Room Escape Artist

Trap doors are one of the great joys of escape rooms.

The more unique, unusual, and unexpected a trap door is, the better the unveiling is.

Sadly, too many otherwise brilliant trap doors are betrayed by obvious seams or light bleed.

Surprise Matters

This should go without saying: the point of a trap door is that it’s hidden and surprising. If it’s neither hidden nor surprising… then it’s just a door.

This Ghostbusters scene with Dana opening her refrigerator and finding another world within wouldn’t have worked anywhere near as well if the fridge had been glowing before she approached.

Unfortunately, it is pretty normal to see a glowing perimeters around trap doors in escape rooms.

Light Bleed & Seam Consequences

Aside from betraying a great reveal, trap doors with obvious seams and light bleed also take an extra beating from well-meaning players.

I’ve absolutely noticed unopened trap doors and given them a push or a tug. I am certain from seeing some of the wear and tear on these doors that other less knowledgeable or less considerate players have been much rougher on them.

If as players we don’t see the door, we won’t be as hard on it.

Using Light Bleed For Effect

While I’ve seen a lot of unintentional light bleed, I haven’t seen anyone deliberately use light bleed as an in-game event or effect.

When done deliberately, I am certain that light bleed around a previously hidden passageway, or even a recently unlocked door, could be badass.

As with all design decisions, being deliberate matters.

Some Potential Fixes

Because every trap door is unique, the engineering needs will vary. With that in mind there are a few methods that consistently work well:

• Build the facade of the door large than the frame.
• Build an oversized frame that covers the edge of the door.
• Tack up some weather stripping around the door.
• Turn off the lights behind the trap door until after it has been opened.

Whatever you choose to do, protect your big reveal.