Ever heard of an Escape Room? My brother tried to get me to do one years ago, and I refused because it sounded too scary. About six months later, my boyfriend and his friends wanted to try one, so I reluctantly went along for the ride, armed with the knowledge that Kyle would console me if I had a breakdown. To my shocking surprise, we had an absolute blast and have since completed virtually every escape room in the Tampa Bay area (successfully I might add). So, when I saw that Escape Room: The Game existed, I jumped at the opportunity to bring the thrill and mystery of escape rooms to our cottage and  host as holiday game night for all our Maine friends. I made some delicious peppermint oreo truffles (recipe to come), heated up some hot cocoa, and made sure everyone had enough sugar to sustain themselves during the game.

Please note that the Escape Room game is ideal for teens and adults over the age of 16. The puzzles can get pretty challenging and the subject matter is relatively mature, so I wouldn’t recommend allowing children to play. Basically, players have 60 minutes to work together, find hidden clues, and solve puzzles to escape from one of the four included rooms. To make your escape, players must correctly enter a four key combination into the super fancy Chrono Decoder within the one-hour time frame.

For newbies out there, don’t worry! The puzzles in the Escape Room game are still very doable, even without experience. Just remember to take as many notes as possible; it may help your group connect dots during crunch time. Also, use helpful devices on your phone, like your flashlight, calculator, etc., to solve the puzzles. I’m not kidding– if you’re stumped, turn all the lights out and see if anything glows in the dark. Nothing is off limits with these games!

Plus, you can enhance the game experience by downloading the free Escape Room app on iPhone or Android for thematic background music and to share a photo of your team and your moment of victory! Kyle and I have group photos from every Escape Room we’ve ever done, so have no shame in documenting your big moment.

Or, if you choose to throw more of a slumber party type of holiday game night, you can also play the Escape Room game in cozy pajamas with a bottomless supply of homemade peppermint mochas. Sounds pretty sweet, right?

You can shop the Escape Room game here for just over $30. Remember that the game comes with four themes, including Prison Break, Nuclear Countdown, Virus, and Temple of the Aztec, so you can solve four separate “escape room” puzzles per box. Are any of y’all throwing a holiday game night? What’s on the docket?

_{I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.}