Escape Academy’s Spring term puzzles add more to the subtle storyline plus a steeper difficulty ramp to test prospective students.Escape Academyplayers will be against the clock with this challenging escape room, made up of four distinct puzzle sections.

Entering the library causes lovable but silly Jeb to accidentally start a fire in the library, requiring the player to escape before the fumes get too much. Thankfully, the puzzles follow a linear route of clues and setpieces, so players following this guide won’t be lost.

First puzzle medallion hint found in Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke

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Finding The Secret Gate

Starting off in the main library section, the book on display will depict a clue associated with a medallion-shaped outline beside it. Head to the opposite corner of the library on the right, where a collection of the same medallions with letters on can be seen.

The important words from the clue are telling the player to “FLIP THROUGH”, which also means that the middle line of medallions need to be manually flipped upside down. Doing this will unveil the secret gate, but it cannot yet be opened.

A collection of medallions with letters on them, used in the first room puzzle for Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke

Unlocking The Archive Puzzle Boxes

Moving back to the main room in the library, examine the presentation boxes with various artifacts. One row contains a smashed glass box and four tablets with directional arrows on them. Make a note of the order and directions required before heading towards the alcove on the left of the display boxes and down the stairs.

This leads to the Archives, which contains a locked box and the missing directional plaque. The padlock consists of four cardinal directions, and can be opened by using the arrows drawn on the five plaques as the solution:Right, Right, Up, Left, Down, Up, Left, Left.

A side room in the Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke library containing a locked box

Inside the box is an hourglass and a crank handle, both of which are required for later puzzles. Moving to the room on the right, a scroll pattern and locked box can be located.

A written clue mentions the famous Latin phrase “Cogito Ergo Sum”, and each word can be matched to the scroll on the wall to yield the numbers 257. However, since the padlock requires four digits, another clue can be found in a framed picture nearby telling the player to “THINK TWICE.”

A locked box in Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke, which has a padlock with directional arrows

This matches up with the underlined word on the written clue, meaning the number that matches with “THINK” (Cogito) needs to be input twice, making the final combination 2257. Putting this into the numbered padlock opens the box, presenting the player with one of four strange tiles.

Cranking The Clock Puzzle

Returning to the main library section, players can use the crank they collected from the previous section on the back wall, where a trio of broken clocks can be found. Each crank correlates to a different clock with a piece missing, and the objective is to line up the gaps to press a hidden button.

The solution simply requires each clock to be rotated to the standard position, with the Roman numeral VI at the bottom of each clock face. When each clock is cranked into the correct position, press the button at the center and a doorway will open up.

Using this clue with the measuring scroll for the next puzzle in Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke guides the way

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How to Solve the Sliding Ladder Puzzle

Inside the newly opened alcove is an upside down room with two elevated floor sections. to reach them, ladders need to be guided through grooves in the floor.

The silver ladder path goes:down, right, up, right, down, right, up, left, and finally up. Once in position, climb the ladder and flip the switch as required.

Third puzzle hint matched up with an earlier clue in Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke

The gold ladder path goes:down, left, down, down, right, down, right, up, right, up, left, and finally up. If the silver ladder switch has been activated, climbing the gold ladder will allow the player to retrieve the second strange tile.

Decoding The Skull Lock

The third tile can be found in the upside-down treasure chest at the back of the ladder room, with different types of animal skulls hanging in front of it. The solution requires returning to the main library room and examining the display cases which contain numbered skulls.

The skull order goes: human, bird, human, and ram, which correlates to9 8 9 6respectively. However, because the room and skulls are upside down, that should clue the player into also flipping the numbers upside down before entering them.

The clocks need to be rotated accordingly with the earlier clock clue in Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke

Therefore, the puzzle solution from left to right is actually6 8 6 9, and inputting these numbers will unlock the third strange tile for players to pick up.

Balancing The Hourglasses

Back in the main library section, a stained-glass wall mounting can be seen with three hourglasses below. This puzzle requires a fourth hourglass, which can be inserted after collecting it from the locked box in the Archives.

The stained-glass symbols denote which rotation each hourglass needs to be, with the yellow triangles correlating to the amount of sand in each timepiece. The rotation amount goes in the following order:

The final solution of Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke can be activated by pressing the button here

When done correctly, another passageway will open revealing another secret room.

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Completing The Geography Room

The secret room contains maps, globes, and large letters in different colors. By comparing the globes and the clue on the back wall, players can identify the way to understand the clues: moving each letter back one place based on its position in the alphabet.

This means that the red TVO letters become SUN, the yellow GJSF letters become FIRE, and the blue BJS letters becomes AIR. These clues reference the colored rings around the center globe, where the player needs to line up the symbols in their respective boxes.

Wall decoration on display in the Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke library

With the fire, wind, and sun symbols in the right places, the globe will open. Collect the fourth strange tile and return to the secret exit gate back in the main library section.

Opening The Secret Gate

The secret gate requires all four strange tiles to be placed on it, but each symbol on the tiles reference a specific written clue. Match up each symbol with the relevant words:

When all tiles are in the right location, the gate will open, allowing Jeb and the player to escape the burning library andcheck off anotherEscape Academychallenge.

Floor grooves for moving the ladder in Escape Academy Where There’s Smoke

Escape Academyis now available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.