The Ladder is not a traditional escape room. To optimize your experience, we recommend you and every member of your group read this handy-dandy guide, then decide on a strategy.
The most important thing to know is that The Ladder offers two completely separate types of gameplay:
THE PUZZLE TRACK represents a traditional escape room experience. Your goal is to solve puzzles in order to discover what’s really going on at Nutricorp. Your reward is the game’s best reveals, decision points, and potentially a whole secret room!
THE GAMES TRACK offers 18 super fun scored games, most of which are “infinite” (i.e. can’t be finished). The goal of the games is to score a million dollars over the course of your playthrough. The reward for high scores in each room is being able to activate various small gameplay upgrades and apply fun cosmetic changes to your avatar.
BOTH TRACKS affect which ending you’ll see, but if you want a standard escape room experience, you should focus on the puzzle track in each room first. If you complete it, you can turn to the games. Larger groups should divide themselves between the two tracks.
In our experience, groups often begin The Ladder planning to focus on the puzzles only to be distracted by the games (which, as we mentioned, are super fun.) So don’t forget, if you want a traditional escape room experience, focus on the puzzles. If you finish them, you can always turn to the games.
Finally, remember The Ladder was designed to reward return visitors. To that end, we put way more stuff inside this thing than you could ever hope to see in one playthrough. So try not to stress about “conquering” every challenge your first time through. No matter what, you’ll experience a full story and see one of the game’s nine endings. And if you do choose to come back, we offer a hefty discount and a new playable character who can force access to the secret room!
Read on to learn more about the two tracks and how to prioritize them to maximize your enjoyment!
WHO IS IT FOR: Escape room enthusiasts, puzzle-heads, completionists, masochists
Each of the first four rooms of The Ladder contains a set of puzzles, which represent a standard escape room experience—with a twist! Our puzzles are very tough and completely optional. You have a limited amount of time in each room and will be moved forward regardless of what you achieve. If you love traditional escape rooms and have a small group, we recommend you start with the puzzles. Once you finish them, you can turn to the games.
IMPORTANT NOTE: 95% of groups don’t solve all four puzzle tracks their first time through. To give yourself the best chance, we recommend at least three players focus on the puzzle track at all times (until it’s completed).
WHO IS IT FOR: Casual gamers, younger kids, older adults, people who find puzzles stressful and annoying
If your group has more than four people, or if you don’t care for traditional escape room puzzles, we recommend at least some portion of your group focus on the games. Most are “infinite,” meaning you’ll never finish them—your goal is simply to make as much money as possible, which will allow you to do things like raise a family, hire a secretary, and wear a very cool hat. And if you make over a million bucks, you’ll get to see our game’s most hilarious and bizarre endings (see the chart below)!
IMPORTANT NOTE: People are often surprised to learn they enjoy the games more than the puzzles—if that’s you, lean in! The games are just as much “the point” of The Ladder as the puzzles, since the actual point is to have a good time!
Our game has nine different endings (see chart below). The ending you get is based on three criteria:
Score: Scoring over $1,000,000 grants you access to the “Company Success” endings.
Puzzles: Each of the The Ladder’s first four rooms has a puzzle track. Your ending will change based on whether you solved 0-1 of those tracks, 2-3 of them, or all 4.
Ethics: Solving puzzle tracks also allows you to make story decisions. Unethical decisions grant you a score bonus, while ethical decisions result in a penalty—just like real life! You begin the game with an ethics score of 0, but “high road” endings require a score of at least 1 (i.e. you have to make at least one ethical decision). Otherwise, you’re a baddie!
IMPORTANT NOTE: The hardest ending to get is “Messiah,” because it requires you to solve all the puzzles, play entirely ethically, and still make $1,000,000. (It’s also the best ending.)
We worked hard to make sure every playthrough of The Ladder is a joyful, satisfying experience in and of itself. No matter what you score or how many puzzles you solve, you’ll get to see every room, every game, and one of the endings. But for those folks who want to come back, either to share the game with new friends or re-strategize with their old group, we offer some great incentives to return.
Discount: After you leave, you’ll receive a coupon for 20% off your next game. (Group requires at least one return visitor.)
Decision Map: You’ll also receive a map showing you all the choices you made while playing…and all the ones you didn’t.
Nancy: Finally, you’ll be able to access a 5th avatar, Nancy, who gets a 10% score bonus and can buy her way into the secret room—even if you don’t solve the puzzles!
IMPORTANT NOTE: The bonus room contains a hint that could lead you to one last treat on a return visit. It’s just a tiny piece of Ladder swag…but there’s no other way to get it!
