How We Threw a Fancy House Party with a DIY Escape Room:

Our story takes place in the dark days of COVID...

The first few days of our social isolation were refreshing but eventually, the boredom made its way to us. So what did we do? The High Wizards decided to throw a mini house party!(Once it was safe, of course)

This article is a quick summary of how you can use the Envy escape room kit to add a whole lot of extra pizazz to your next house party. It certainly helped us fend off our social isolation blues!

Breaking the ice is an essential part of any get-together. It’s hard to have a good time if the evening is being weighed down by awkward half-smiles and sliding glances, so melting the ice was super important!

This is where the prop-pack (included with the escape room kit) comes into play.

The props followed the 1920’s theme and allowed guests to get into character by chatting while trying on glasses, moustaches and bowties. This went on for about an hour while 1920’s music played in the background, slowly making us feel like we were at a party hosted by the great Jay Gatsby himself!

Eventually, it was time to get to the main event: our escape room game. Like any escape room party, the first step is to split the players into teams, so we divided ourselves into three teams of five.

Setting up the game is super easy. Our night full of jazz and rebellion was kickstarted in three simple steps:

• We gave each team a printed copy of the game, markers, scissors, and some tape.
• I read out the introduction like a Broadway voiceover.
• Everyone jumped right in to solve the enigmatic murder mystery!

The fun-factor of these types of parties hinges on strong competition, so some healthy dramatic rivalry was definitely in order... and it started as soon as I yelled ‘go’.

Two of the three groups scrambled from the living room to their own private meeting spots.

One group found a quiet corner behind a desk. From there, they proceeded to plot and scheme in hushed tones.

Another group took to the deepest, darkest hidey-hole they could possibly find. They opted to work stealthily by torchlight.

This competition made the 1920’s nightlife practically buzz! The whole event was very competitive with each team finishing within five minutes of each other. Talk about close!

Overall, it was a very memorable evening. The game itself engaged our minds in new and exciting ways. Once the game got started, the pandemic outside ceased to exist for an entire evening. We were having an absolute blast roaring in the 1920’s alongside the Great Gatsby and Al-Capone!

Better yet, people really connected over the game. The competitive atmosphere drew teams together, and it made for a perfect bonding experience among friends.

Unfortunately, we don’t have any photos from after the game. We were all having such a good time! Everyone was in full party mode. There was some dancing, lots of chilling out, and great conversations.

This is the kind of experience that the Envy escape room kit excels at creating. Need something a little extravagant, refreshingly novel, and friendship-strengthening? Then Envy totally has you covered!

It doesn’t have to be a 1920’s murder mystery like ours. It just has to be a scene that you can easily get lost in. Our love for the 1920’s happened to be something that we had in common so that was what we did.

However, it should be noted that Envy isn't quite so suitable as a singleplayer game. Like Chess, you can play it alone (and some people really do enjoy this). However, it may not live up to its truly epic potential. Escape rooms tend to have at least two characters. We all know Sherlock Holmes isn’t the same without Watson, and Batman isn’t the same without Robin. So find yourself a sidekick before setting out on your grand quest!

If there are at least two people in your home and you’re bored, an escape room kit could just be the adventure that you need.