Reclassified: The New Room At Breakout

Confidentials 27 July 2016

Promotion

NOTHING divides a team more than the mention of 'team-building exercises'. On one side, you have groans from those who despise anything that looks like forced fun. On the other, you have grins from those who'd do anything to avoid the office, even if it means playing paint ball with the psychopaths in Sales.

Think Crystal Maze crossed with The Cube.

The 'team building' on offer at Breakout isn't quite as daunting as fire-walking or extreme sports with the boss. For those who don't know, Breakout is a 'live escape room game' where you are locked in a room with friends or colleagues, and have to solve puzzles to escape.

It's not physically challenging, it's about using your brain. Think Crystal Maze crossed with The Cube, with you and your workmates as the stars. (And you're not really locked in, you can get out whenever you want – the emphasis here is on fun, not on freaking you out.)

There are two Breakout venues in Manchester. (It's a popular sport, escaping.) They get everyone from groups of pals, to families, to tourists coming along to play the games.

Breakout invited Confidential to their High Street venue to try out their brand new escape room, called Reclassified. We have to keep the contents of this hi-tech, spy-themed room a secret. But we can say that you have the option of playing it 'head-to-head' as two teams of up to five people, racing each other to see which group escapes first.

So we divided into two teams and stepped inside our separate rooms. Then the clock started ticking. With a soundtrack of action movie themes to spur us on, we were soon acting like James Bond and Ethan Hunt, feeling like we could solve any puzzle no matter what the time limits may be.

Even those team members who normally hate this kind of bonding got into the action. The hour sped past in a blur of cryptic clues and tricksy puzzles, and racing against the other team made it even more exciting. A green light flashed when our opponents solved a puzzle, super-charging the adrenalin.

What's more, the enforced break from phones and social media was really refreshing. It reminded us how good it feels to focus on one task rather than constantly having half an eye on our iPhones.

Through a combination of concentration, logical thinking, and yes, team-working, we escaped with one second to spare (like true action heroes). The other team (aka 'the losers') still came out smiling, saying they'd definitely do it again.

We think we've found a team-building activity you will actually enjoy.