The rush of success in a Brain Storm will leave you wanting more
Fighting the clock to beat an escape room in Durban with a team of work mates, I thought of my uncle Johnathan. He once sat up all night trying to complete a children’s puzzle. “I’m not going to let this thing beat me!” he answered curtly whenever someone tried to tell him to go to bed. He would have loved Brain Storm Escape Room’s Saving Sherlock room!
One of our team was very competitive and went into the room wanting to beat all previous records.
If I’m honest, I was a little afraid of her intensity and terrified of letting the side down spectacularly. The other member of our team was unsure if she would even enjoy the game. “It’s not something I would usually do,” she said. However, after the hour was up we can’t stop raving about how much fun we had. All of us want to go back and do the other room, Cabin in the Woods.
The idea behind escape rooms is simple. It takes the experience of gaming from the virtual and two-dimensional realm, to the real world. Instead of clicking on a screen, you are moving around in a real-life scenario where clues are hidden, puzzles need to be solved, and time is of the essence.
Can you read the message hidden by these ciphers?
We have given you a key to help you out!
If you can, you are probably the type of person who would do well in an escape room. But even if you would struggle, the best part of the process is you are not alone, you have team-mates and help is available if you get stuck.
Clinton Green who, along with his fiancee Chelsea Campbell, co-founded Brain Storm Escape Rooms in Durban said since opening towards the end of 2017, the rooms have been enormously popular. The rooms are set up to take teams of between 2 and six people who are “locked” in, and have to interact with each other and the room itself to find clues, solve riddles and puzzles by using logic and teamwork to find their way out by ultimately solving the mystery and escaping the room within the allocated 60 minutes.
The idea of escape rooms has, since the turn of the century grown in popularity around the globe with some people even turning it into the focus of their tourism.
“We had a couple here on holiday from the UK who said they had done 80 different rooms,” said Green when explaining how the concept works.
One thing which Green said he added to BrainStorm which hadn’t been in evidence in any other escape rooms he had visited was a “Pre-Game Room”. Instead of being given written instructions or listening to a script being read out by Game Master, we were locked into a narrow, dark room about the size of a lift, where a voice-over set the scene. “It helps you to get into the character,” explained Green, and we can attest to the fact that it certainly does that. By the time the door to the room itself opens your heart is beating and you are rearing to go. The Pre-Game Room at Brainstorm Escape Rooms is a first for South Africa.
We beat the clock and escaped the room with almost 10 minutes to spare. Green and Game Master, Noma Khanyile, watching us in the room said we fared very well and they were amazed at how we put things together. “People all go about things in different ways and you guys were amazing,” he told us after we finished.
Game Masters watch the players to be on hand in case they need any help. “We are ready to give them a hint or a clue to help them escape and make sure they are all having fun while doing so,” said Green. The game is a perfect activity for parties and team-building of any type. “It’s great for Hens and Bulls Parties as well as birthdays,” said Green.
If you want to experience this thrill for yourself, Book your own Brainstorm Escape Room experience online today at www.brainstormescaperooms.co.za or visit the facebook page. Otherwise phone 061 1548290 for more information about setting up a booking for your family, friends, or even colleagues. Gift tokens for games are also available and make an ideal gift.
