Porto has a new escape room to play in real life

Porto has a new escape room to play in real life

Three of the five partners of No Way Out. Maria Capelas (left) Pedro Balreira and Daniela Nunes. Photo: Maria João Mendes

The 'escape rooms' are a growing trend in Porto. No Way Out" is the sixth of its kind in Invicta and JPN spoke to one of the partners, Maria João Capelas.

O "No Way Out" is a space located near Mercado do Bolhão, which is only two months old. It is at door 40, Rua Alexandre Braga that players accept to embark for 60 minutes on a challenge full of riddles and charades to be deciphered. In this game, teamwork is fundamental and playing alone is not an option. The objective is simple: escape before the 60 minutes come to an end.

Maria João Capelas, one of the partners of the space, the most recent of its kind to open in Porto, explains to JPN that these games appeared, in an initial phase, in China, and only later did they spread to Europe and the United States. From that moment on, there was "an boom from escape rooms" and the business faced "exponential growth" and the Porto has a new escape room to play in real life.

The project to open an escape room Porto has a new escape room to play in real life came about during the preparation of a stag party. Two of the partners, at the time, were looking for "different experiences" and it was through "a basic Google search" that they found this type of games. They loved the idea and decided to launch themselves into the world of entrepreneurship together with three other friends.

The five partners have management backgrounds, so they needed outside help in IT or engineering to better manage the specifics of the game.

"People's imagination soars"

The escape rooms are games that move from virtuality to reality, with their own scenario and story. In the case of Porto has a new escape room to play in real lifethe adventure takes place in the room "Invictus" which has the history of the city of Porto as its backdrop. The narrative tells that, mysteriously, memories of the city have disappeared and invites participants to travel back in time, to the 19th century, to recover what is lost.

Maria João Capelas says that the choice of Porto has a new escape room to play in real life as a theme is due to the fact that they are "at the heart of the city". Thus, the narrative is assumed as a differentiating point, making "small nuances of what represents us as a city" known.

In terms of the investment that "No Way Out" represented, the partner explains that "it can vary a lot". The technological and computer component, as well as the necessary changes to adapt the space "imply heavy costs". Being "risky" to speak in concrete values, they estimate that, on average, a room "may vary between four thousand to twenty thousand euros, if not more", declares Maria João Capelas to JPN.

The target audience of this type of games tends to be younger, more inclined to seek "new experiences through social networks". The founder of "No Way Out" also says that "more than 80% of the clients are from Oporto", being smaller but not insignificant the part of the demand by tourists that already know about the concept.

The escape roomsthanks to its team building, They are also sought after by companies that see in this type of game a way of solidifying the union between their collaborators. Despite being recent, Maria João Capelas reveals that this trend is more and more observable and that, in some rooms, "the escape room integrates into the company and creates a scenario within what the company is".

Communication, logical reasoning and teamwork "are the three main skills developed". According to Maria João, "teamwork is always necessary, logical thinking is always necessary, because one way or another, things end up having a sequence and, finally, communication is necessary so that all the members understand what is happening in the game and can move forward together".

There are also other factors that dictate the success of the team, such as the experience and dynamics of the group, as well as how well they know each other, interact and help each other in a pressured climate.

The escape rooms have reached a "superb dimension". In Barcelona alone there are more than 300 cinemas.

However, he points out, "in large groups, it is very easy for one person's message to get lost by the sixth [person]" and so communication problems are the biggest weaknesses teams face. In addition, the eagerness to want to finish the game on time prevents players from seeing the obvious and often causes them to be carried away by their imagination.

After experiencing the escape roomPeople go through a "mixture of emotions", some "either get frustrated in situations where they don't manage to finish, or leave ecstatic with joy for having managed to reach the end without time running out", she tells JPN. One result seems guaranteed: "People's imagination soars", Maria João Capelas tells us.

The escape rooms have reached a "superb dimension". In Barcelona alone there are more than 300 cinemas. On the other hand, Porto has only six cinemas, however, the partner of "No Way Out" devalues the number because she considers that the business still has "much to give". This global reach leads the partner to affirm that this is not only a fashion and that this type of games are here to stay.

In relation to the competition, Maria João says that "they are all partners". She stresses that it is a business where all playelol they help each other and if one is growing, it's a sign that all will grow. In Portugal, the price of this type of experience is around 12.50 euros per person.

Article edited by Filipa Silva

Source : JPN

Porto has a new escape room to play in real life