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SALT LAKE CITY — Can you think your way out of a locked room in less than an hour? A new live escape room is coming to Utah, and participants have only an hour to solve puzzles and clues to find their way out.
There are only a handful of "escape rooms" or "live-action games" in the world, and the live escape room in London is the No. 1 rated tourist attraction, according to Trip Advisor.
The idea started in Japan a few years ago, and it's slowly catching on. The only one in Utah is coming soon to the Gateway Mall and will be one of only four in the nation.
Groups are locked into the mystery room and given an hour to find a way out.
"Over a condensed period of time, it really makes you work and makes you think,” said Mystery Escape Room owner Les Pardew.
The combination to two door locks can be determined only by solving a variety of puzzles and clues, and there are dozens of them in the room.
In one corner is an actual puzzle that will reveal valuable information. On a chalkboard there's a mathematic formula that needs solving; a chess board, books, tea set, locked boxes and chests that need to be opened to find other clues.
If the group can't make it out of the room in time, the room fills with fake “fatal” gas, signalling the hour is up. So far, no test group has been successful in the Utah room.
These mystery escape rooms are fun for families and groups, and they can be a team-building tool for company employee retreats, Pardew added. New York City has an escape room and the Today Show cast went through it a few months ago. There are others in Las Vegas, San Francisco and now Utah.
Watch the video to see if KSL reporter Keith McCord can escape with his group.
The Mystery Escape Room will open in about a week and will have three rooms with different themes. Visit mysterescaperoom.com to make a reservation. The upcoming Moriarty's Parlor costs $29.95.
