Why You SHOULD Ask for Hints in an Escape Room

Almost all escape rooms allow groups to ask for hints as they play the room. Some escape rooms limit the number of hints groups can ask for, or they will penalize groups with time deductions for asking hints. At Breakout, we don’t limit the amount of hints groups can ask for. We like groups to be able to control the level of difficulty themselves. They can make it easier or more challenging by the number of hints they use.

When you play at Breakout, the difficulty level will always be up to you. However, with all that being said, we strongly encourage you to ask for hints when you need them. This is why.

We PROMISE– asking for a clue doesn’t mean that you’re dumb or not good at escape rooms. We give you hints for a reason– our puzzles are challenging! And sometimes you might just need a small push for things to lock into place. Remember that we won’t give you the direct answer, just a push in the right direction. 

Again, our rooms are designed to challenge you. That doesn’t mean breaking out without clues is impossible, and we don’t say this to discourage you. But we see a lot of groups assume that they’re not doing as well as other groups because of the fact that they are asking for clues, and that’s not true. 

It’s definitely a misconception that the most “experienced” escape room players don’t ask for hints. In fact, one of the ways we can tell if a group has played escape rooms before is that they know when to ask for help.  

The reason is that asking for clues can actually be a good strategy to solving the room. You can think about it like this– hints are resources. And using them means you are using your resources. 

We still encourage you to challenge yourself. It’s fun to figure things out completely on your own. But don’t sacrifice having a good time to the desire of solving it all. 

No matter what, the number of hints you use will always be up to you. If you want to go for no hints, you are still welcome to do that. But we just want to encourage you that asking for hints is more than okay– it’s a smart strategy.