EXIT – The Secret Lab

Locked Down

In 2016, the ‘before times’, Escape Rooms were on a massive incline. The notion of being locked in a room, while a timer counts down, forcing you to find clues in order to escape was a strange one, but it quickly becomes addictive. The rush of finding a clue grows to the rush of finding an item which then leads to the rush of successfully opening that final door. So it was inevitable that this format would reach tabletops. Rooms were now replaced with cards but the same conceit was there. Find clues to puzzles that lead to finding certain other cards continuing the cycle until you find the way out. This format was picking up in popularity in 2019 but who could have predicted that the world would be shut down and physical escape rooms would be temporarily shelved only to be replaced by their card based counterparts. Since then, KOSMOS‘ Exit: The Game series has exploded in popularity and become known as one of the leaders of the genre. The Secret Lab is rated in many EXiT fans ‘top 10 EXiT games’ lists!

Riddle Me This

Exit: The Secret Lab, designed by Inka and Markus Brand is one of their earliest releases and is labelled as mid-tier difficulty. It is very difficult to discuss escape room games without giving away spoilers but the basic plot is as follows: As the subjects of a medical study, you and up to five other players have checked into a lab, but while there on time at the site, no one else seems to be around. You notice that steam has started emerging from one of the test tubes, and you’re starting to get dizzy to the point of passing out. When you awaken, you discover that the door is locked and no other way out seems possible. Only a notebook and an enigmatic spinning code dial seem to offer any clues for how to escape the lab.

The system is simple. You have a deck of riddle cards and a deck of answer cards. As you enter your first room, there will be a riddle card hidden somewhere. Once you have found it you can draw the matching one from the deck, marked by letters. These riddle cards will offer a clue or a puzzle which will lead to a number. However, what makes it really interesting is that to get the number you will need to crack a circular codex. By matching the shape associated with a specific puzzle with a series of coloured chemicals you will be shown a figure. You can then search the answer deck for the matching card. Once flipped it will either tell you that you are wrong or it will congratulate you and tell you some more riddle cards to uncover.

But what if you get stuck? Well there is a set of hint cards for every puzzle. Each mini deck has three cards. The first will give you a slight hint, usually leading you to a page in the booklet or a specific riddle card whereas the second will go into a little more detail about what you might need to do with that information. If you still can’t crack the dice then the final card will simply tell you the solution. This system works really well and means that you always have a way to continue in the game but your score at the end will be effected by how many hints you used. This pushes you to try as hard as you can before reaching for a little help.

The player count is worth mentioning. Each Exit game makes for a great solo experience, bearing in mind it becomes a lot more difficult with only one set of eyes and one brain. However, despite saying it plays up to 6, at the higher player count it becomes a lot more chaotic and people can struggle to be heard. The cards are also standard size and so end up having to be passed around a lot for people to be able to see what is on them. It feels like 3 or 4 players in the sweet spot for these games, allowing enough interaction without it feeling like you are fighting to be involved.

Exit Through The Gift Shop

It is impossible to talk about escape rooms games without a mention of the Unlock series. These use a similar card based puzzle system but instead incorporate a tablet into the mix where answers are inputted. This also allows the game to add in digital puzzles as well in order to add variation. Each game also comes with a soundtrack to help with the immersion.

What makes the Exit series different to its biggest competitor, is the lack of replayability. Whereas the Unlocks come with three games which you can pack back up and gift to someone else, the Exit system was designed to be much more of an escape room experience, destroying stuff as you go. This makes them far more tactile and interactive and others.

For me, there is nothing more satisfying that cutting things up and scribbling on cards as you try and decipher each puzzle. It feels more interactive and much more satisfying when you get something right. You will know whether this will appeal to you or whether you prefer to reuse and recycle. However, as a ‘one and done’, the price point for the amount of entertainment you get is brilliant. For the price of one cinema ticket and taking about the time of a standard Marvel film, the experience is fantastic value for money.