Escape rooms contain two main elements: puzzles and story! Stories create a more immersive experience for players, and all our rooms fall into typical storytelling genres.

Just like movies and books, genres help direct escape room narratives and hint at what’s going to happen in the experience. If an experience is focusing on telling a science fiction filled space exploration, then players will know that it’s unlikely they’ll end up in a cozy cabin in the pacific northwest hunting down an imaginative beast. Knowing the genre of the experience will prepare player’s minds for a journey they won’t forget. Let’s explore what rooms paradigmQ offers and the genres that parent them.

Sasquatch on Site

Genres: Action | Adventure | Mystery

Set in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, Sasquatch on Site is an action adventure mystery. Tasked with finding evidence, players are on the hunt for the creature known as Sasquatch (formerly Bigfoot). This experience explores the classic elements of action and adventure: short on time, in a dangerous situation, and in pursuit of something big. It’s not as action packed as the newest Mission Impossible, but it is focused on trying to create a memorable event, where the stakes are high, and the hunt is real… if they’re not careful, they may become the hunted. With the amount of Sasquatch roars that echo through the cabin’s wooden walls, it’s sure to create some heart pumping moments. The mystery of Dr. Wrightwood’s whereabouts and the evidence they find along the way elevates the action and adventure further.

 

Out of the Past & Into the Future

Genres: Sci-fi | Adventure

The year is 2085 and Time Tours Inc. provides traveling experiences to interested time jumpers. Wanna explore the wild wild west? Interested in what a bar owned by an android is like? Book a trip with Time Tours Inc. But, wait, there’s more. Like any good sci-fi there’s an unseen overseer known as the Pardi Initiative. According to the Initiative’s law, illegal time machines must be disabled should any time jumper come across them, and surprise surprise, these two jump points are reading powerful time machines. There in lies the true adventure aspect! Forget about JUST exploring the past or future, now you must be law hunters and take apart potentially world ending machines. It’s a mix between Blade Runner, Back to the Future, and Westworld. Combining sci-fi and adventure elements these experiences expand the imagination.

 

Fright Before Christmas

Genres: Fantasy | Thriller

Escape rooms do really, really well with three genres: horror, thriller and fantasy. This room has the last two, and just a splash of the first. In Halloweentown citizens prepare for the upcoming Christmas celebrations. Who knew halloweeners loved Christmas so much! Without warning something terrible happens: someone steals Santa’s magic and because of this, Christmas is lost in Halloweentown. In order to get it back players need to uncover the secrets of Halloweentown’s local graveyard and bring the thief to justice. Mixing fantasy and thriller together creates a unique experience, magical things become more than just fantastical, they become masked with fear.

Should a player press a red button in the room….or will something frightening occur? This is where that small bit of horror pops up! Players are ready for spooks and thrills, the question is, when will they happen? If they want to bring Christmas back, they need to push past their fear and brave the graveyard.

 

Murder on the Express

Genre: Mystery

A classic murder mystery requires three things: a suspect, a motive and a weapon. Well, alright, four things….a MURDER! What’s great about a mystery room is that everyone knows how these mysteries work. Most of the time knowing the structure of a story can make an experience dull, but when it comes to murder, nothing is dull. Mysteries work well in escape rooms because mysteries at their core are puzzles. Murder mysteries are popular and this one turns players into real life clue-like characters. Step onto a train, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.

 

Amnesia

Genre: Thriller

Softer than horror, but just as terrifying, thrillers thrive on the edge of the seat. Four subjects wake up in an all white room, unable to recollect how they arrived. All they know: that they’re currently participating in a trial for AZ110. As the trial goes on, their memories begin to unfold. Thrillers are trying to elicit specific emotions: suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. What this experience provides is a full sensory narrative, what players see, hear, smell and touch simulate the targeted emotions. There’s no nightmares hidden in dark corners, the thrill is knowing that something isn’t quite right, but being unable to see it. The unknown nature feels a bit like The Twilight Zone, stuck in limbo. With an overseer watching the players every move, it’s sure to be a good time.

 

Curious about genres and want to explore them further in the narrative world? check out this Masterclass article!