Anyone who has ever played an escape room in North Rhine-Westphalia or anywhere else knows the typical ratings: „easy,“ „medium,“ or „hard.“ For many groups, these indicators provide initial guidance when choosing a room. However, in practice, it quickly becomes apparent that the difficulty level of escape rooms is much more subjective than it initially seems.

The reason is simple: people solve puzzles very differently.

While one person might immediately grasp how a mathematical puzzle works, another might be completely stumped. However, they might have a good eye for hidden clues in the room or spot details that others completely miss. Many escape rooms feature a wide variety of puzzles – and that's precisely what makes them so appealing.

Typically, several „puzzle types“ can be observed:

Some players love logical or mathematical puzzles. They analyse number sequences, codes or combinations and recognise patterns particularly quickly. Others are real observers. They find hidden clues, discover unusual symbols or notice small details in the background.

Then there are the combiners. These players are particularly good at linking different clues together and deriving a solution from them.

Others again have a knack for dexterity tasks or mechanical puzzles. They try things out, test mechanisms, and quickly understand how a physical puzzle works. And finally, there are players who are particularly good with symbols, ciphers, or unusual codes.

Depending on the puzzles included in an escape room and the skills a group brings, the same room can feel completely different. For one group, it might seem easy, while another group finds it extremely difficult.

Therefore, it's not so easy for operators of escape rooms in NRW, or indeed anywhere, to set a suitable difficulty level. The assessment is usually based on empirical values: How many groups complete the room? How many hints are needed on average? How much time is left at the end?

And last but not least, the assessment is a subjective assessment by the builders.

So there's always a degree of uncertainty. Because no group is like another.

Which escape rooms are the best?

Escape Rooms tend to work best when a group is made up of different „player types“. If one person is good at calculations, another has an eye for detail, and someone else is particularly good at deductive reasoning, these skills complement each other perfectly.

However, the decisive factor here is not just individual talent, but teamwork. Groups that share their observations, think together, and communicate with each other are almost always more successful than teams where everyone puzzles things out on their own.

It often becomes clear in the end, therefore: the difficulty of an escape room lies not only in the room itself – but above all in the team playing it.

So don't let the builders or other groups decide what they find difficult. Instead, you decide whether it will be a difficult escape room for advanced players or an easy escape room for beginners.