazis.
Whatever it is, it only happens within the fictional universe you’re inhabiting.
After you’re finished, whether you escape or not, you get to leave and start planning your next escape adventure!
Why haven’t I heard of escape rooms before?
They’re pretty new, and a lot of people don’t really understand what they are.
As people try them, though, and find out how much fun they are, they’re rapidly gaining in popularity.
At the time of this writing, there are 12 escape rooms in Tallinn to try, and more appearing throughout Estonia and the world every day.
How do I book an escape room in Tallinn?
Easy!
View and compare escape rooms in Tallinn, and when you find one that looks interesting, just pick a time that works for you and your friends and book a game!
Playing live escape games is so much more rewarding than going to the cinema or hanging out at a pub. You get a rush of adrenaline when working against the clock that you just don’t get from most other activities.
It’s time to try the escape rooms in Tallinn and discover your new favorite pastime.