The Great Escape
Never did we imagine we would find ourselves locked in a Las Vegas hotel room with only an hour to escape. Fearing the strong arm of the law, the IN Noosa Magazine team set to work cracking the code to make it to safety in the ultimate Red Lock Escape Room experience. Jolene Ogle reveals if we made it.
Initially, when I was told we would have one hour to escape a room no bigger than the average bedroom I was boldly
optimistic. Deadline was approaching and I had a long list of things to do. No problem; we would be in and out in
no time and I’d be back at work.
If you’ve never heard of Red Lock Escape Rooms, then you’re not alone. They are a new experience that requires you to solve a series of puzzles in order to get the key that unlocks the door.
You have one hour to get out, with the assistance of a mysterious helper who can give you an extra clue or two if you get stuck. The theme of the escape room can vary and the intensity of this game can increase if you think you’re pretty clever.
With our sunnies on, our IN Noosa Magazine crew channelled our best Hangover impersonation and stumbled
into the Las Vegas hotel room. Dimly lit with fluffy pillows on the bed and a well-stocked mini bar, Editor-in-Chief
Deb flopped on the bed and asked us to wake her once we were out.
We are told we have one hour to escape before the police break down the door and arrested us for something we had done the night before (but have no recollection of!). Like all overachievers, the whole team set to work immediately trying to solve the clues that would lead us to the next puzzle.
We were feeling so confident, we ever stopped to dress up in the props – a cowboy hat for Deb (who couldn’t actually resist joining in the adventure!); stripper shoes that didn’t last long on Mel; and a dressing gown for Shona (don’t even ask what I was wearing!).
Time was ticking away, but we weren’t worried. We solved the first few puzzles and put together a tricky clue or two and then it happened – we got stuck. Did we need to add those numbers together or divide them? Did those letters mean anything? Were we overthinking it all?
Maybe we weren’t as clever as we thought and this escape room was indeed a cunning challenge we couldn’t crack!
A time check revealed a whopping 40 minutes had passed and we were still a long way from opening the door.
Letters, numbers and clues; a mini bar and briefcases – what did it all have to do with our shenanigans from the previous night?
We were totally enthralled by our predicament. The quest became real and we began to panic knowing we had only
10 minutes to go. Our voices rose and we pulled together as a team as we tried to work out how to get out of the room and what on earth we had done the night before.
Every code that was cracked brought us closer to our escape. Just seven minutes to go and I stood at the door, fingers working the padlock as codes were shouted from my teammates. Five minutes to go but the lock wasn’t budging.
Quickly, Shona yelled the final number and *click * the padlock popped open with 3 minutes and 49 seconds left
on the clock! We let out a collective sigh as we ran from the room, happy to avoid those cops before they could arrest us.
What had we done the night before? Well, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. You’ll have to do the escape room to find out for yourself.
