Fox in a Box Room Escape is one of the leading brands in real-life escape games. Our first location opened in December 2013 and, with 28 locations at the beginning of 2017, we are one of the fastest-growing companies in the sector. We take our room design process very seriously and focus on quality, not quantity.
First, we always start with the story. We establish the backstory prior to entering the room and define the player’s overall objective. We also decide what the outcome will be, whether they succeed or fail. Having a solid narrative is an important part of escape rooms and enhances immersion. It helps players understand their role.
First, we always start with the story. We establish the backstory prior to entering the room and define the player’s overall objective. We also decide what the outcome will be, whether they (succeed or failHaving a solid narrative is an important part of escape rooms and enhances immersion. It helps players understand their role.
Once the story is set, our room-design team develops the layout and a puzzle system. The story’s setting has a huge impact on the types of puzzles that will be created. Some companies design the puzzles first and add the theme at the end, which risks creating dissonance. For example, if you’re on a pirate ship and there are touch-screen puzzles, it breaks the believability of the situation and your immersion suffers.
Next, I review everything created up to that point. I was an escape room enthusiast before founding Fox in a Box, and I enjoy taking an active role in the design of each of our rooms.
After the revisions, the individual puzzles are hand-drawn, with a description of how they are intended to function. Our electricians and carpenters review these puzzles to make sure they don’t foresee any potential issues.
When everyone is satisfied with each puzzle’s design, a 3D graphic model is created so it can be inspected from all angles. It is then turned into a technical drawing.
The carpenters build the puzzles while the electricians handle the necessary wiring and programming, and they are then fully assembled. The puzzles are tested and incorporated into the prototype room, where they’re connected to our custom software and hardware. The prototype room is completed with props and décor consistent with the theme and story.
Now we can test the rooms in their entirety, record the results, and make any necessary changes. Testing the rooms is incredibly important, since you have to account for the variety of approaches and logic that players may try. What we consider logical doesn’t always align with the average player, and sometimes what we perceive as difficult turns out to be easy during testing.
After all the testing and adjustments, the room is officially ready for production and is added to our Fox in a Box catalogue. Designing and building a room is a long process; from starting the story until it’s fully ready takes approximately six months.
A final element of the rooms are the Game Masters and their role-play. For example, in our Prison Break room, an irate guard leads you to your cell. This adds another layer of immersion that’s often overlooked. Other rooms may feature an introductory video that allows for a more dynamic and exciting explanation of the story than having a staff member simply tell it.
THE MIND GAMERS ROOMS
Working on the Mind Gamers experience with Red Bull is one of our most exciting projects to date. Fox in a Box is responsible for producing the rooms and puzzles for the World Final in Budapest.
Dr. Scott Nicholson and his team designed the semifinal and final rooms, drawing inspiration from quantum computing to create challenges that combine physical and mental elements.
Dr. Nicholson and Red Bull contacted us to take on this project because, as a company, we have the experience and resources to handle something of this magnitude. It’s an honor to be part of the first Escape Room World Final—although, as an enthusiast, I’m a bit regretful that I can’t participate as a player myself!
Based on Scott’s concept, we worked with him to define the overall game flow and showed how we intended to build each designed puzzle.
We then discussed the project with Red Bull TV. One of the main challenges for us was bringing Scott’s vision to life while ensuring the event could be filmed and broadcast worldwide. Since the finals will be televised live, the experience was revised several times to fit the format. This required a different approach from how we normally build puzzles and rooms, and it presented a fun new challenge for us.
Our goal has always been to create a final product and experience of the highest possible quality—one that everyone involved can be proud of and that is just as exciting whether you’re a player or a spectator.
Bob Melkus
CEO, Fox in a Box