Step into a live video game at ‘Escape Room Palm Springs’

Walking in, your eyes quickly dart around the room.

Your mind races as you take in the surrounding props. Could that be a clue? Is something hidden in there?

Once in the “Escape Room” in Palm Springs, you have 45 minutes to work as a team to uncover clues.

“The clues could be a jigsaw puzzle, a key, you might find several keys,” said founder Dominique Fruchtman.

Bringing this concept to valley was her idea. Fruchtman, a writer, came up with the storyline behind the clues and her computer programmer husband came up with the puzzles.

“As you find different pieces it will all come together and make sense,” Fruchtman said.

After solving about a dozen puzzles, the game is over when you find a green diamond in the “Dark Shadows” room and a giant key in the “Saw Room.”

Only when you find those can you escape.

“With teamwork, communication and human interaction, which is what I love about it the most, you solve the puzzles and you escape the room,” Fruchtman said.

And if you think it’s easy, guess again.

“Only 10-15 percent of teams will escape,” Fruchtman said.

Our group came close, but the puzzles proved too tricky.

Even though we didn’t escape with the prize this time, we’re counting the minutes until we get to try again.

“I hope they get a chance to unplug, put away their phones for an hour and have sort of an escape from their life while they escape from the room.”