


He said the real-life rooms rose to prominence in Asia and have since cropped up in cities around the world. Guido said the escape room phenomenon grew out of the virtual versions portrayed in video games. Even if the team doesn’t successfully negotiate its way out, the room gets unlocked after an hour. “It’s all about utilizing your mind.”Ĭameras monitor the proceedings, and staff can offer up to three extra clues on demand. “You’ve got locks you’ve got to open, (and) one thing leads to something else which leads to something else,” Guido said. Guido even had his 8-year-old niece take part in a test run of the room - a themed space meant to make participants feel like they’re in the Wild West and searching an office for Jesse James’ map to hidden treasure. But, Darren Guido said, don’t get the wrong idea: Escape rooms are more scheme than scare.

NM Escape Room is the work of Carie and Darren Guido, who have years of experience hosting haunted houses in Albuquerque. Working in teams of up to eight, customers have one hour to mentally maneuver their way out of a locked room by decoding messages and solving puzzles. The local take on the international “escape room” trend opened this month inside an old Northeast Albuquerque charter school. Not in a jail cell, of course, but in specially designed quarters stocked with clues and puzzles intended to assist occupants as they try to make their exit. Nsert your content hereetting locked up is now a form of entertainment in Albuquerque.
