Pirate's Shipwreck Comping Soon!

Ahoy mateys, it’s a pirates life for me!  Yo ho and a bottle of….well, so there’s no actual rum to be found, but there will be treasures galore at the newest room called Pirate's Shipwreck at Escapades Escape Rooms in Sioux Falls, SD. 

Entering Pirate's Shipwreck you’ll be able to step into another world (you might want to wear sandals actually) and another time to discover our biggest adventure yet.

From the life-sized pirate ship to the sandy beaches and all the features in between, you’re not going to want to miss this crazy escape room. It will truly be the finest escape room in Sioux Falls!

So mark your calendars for the anticipated opening date of June 3rd, and get ready to set sail on an adverture you will not soon forget!

Escape from Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia is described as an abnormal, extreme or irrational fear of being in narrow or confined places.  It comes from the word “claustrum” which means closed in and the word “phobia” which means fear.  People that describe themselves as claustrophobic have been known to have symptoms that vary from sweating and accelerated heart rate to nausea, numbness and even fainting.  Claustrophobia has been said to be genetically linked to an old survival instinct that is actually no longer applicable.

Those that have experienced claustrophobia in the past though, wouldn’t always agree with the description of it being “irrational.”  It makes sense that when you get into an elevator that there could potentially be a break-down and you will be stuck with the 11-15 sweaty, smelly strangers for who knows how long!  So that’s not an irrational fear, after all it COULD happen, right?!

On the other hand, having an overwhelming sense of dread for what could potentially happen not only steals your peace, but can become crippling.  And if that fear prevents you from taking an elevator to meet with a client on the 14th floor (which you can’t physically handle climbing the stairs to), it is simply interfering with your life.  If you have experienced claustrophobia to the extent that you have had life-threatening symptoms, you should see a doctor and discuss treatment options.

That being said, clients have come to our Escapades Escape Rooms that have described claustrophobic episodes in their lives and voiced their trepidation and potential inability to participate.  So what do you tell those people?

·         The Escapades Escape rooms are not “confined” places.  You are not actually “locked in” to any of the rooms and you can leave at any point in time.  Even for the rooms that do have locks to solve, there is always a staff member on hand interacting with the group as well as an “Escape Plan B” presented in case anyone becomes overwhelmed.

·         At Escapades Escape, you’re never “alone.”  Not only is our staff compassionate, but you’ll usually be with friends and family that know you and will be there for you as well. We will be cheering you all on and there’s no shame in not making it all the way through.

·         Escapades Escape rooms are a blast!  You will be so caught up having fun trying to find and solve clues, your past fears will likely be the last thing on your mind. You’ll be busy interacting with your team mates and racing against the clock.  And, you might escape from claustrophobia!  Past clients that said they were claustrophobic have actually said they not only enjoyed the game, but came out feeling better having faced their fear and succeeded in overcoming it.

So how about it?  Ready to engage in a little adventure?!  We’re here to answer any questions and help you have some extreme fun at Escapades Escape Rooms!

by: Trissa Van Roekel

Unique Gift Ideas

Escapades Escape Rooms Sioux Falls

Escapades is tapping into the local holiday gift market by offering discounted vouchers. Give the gift of an adventure to all those hard to buy for people. Our escape rooms are great for anyone ages 7-77!

Escape rooms are building in awareness in Sioux Falls and the surrounding areas. As a result a wide variety of people are trying them out! This is the perfect thing to do with friends and family in town for the holiday season.

With the coupon code GIFT16 customers will save 33% off their bookings or can use the code to purchase gift voucher to give as holiday gifts. Both transactions can be done on the website www.escapadesescape.com.

Escape 605 will have a run for their money!

While Escape 605 has dominated the Sioux Falls escape game market, other escape companies are stepping up advertising efforts. Escapades has been open since July and is already making big changes. Other companies such as Sherlock & Co. are also starting to gain some traction.

Escapades is set to open their third room in Mid January 2017. After recently coming under new ownership and relocating, Escapades has now opted for a more permanent setup! Now located at 3313 S Western Ave in Sioux Falls, Escapades is expanding to include 2-3 more escape rooms. One of the big reasons for adding more rooms is to accomodate the request for bigger rooms that can hold more people!

The next room set to open is called "The Paris Heist." The theme is centered around the ring robbery of Kim Kardashian. While there is no hold up involved, the participants will be committing a robbery! Several special electronic elements are going to make this escape room unique in the Sioux Falls market.

The Paris Heist - Escapades Escape Rooms

The new location provides several spaces and options for hosting parties! This sets Escapades apart from the local competition. Having party space available allows for corporate parties, holiday parties, birthday parties and more! The first group to take advantage of the meeting space while taking turns playing the escape game was a group of employees from Sanford Hospital!

Party space can accommodate up to 50 people. For more information contact Escapades at 605-321-1130 or visit our website at www.EscapadesEscape.com

New Location

Escapades has now relocated to 3313 S Western Ave where it is under new ownership and management. This is a highly visible corner and new owners are hopeful it will be helpful in spreading the word about the Escapades escape rooms! There are currently 2 escape rooms and also 2 more in the works going inside the building. The new rooms will allow for bigger groups to play. The next room is scheduled to be open near the end of December 2016.

On themes

I'd like to take a few minutes today to discuss the topic of themes as it concerns to escape games. Some of my best experiences in escape rooms have been due to well themed and constructed sets. A good theme can really take a room from good to great.

Our first two themes are Library and Puns. We chose these by polling about 20 people that were interested when we started floating the idea around of starting Escapades. I would like to continue picking themes with a similar manner in the future, so that we can deliver what the customers want. We will launch a method for voting for the next theme, shortly after we open on the 8th.

I would recommend you play The Forgotten Library first, because it is really our "first" escape room. The Library here is a personal library, not a public one. I've tried to incorporate a decent number of library related puzzles into the room, while trying to avoid anything too bookish. I have realized not everyone likes reading as much as I do, and we want to appeal to a broad range of people. The intro story is that no one has heard from a reclusive older man in a while and you have been asked to go out to his house and check on him.

The second room is RaPunzel's cottage; this is the pun themed room referred to earlier. While we are incorporating some really great punzzles into this room, we have tried very hard to make sure that you won't be punished too severely if you are not as punny as me. The intro here is that RaPunzel was too indepundent for her family, and does not feel that she is long for this world. If you can show her that you appreciate her sense of humor she may just put you in her will. 

Thanks for reading, hope to see you soon.

 - Adam S.

Ford company enters escape room arena.

The auto manufacturer Ford has launched the world's largest escape room experience with a driveable game. Why? Why not! One of their vehicles is named Ford Escape, so the Ford Motor Company saw a Segway into the the escape game industry. They are now cashing in by joining the growing interest in escape rooms across the country.

Ford's leaders were blown away when they sold out in less than 24-hours to more than 1,000 eager escape game enthusiasts. This unique escape room launched in Midtown Manattan just this week, June 23-26th at Moynihan Station; a 35,000 sq ft venue. Their aim? To connect with the infamous millennial buyers who are willing to pay more for an "experience." This brilliant move by Ford gets these prospective buyers behind the wheel essentially test driving the Ford Escape while they play the game. Each customer is able to egage with the Ford brand on a whole new level.

This is the first every driveable game and has set the tone for future escape adventures. Ford has integrated several in-vehicle features that have heightened the escape experience. Some of those include: voice to text, enhanced park assistance, collision warning, seven color ambient lighting, hands free and foot activated liftgate.

We are excited to see the elevation in technology in the escape room industry, and cannot wait to include more automation and technology in our rooms at Escapades.

To read more about Ford's escape room experience follow this link.