What Is It Like to Expect to Be Trapped

How is the trap room experience different from the regular escaping room adventures? This is one of the most common questions players ask when they learn there’s a trap mechanic in the quest they’re interested in.

With trap rooms, there’s much more of a stress factor involved, so if you want your escape quest to be kind, calm and forgiving, you’d better check out more classic adventures. However, for those who’re in it for the thrills, the trap factor is what makes the time spent under the lock truly shine.

What Is A Trap Room

Technically speaking, there are no straight requirements. When you’re picking up a horror escape room, or book a “pirate escape quest” for your child’s birthday party, you mostly know what’s awaiting you. With trap rooms, you should carefully read the description, as there are several types of quests:

  • Rooms where traps mostly represent the setting. For example, you can start getting locked in a trap, and then have to get out of there in 60 minutes.
  • Rooms where traps represent your progress (or lack of it). When a certain amount of time passes, the conditions become more severe. Sometimes, the environment reacts exactly at your mistakes. That’s a way to keep the players from mindless actions and make them plan ahead.
  • Rooms where trap mechanic is an important part of storytelling and (or) gameplay. Sometimes in trap escape adventures, you may be separated from your comrades in the middle of adventure. Getting back together is one of the plotlines; also, often there are puzzles that require you to communicate with the side that remained free. Screaming, writing notes or gesturing to the security cameras works great in such strict conditions.

Of course, there are also trap escape rooms where traps have no importance whatsoever. They’re barely mentioned in the brief; also the design of room and its puzzles has nothing to do with recreating a feeling of being trapped. But we don’t think these adventures should be counted as trap rooms at all.

Egypt escape room with a giant black cat figure

Great Settings For Trap Rooms

There’s a certain amount of topics that seems to always form the nicest combinations with trap themes:

  • Ancient tomb. Naturally, there’ll be lots of traps, where it’s Egypt or something left from Aztecs.
  • Try to focus and not get distracted as a scary zombie on a chain is getting closer and closer! This one never gets old, as it’s basically the closest you can get to survival action game experience.
  • Spaceships and science labs. Science holds many dangers, and whether it’s the end or the world approaching or you’re just stuck on a broken ship in outer space, there are no limits to creativity of trapping mechanics.