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An escape game is a complex activity that generally involves several phases. Identifying these phases will help you better balance the intense moments with quieter periods when your players can recover!
Consultation and resolution phase
This phase is the easiest to identify: it is the period during which participants must think about the elements they are faced with, in order to solve a problem.
Sometimes, this phase can be solved by a single person who understands the logic of the puzzle.
For example: ‘Ah, I get it! We have to use the rope we found to connect the green symbols on this wall! The symbol will probably match one of those on the tablet…’
This phase is usually very intense for your players: converging and diverging opinions can clash and generate a lot of ‘social stress’. After the climax of solving a difficult enigma, it may be a good idea to allow for a recovery phase, such as exploration, narrative or a simpler puzzle.
Collaboration phase
Collaboration is a constant feature of escape games. Even if one of your players is better at understanding the logic behind the puzzles, the others must be actively involved in solving them. This practical contribution will bring them closer to the reasoning process and provide them with a way of remembering the knowledge conveyed by the enigma.
For example: The participant who figured out the logic of the puzzle realises that the green symbols are far apart. The layout of the symbols requires three or four players to work together to solve it.
Of course, some puzzles may present constraints in terms of inclusion. It is necessary to test these resolution phases in order to be aware of the constraints on your group of players.
For example: If some green symbols are high up, you can see that your escape game is not suitable for a group that involves wheelchair users.
Having restrictions on group composition is normal for any escape game. The most important thing is to be aware of this when forming groups of participants and, if possible, to be able to put measures in place to adapt and ensure each step is accessible to all the participants.
Exploration phase
This phase is the most complicated to design, as participants are often unsure: do they have something to find, or are they wasting valuable time?
When designing an educational escape game, it is important that players get as far as possible in the game: they should not be left wandering around the game space unnecessarily. This phase is the riskiest because its duration can vary greatly from one group to another. The role of the game master during these phases is very important to avoid frustrating players and preventing them from accessing part of the game.
During the tests you carry out while designing your escape game, you need to be very careful during these phases: balance the availability of clues by making them more or less visible, or make them easier to understand so that players can relate them to the obstacle they are trying to overcome.
After reading this description, you might think, ‘But why include an exploration phase in my escape game if it’s so complicated?’ This phase also has some advantages that are essential to an escape game!
It can be used as a buffer after a climactic moment, such as solving a complex puzzle. It allows players to relieve pressure and avoid tension building up within the group.
It can also be useful for managing the flow of game elements: if all the elements are available at the start of the game, it will seem very chaotic to players and make it more likely that they will take ‘shortcuts’.
Finally, it’s an excellent opportunity to confront players with narrative elements that encourage their immersion in the game!
Narrative phase
Whether through elements discovered during exploration or through the game master’s intervention, a narrative is necessary to create an atmosphere in which your players can immerse themselves.
Immersion is intrinsically linked to motivation, so it will improve your participants’ involvement and allow them to better retain the educational information you have presented to them.
Like the exploration phase, this phase can be used as a calmer moment for your players before or after a complex puzzle.