The Escape Room You Can Bring Home 
Authors: Matt Legault and Emily Bradshaw - June 11, 2020

Escape rooms as we know them today became widespread in North America, Europe and East Asia in the 2010s. Popular among teens and young adults, the escape room phenomenon became successful for its ability to immerse players in strange and exotic settings, while challenging both the mind and coordination. However, given present circumstances, many escape rooms have had to either adapt to a digital format or temporarily shut their doors.

Luckily, there is another way to enjoy the escape room experience from the comfort of your own home. Unlock! by game publisher Space Cowboys, features a series of cooperative games, each of which, via a single deck of cards, engages the same critical thinking parts of your brain as an escape room. Recreate the excitement and adventure for you and your (socially distanced) friends by exploring scenes, combining objects, solving riddles, and cracking codes, all around your favourite table.

Simply choose the version of Unlock! with the themes that inspire you—from the Wizard of Oz/Wild West, to Dinosaurs/Tales of Arabian nights, and Sherlock Holmes/Alice in Wonderland, a haunted house, and everything in between—open the deck of cards, download the free app, press play, and you’re off on a wild journey. The cards set the scene, pose challenges, and act as items, while the app works as a timer, a hint ­giver, a scary ­music provider, and a code ­cracker. Oh, and the best part of Unlock!? You can continue to the end of the adventure once the timer runs out!

New Unlock! adventures are released on a regular basis, so make sure to check us out often for new favourites!