A new mystery game has surfaced in downtown Austin, and the name of it is The Escape Room. Participants are locked in a room with a certain scenario and forced to find hidden clues around the room to escape under 60 minutes.

The Escape Game is the perfect attraction for groups of gamers, co-workers, family, friends and travelers alike. Escape Game Austin manager Vanida Vongsamphanh said the company is focused on amazing customer experiences.

“Our highest priority is providing each customer with an amazing interactive experience,” she said. “Our game team designs fully immersive and elaborate rooms with intricate storylines. Paired with our highly trained staff and modern facilities, these are the key pieces that set us apart.”

The Escape Game Austin was one of the first three in the nation, and is the first location in the South. At the Austin location there are four different rooms with different levels of difficulties and different themes. Some of the rooms are “Prison Break: Can you escape Iron Gate Prison?” “The Heist: Can you steal back a classic masterpiece?” “Gold Rush: Can you discover the gold?” and “Classified: Can you complete the covert mission?”

The Escape Game originally started in Nashville, Tennessee in 2014. It is the only Escape Game with 7 different rooms. One of the additional rooms only located in Nashville are “Mission Mars: Can you repair the ship and launch it to get back to earth in under 60 minutes?” Classified as one of the easier rooms in which you and your team are in a international antiterrorist organization and you are assigned a mission.

During this mission your objective is stop an international terrorist threat by gathering the date, time, and location of the attack. To get these details, you have to find different clues in the room to help you find out this information so you can escape. The scenarios for The Escape Game come from video games, and the scripts of the scenarios come from a team hired to come up with riddles and the clues throughout the room. Vongsamphanh said there are many cases where people cannot solve these riddles and try to cheat, and even try to break down the door in some situations.

It is the mystery of the games that draw people into play — the anxiety of beating the clock. In order to escape these games it takes a little bit of strategic thinking, teamwork, bravery and detective skills. The Escape Game challenges players so it is good to have multiple people on a team to get different perspectives on things in the room.

Developed by brothers Jonathan and James Murrell and Mark Flint, the idea of The Escape Game came from a video game that Flint played while he was in London with his family. After its debut, The Escape Game quickly became one of Nashville’s top attractions. The Austin location opened in December 2015.

The company invested $1 million into the Austin location, using innovative designs to create transformative environments. The intricate props, scents, displays and tools allow players to lose themselves in the games and heighten the ability to focus on each challenge. The Escape Game in Austin is located on the corner of Fourth and Red River streets near the Austin Convention Center. In order to play the game players have to make reservations on www.theescapegameaustin.com. Guests can register for a game for $31.99 per person, plus tax.