How do digital escape games work?
Answers to the questions we hear most often. Still need help? Write to us — we aim to reply within two working days.
What do I need to play?
A computer, tablet or TV connected to a computer. The Exploration edition runs online in your browser. The classic edition is a single downloadable file that can also be played offline once saved. There is nothing to print or cut out. Try a free room first to check how it works on your device.
How long does an adventure take?
You decide how much time to spend. The Exploration adventures have four locations and ten mechanisms; The Midnight Train has nine locations and eighteen mechanisms. The separate classic editions contain 80 puzzles, or 90 for the Train. Check each game’s page for its contents. You can stop and return later using your saved progress.
What age are the games for?
Our games are written for adults, with substantial reading and puzzles that require careful thought. The atmosphere is mysterious rather than built around jump scares. The Four Aces takes place in a period casino, but involves no real-money gambling. Read the game description and try its first room to decide whether it suits your group.
What if we get stuck?
You can ask for a hint inside the game. The Exploration edition offers clues for its mechanisms; the classic edition provides a hint and an explained solution for each puzzle. Use them when you want help, or keep investigating on your own.
How is this different from a printable escape-game kit?
There is no printing, cutting or hiding props. In the Exploration edition, you search illustrated scenes, collect objects and operate mechanisms on screen. The classic edition follows a separate series of written puzzles. Both let you save your progress.
Can I replay a game?
Yes. You can start again from the game’s options. The stories, clues and solutions are fixed, so a second playthrough will not be a new mystery. You can also introduce the adventure to a different group.
How does the Midnight Club work?
The French Club offer includes four adventures each month: three monthly games and one exclusive not sold individually. The listed plans are €44.99 per month, cancellable online, or €199.99 per year. Games already received remain yours after cancellation; previous months’ exclusives are not included retrospectively. See the French subscription page for the current offer and the languages actually available before subscribing.
Is there really a free game?
Yes. The Black Cabinet is offered as a complete free game in French, with access sent by email. You can also try the first room of the Exploration adventures without a payment card. Check the language shown on the trial link before you begin.
Can I get a refund?
The French terms state that the right of withdrawal no longer applies to immediately supplied digital content once downloading has begun with your prior consent and acknowledgement, under Article L221-28 of the French Consumer Code. They also describe a 14-day money-back guarantee on the first month of a subscription. See the terms and offer shown at checkout for the conditions that apply. For a technical problem, contact info@escapemaison.fr.
Can we use a game for team building or a seminar?
Yes, with a suitable licence quoted separately. The €19.99 games are sold for private use. Our page on team-building escape games explains how a team can play on a shared screen, in person or remotely, and what to send us when requesting a quote.
Escape-game terms in plain English
Some of the genre’s vocabulary comes from physical escape rooms. Here is a quick guide if you are new to it.
- Escape room, also called an escape game: a puzzle adventure in which you explore a setting and solve clues to move forward or escape. Here, that setting is on your screen.
- A puzzle is a problem to solve: a message to decode, a detail to spot or a connection to make between objects.
- A combination lock opens with a code — numbers, letters or symbols — discovered elsewhere in the scene.
- A room is a stage of the adventure, with its setting, puzzles and way onward. A secret passage connects places in a story and must be discovered before it can be used.
- A hint is a little help you choose to request when you run out of ideas.
- The game master, in a physical escape room, is the person who monitors the group and offers help. In our games, built-in instructions and hints take that role; there is no live host watching you play.
- The playing at your own pace means taking time to explore and pausing when you need to. The current Exploration adventures do not require you to beat a countdown.
- A treasure hunt or a clue trail usually takes you from one location to the next, often outdoors. An escape game focuses on exploring its setting and solving the puzzles that let you progress.
For more examples, the beginner’s guide shows how these ideas work during a game.
A few things to prepare before you start
Choose a screen everyone can see comfortably. With five or six people, a laptop at one end of the table can leave players struggling to follow. A larger screen, or a TV connected to the computer, helps everyone take part.
Check the sound level before you begin. Audio can add atmosphere and make an action easier to notice, while the written clues remain available on screen. If you are playing as a group, use speakers everyone can hear. You may also want paper and a pencil for each player — noting symbols and numbers saves retracing your steps and gives everyone a way to contribute, even when they are not using the mouse.
Choose a time when you can focus on the story. Frequent interruptions can make it harder to follow the clues. If you are unsure whether the format suits you, the free game (Français) lets you try it, and The Clockmaker’s Legacy is a useful place to start with a free first room.
Explore further
Browse the catalogue, discover the Midnight Club or read the guides in our blog.
Come in. Discover the rest as you play.
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