Escape Academy is a game like no other. It successfully captures the sense of discovery you feel in a good escape room. Every puzzle is a fun challenge, with an emphasis on the challenge. After playing the entire game and learning the best ways to solve puzzles I am ready to make sure you don’t fall victim to the same mistakes I did. Here are the seven things to know before starting the game, to help you with your puzzle-solving adventure.
1. Take notes
If there is one thing you take away from this guide let it be this, take handwritten notes. Escape Academy’s puzzles don’t just rely on placing objects in the right place or finding a hidden key. They rely on the player’s ability to understand and solve logical puzzles. Many puzzles don’t exist in an interactive way, they exist in the mind. If you don’t take notes, you will miss things.
You may need to solve a sudoku puzzle or decipher a lengthy coded phrase. All of these become easier when you have a physical place with all your thoughts. This record will come in handy beyond being a place to work out solutions. Escape Academy sometimes pulls a trick on the player, revealing a puzzle requires information from several puzzles prior. Having puzzle clues and solutions in my notebook made my escape times that much quicker.
2. Play with a friend
Escape rooms aren’t meant to be played solo. Escape Academy is the same. While the game allows for solo play, the co-op experience is necessary to truly thrive. Playing with a friend allows you to talk through puzzles, something that could benefit you if you get stuck.
Divide and conquer is the best strategy to get you through Escape Academy in the quickest amount of time. Puzzles often have two parts that are across the map from each other, having a friend makes these tasks that much easier to complete.
Communication may be your best tool in solving puzzles.
3. You can cheat the system
Sometimes you just need to game the system a little. Much like real-life escape rooms, there are several puzzles that involve locks, codes, and number sequences. If you want to be as quick as you can, or you are having trouble finding a piece of the solution, just remember that sometimes guess and check is your friend.
If a lock requires a three-digit code, and you have found two of the digits then all you must do is try every number on the third digit. The lock will open automatically when the correct number is in place.
In one escape room, you will be tasked with racing another student through identical puzzles. If you are having trouble, you can sneak a pick at your opponent's solutions and skip through whatever roadblock you are at.
4. Talk to everybody
The escape rooms aren’t the only way to interact with the world of Escape Academy. Between puzzles, you can talk with the school’s faculty. These moments are more than just set dressing. The story gives you information on the specific motivations and pasts of the faculty.
Each faculty member also oversees the escape rooms. The puzzles are themed around each professor's interests and history. Talking to them gives you an edge on puzzle solving that could just be the difference between success and failure.
There is more to Escape Academy than just puzzle solving.
5. Look before you leap
In a traditional escape room, you don’t have to worry about anything bad happening to you. Just pick up anything that isn’t nailed down in the room and see what helps you solve a puzzle. Escape Academy will punish you for this. At several points in the game, there will be moments when you can negatively affect your ability to solve puzzles by interacting with objects without thinking.
If something seems like it might be dangerous, don’t touch it until you know what to do. One wrong move can blow you up. So, steer clear until you have a concrete piece of information that will help you avoid danger.
6. Think outside the box
Every puzzle in the game has a difficulty ranking on a scale from one to five. There is only one fifth-level puzzle, the final escape room. If you are having trouble making your way through this challenge, then try to take a step back and consider alternative routes.
Sometimes the path put before you are not the only option. Items can sometimes be used for more than one thing and figuring out what other secrets can be uncovered may be the key to solving the problem before you.
7. Don’t be afraid to use a hint
If none of these tips are helping you get through a particularly difficult puzzle, then there is no shame in using the hint system. Escape Academy will give you hints for each stage of a puzzle, meaning it won’t ruin your entire experience if you just need help on one specific thing.
Escape Academy is available on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC.
