Riddle Room

What is a riddle room?

A riddle room is another name for an escape room or a
breakout room. The goal is to win the game by solving all of the room’s riddles within sixty minutes so you can “escape” the room.

Some riddle rooms lock you in so that you literally escape
if you win. But in the interest of safety, others are objective-based games. In many rooms, you can leave whenever you’d like.

What is a riddle?

According to Wikipedia:

A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved.

The earliest preserved recorded riddle is from 2350 B.C. in
Mesopotamia. Riddles have existed in most cultures since then, often in folklore.

Frequently in these stories, the protagonist wins something by solving the riddle.

There are many ways to categorize riddles, but there are two main groupings.

#1: Language riddles, which hinge on an ambiguity or even a second meaning of a word or phrase. For example:

I have keys, but no locks and space, and no rooms. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?

Scroll to the bottom for the answer!

#2: Logic riddles, which require careful thought and ingenuity. For example:

This belongs to you,
but everyone else uses it.

Scroll to the bottom for the answer!

Riddles in a riddle room?

So, what can you expect from a riddle in a riddle room?

Well, there will be no trolls under bridges spouting riddles
for you to solve. But get ready to search the riddle room for clues.

Once you’ve found enough items or hints, you’ll meet your
first riddle. The solution to the first riddle will lead to the next, and so on. While many riddles don’t require anything beyond the riddle itself and your brain, in a riddle room, you’ll need to rely on elements in the room to progress. Solve all of the riddles in time, and you’ll win!

How do you create the riddles?

Every riddle room has a slightly different process for
creating their puzzles. Here’s an excerpt from an interview with our Game Designer, Alex Elder:

How does the process work? Do you come up with a puzzle and work it into a room?

First thing is usually theme because that dictates everything. It’s also the most difficult because I don’t want to repeat a theme I’ve seen. And I don’t want to be too derivative of anything. The worst is when people tell you, “Oh, I have a great idea for a room!” It usually already exists. After the theme, I try to come up with things that fit that theme. Then I create puzzles that match with those themes.

Ready to try your first riddle room?

Answer #1: Keyboard. Since the riddle works because of the two meanings of “space” and “enter”, it’s a language riddle.

Answer #2: Your name. There’s no trick to this riddle; you just have to figure it out. So, it’s a logic puzzle.