Roll call! The Escape Game’s Playground is the perfect back to school extracurricular activity. Think you’re smarter than a fourth grader? Well break out your calculators, jump ropes, and bird watching binoculars because this colorful world of puzzles will put your brains and brawn to the test.
Playground is one of several expertly designed escape rooms offered by The Escape Game, which includes another of our favorites: Gold Rush. As suggested in the title, these clever puzzles span a classroom setting to an outdoor blacktop with jungle gym elements that are most comfortably enjoyed in close-toed shoes and P.E. attire. This room contains no actors, is moderate in difficulty, and is one of the most polished and clever escape games that our team has played—even if you aren’t a fourth grader.
This adventure begins in the classroom: Coach Robbie is depending on you, the fourth graders, to go for the gold in the annual kickball tournament against… kids that look like they might be better suited for classes at the local community college? But first, academic success is the primary goal, and the students have to do well on their class report cards to compete in the game. No one wants to be a loser! Even without any actors present, we felt immersed in the storyline with the aid of the school announcements and updates from the teacher’s assistant on the television.
While there is an overall order in which the assignments should be completed (as indicated by the easily visible report card, found both in and out of the classroom), the puzzles are configured in a multi-track manner that allows for different groups to work on several projects at once, whether it’s Math, English, Social Science, or Art. This allows for replayability for groups who want to come back and work on puzzles they may not have experienced the first time. The progression from the classroom to the playground feels as exciting as finally making it to recess, and the design and placement of the puzzles works best for teams that work together. No one likes a teacher’s pet.
The set design itself deserves extra credit and at least two gold stars. While the inside is cleverly decorated with extra-large whiteboards and brightly colored educational wall art that ensure that we felt as small as fourth graders should, the outside feels a lot like… outside. There are numerous items to study inside or to play with outside, ranging from books and history facts to jerseys to wear and footballs to throw. The accomplishment of these forced perspectives and numerous details in such a small space is impressive, and greatly aided in tapping into our inner child’s sense of curiosity and wonder. And of course, who can resist the charm of hula hoops and a secret passageway?
The difficulty rating of the Playground puzzles is designated at a 6 out of 10 by The Escape Game, and we found ourselves sufficiently challenged. Some puzzles were quick to solve, while others required numerous steps and pieces coming together. A favorite was a massive crossword puzzle that had our entire team scouring the room to fill in the blanks. One of the best parts of Playground is that there are little to no combination locks. These appear to be a mainstay of escape rooms, but everything here felt diegetic—and challenges a fourth grader may face in their day at school. Further, if you’re ever feeling stuck, don’t panic! The helpful teacher’s assistant is happy to offer guidance in the right direction with a subtle hint on the monitors.
All in all, this family-friendly escape room is a charming challenge that left us reminiscing on simpler times. We were thrilled to get straight A’s on our report card, but even if we hadn’t, the time spent cultivating our teamwork skills and going back to the basics was a happy reminder that sometimes, it’s best not to overthink things.
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