Escape rooms are meant to challenge you — but creating them can be puzzling, too.
That’s what I learned while visiting the Adventure Factory in Nashville, TN — where the popular US chain The Escape Game creates its immersive experiences — as I got a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to bring these brain-breakers to life. From idea development and secret-solving strategies to when they decide to give you a clue (or not), here’s everything I learned about how escape rooms work.
1.
The first step in creating an escape room is coming up with a theme or a mechanic.
“After our initial brainstorming, the story and puzzles start to take shape,” said Ben Enos, Senior Director of Product Design. “Sometimes the puzzles fall right into place because they perfectly fit the theme. Other times, we start with what seems like a ‘bad idea’ but keep chipping away until we uncover the nugget of gold.”
“Inspiration can come from anywhere. When we designed a Rugrats game, one of the puzzles was actually inspired by my daughter’s magnetic letters. The story itself develops alongside the design. Puzzles influence the narrative, and the narrative shapes the puzzles. Both keep evolving until they land in that sweet spot where everything just clicks.”
2.
It takes about a year — and a team of engineers, artists, and storytellers — to build one escape room.
“It includes figuring out conceptual design, technical design, fabrication, testing, installation, training — and a whole lot of iteration,” Ben shared.
“Once we’ve settled on an idea, we send it to our collaborators — engineers, electronics specialists, fabricators — so we can gauge what’s feasible and what needs adjusting. Our Game Design team will then start fleshing out the details, thinking through story, puzzles, game flow, layout, special effects, transitions, and environments. From there, we build the room to scale and begin prototyping.”
3.
The first version of a game includes cardboard, plywood, and lots of testing.
“When we start out, puzzles and props might just be cardboard, plywood, or printouts, but we test them quickly,” Ben explained. “Our internal team members will play individual puzzles and full groups will run through the entire game. From there, we’ll refine the details, build the real components, and then install them back into the prototype space until the game comes to life. At the same time, construction will be underway at the location, so the space is ready for installation.”
4.
Installation can take either just under or a little over a month to complete.
Ben said, “Once the prototype is finished, we move everything on-site. Installation typically takes three to six weeks, depending on the complexity of the environments.”
5.
Testing doesn’t stop there — it ramps up.
“After we’re finished building, the testing cycle starts again,” Ben confessed. “We play through internally, then invite friends and family, and eventually open it up to the general public. This is where the last 10% of iteration happens when the game goes from good to great. Once we’re confident in the experience, we open it to the public. Even after launch, we’re still watching closely. Guest and team feedback, durability, and game stats all help us keep refining the experience. Once the first location is solid, the game goes into production for additional installs across the country, and then we’re off to the races.”
6.
Some escape rooms are made with celebrity input — and some celebs get really into the details.
“It varies by project,” Ben admitted. “The Jonas Brothers themselves weren’t deeply involved, but their team collaborated on brainstorming and creative reviews. For mission videos, letting you know your assignment at the start of the game, we often get more direct involvement from celebrities.” Marketing director Teddy Cheek says Tyler Merritt, who played the Ancient Ruins guide Captain Mac was very involved.
7.
Yes — some of the props and artifacts are real.
“For our Special Ops Escape Room, we not only had to build a missile but also had to learn how one actually works,” Ben revealed. “We also partnered with Amazon on a game for their show Truth Seekers, which featured a taxidermied badger. We ended up buying three taxidermied badgers from France that we named Kevin. They’re still around HQ and the Adventure Factory today, including one in the game design office.”
8.
Each room is equipped with at least a half-dozen cameras and microphones so game guides can watch from behind the scenes.
“We have multiple cameras so we can track progress and guide the experience,” Ben said. “We make sure every corner is covered and aim cameras at key props. Each game has six or more cameras and several microphones, which the game guide can adjust depending on where the action is happening.”
9.
Glow-in-the-dark features like this handprint are made using UV-resistant paint.
“If you put a flashlight on it and take it away, it will actually hold the print for a duration of time,” game designer Rachel Hatcher shared. “So you don’t actually have to hold the light on it to show the details.”
10.
Hints are given out by software and instinct.
Ben said, “We have an in-house game guiding software, cOSmo, that includes a bank of clues for every puzzle, from super vague clues to a total giveaway. It gives our game guides the flexibility to deliver just the right hint based on a team’s dynamics and progress. If none of the pre-written clues fit, they can also write a custom one on the fly. cOSmo also tracks key benchmarks throughout the game. These aren’t rigid numbers but broad time ranges, so game guides can lean on their instincts and expertise to shape the best experience possible.”
11.
There’s a protocol for when game guides should help — and when they should wait.
“Our guides are amazing at reading the room and knowing exactly when to drop a hint,” Ben gushed. “Since every team interacts with the game differently, it’s less of a formula and more of a gut feeling – something they sharpen and refine over time. In game design, we talk a lot about ‘good frustration’ — that sweet spot where a team has to really grind through a puzzle but solves it just before hitting the wall. Bad frustration’ is what happens when they go past that point. That’s where our guides step in. The moment they see a team starting to tip into that zone, they step in with the right nudge at just the right time to keep the experience fun and moving forward.”
12.
Some puzzles have more than one solution.
“Some puzzles are designed with ‘variable difficulty,'” Ben revealed, “which allows us to adjust how challenging they are on the fly without players ever realizing it. This is only possible with tech-driven puzzles, since we avoid entering a room mid-game unless it’s absolutely necessary. Other times, we discover multiple solutions during testing. If it works and doesn’t break the flow, we’ll set it up so that either solution is valid.”
13.
There are also procedures for when something breaks. Ben shared, “For tech-driven props, we have full control and can manually override if something doesn’t work the way it should.”
“Physical pieces are trickier, but that’s where our guides shine. They’re excellent at adapting on the fly and guiding teams through any mid-game hiccups without breaking the experience.”
14.
Even the creators have struggled to solve puzzles.
“We scrap puzzles all the time,” Ben admitted, “usually early on during testing at the Adventure Factory, but sometimes even after a game launches. Iteration is core to our process, so we expect some changes. One time, it took our team, which is usually pretty fast, almost an hour and a half just to get through a test, so we went back to make adjustments to make it more easily solvable.”
15.
Pieces are regularly changed and replaced to keep everything in pristine condition.
“We’ve built systems to keep everything looking and working great, from regularly replacing movable props to touching up paint and making simple fixes right on site,” Ben said. “When a repair is more complex, we’ll either send a specialist out or walk the local team through it over a video call. And for handheld props that wear down quickly, we keep plenty of backups on hand so the store can swap them out at a moment’s notice.”
16.
Rooms have to be reset in mere minutes.
Ben explained, “On a busy day, we’ve only got a few minutes between games to reset, so we’ve had to build processes that make sure everything is perfect for the next group. Our game guides follow a checklist in a very specific order, optimized for speed and to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.”
“Of course, we’ll still get curveballs from time to time, like when a prop ends up lost somewhere in the room. The hardest reset we have is in Playground, where over a hundred ball pit balls come raining down from the ceiling and need to be put back 14 feet in the air. To handle that, we rigged up a hidden vacuum system that game guides pull out from behind the playset. It’s powered by a leaf blower with the tube attached to the inlet, so it has just enough suction to get the job done.”
17.
You should look and listen closely because some puzzles contain Easter eggs.
“The classic Wilhelm Scream shows up in several games, hidden somewhere in the soundscape,” Ben confessed. “And in Special Ops, if you type a certain year into the cash register, you’ll unlock a sound effect from Super Mario Brothers.”
Ben said, “The best teams aren’t necessarily full of puzzle pros — they’re the ones that communicate well, stay positive, and trust each other. We’ve seen groups with a wide mix of ages and skill sets do really well because they listen to one another. A kid pointing out something obvious that the adults overlooked happens all the time. Curiosity, creativity, and collaboration are the real superpowers in escape games.”
Have you ever done an escape room? If so, how was it? Tell me about your experience below — and to find your nearest Escape Game, go here.
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