If you’ve ever been to an Escape Room in Huddersfield, you’ll know that locks of all different kinds are a key part of the experience. From opening safes and boxes to actually opening doors, padlocks are certain to be an important element and are definitely a lot of fun to solve.
Connoisseurs of Escape Rooms claim to have encountered every type of padlock there is, and many of them even admit to having an obsession with unlocking every padlock they find in real life. However, if you haven’t dedicated the last decade of your life to trying out every Escape Room around the world, here, we take a look at some of the most commonly seen types of locks out there so you’ve got a good idea of what to expect the next time you visit a Yorkshire Escape Room.
The Classic Lock & Key
It might be basic, but you do sometimes still find one of these traditional lock and key padlocks in Escape Rooms. It’s low tech, yes, but just as difficult to open if you can’t find the key – the classic padlock will look exactly the same as the one on your garden shed, but if you can open it, you’ll hopefully find something more exciting inside than your lawnmower!
The Spinning Padlock
The classic safe lock, the spinning padlock is pretty easy to use. You can clear the lock by spinning it three times right around to the right, and then you’re good to begin. Turn the lock to the right to the first letter or number, stop, then turn it to the left to get to your next letter or number. The third digit or letter will be your last and again, you turn the dial to right to the correct numeral or letter. Look carefully for opening patterns that you’ll need to copy around the Escape Room.
The Directional Lock
A more unusual option, the directional lock sometimes makes an appearance and can confuse the uninitiated. This type of padlock features an in-built spring or joystick which springs back into the central position after it’s been moved into the chosen direction. You have to determine the right sequence of directions to get the lock open and the bad news is that there’s a virtually infinite number of sequences that you can input.
The Letter Padlock
Very similar in concept to digit padlocks- except instead of digits it uses letters which adds an extra element of fun. You need to look for clues around the room to give you the letters that you need to open the lock.
It could be a few individual letters or it could be a word that you find somewhere around the room. The good news is that this is one of the easiest types of lock to open…allegedly.
The Letter/Number Combo Lock
If you’ve found the first two padlocks on this list too easy for you, it’s time for a new challenge – the letter/number combo lock. It’s pretty obvious what you’ve got to do – you need to find the right combination of digits and letters to open the lock but be careful to line them up properly or that door won’t be opening any time soon!
The Da Vinci Code Lock
An exciting one, and commonly seen in Escape Rooms everywhere, the Da Vinci Code puzzle lock might look complicated, but essentially it’s just like the letter combo lock. Look for clues as to the word that you need to spell out around the room and the cylindrical bottle will open for you.
The Magnetic Key Lock
An unusual one and certainly not something that’s in frequent use outside of the Escape Room environment, the magnetic key lock looks similar to a metal block with little divets cut out of the sides and a handle. There’s no key hole and the handle of the lock is held in place by the magnetic forces inside the lock. You have to locate magnetic keys then put them in the right places on the side of the padlock or move them the right way so that the magnetic forces open the lock. There might be just one magnet and there might be more… get searching!
The 3/4 Digit Combination Lock
One of the most commonly seen padlock types in the real world is the 3/4 digit combination lock. Most Escape Rooms feature at least one of this type of lock so even if by some stretch of the imagination you’ve never seen one before, you’ll soon be introduced to this simple concept. The idea is pretty self-explanatory – just solve the problems, get the correct numbers then use them on the padlock. It’s a breeze…isn’t it?
The Ten Digit Combo Lock
You’ve got up to ten numbers to deal with here, so this one could take a while to figure out. You need to push the digits in the correct order to open the lock. You could need as few as three numbers or as many as ten, and getting the sequences right can be more difficult than it looks – give yourself enough time!
The Safe Box
Another Escape Room staple, the safe box will be familiar to anyone who’s ever stayed in a hotel. Exactly the same as those safes that you find in the wardrobe where you hide your passport away and hope that it’ll open back up again when it’s time to fly home, this puzzle simply requires you to input the correct four or five digit code to open the door however, be carefully, usually you only get three chances to open the safe before it shuts down for a set period and that can end up losing you a lot of time.
There you have it, the most commonly seen locks in Escape Rooms. If you’re all set to solve our murdery mystery, cape escape or cabin in the woods you’ll probably need to know how to tackle some of these padlock types so after reading this, you should be better prepared to get out of there before the time runs out. Good luck!