Click “I Have the Code” to input your answer (or scroll for hints!)
Game Portal
Welcome to "Return to the Heist"— brought to you by Escape Lincoln!
THE STORY:
You and your team of thieves heard that a local jeweler recently acquired a set of rare heritage diamonds, and your gemstone connoisseur says they'd fetch over $1 billion combined on the black market.
The catch? Jacob Sinclair, the owner of Elusive Jewels, also happens to be a well-known mobster with a penchant for securing his possessions under layers of locks and keys. No one in the business has ever had the nerve to steal from Sinclair, but you do NOT intend to fail.
YOUR GOAL:
Find the jewels and escape without getting caught in one (1) hour or less.
HOW TO PLAY:
• Check the contents list to the right to make sure you have
everything you'll need.
• Check below to confirm your answers to
each puzzle and unlock your next clue.
• Use the timer on your phone and set the clock at 60 minutes.
• Open the "Mr. Mackenzie" envelope and start searching!
NEED A HINT?
Check below to find hints for each puzzle.
FINISHED THE GAME?
Woo! Tell us what you think—click the link below to leave a review of our first ever escape room box.
Puzzle Answers (& Hints)
The Office Door
Hint 1: You need the intro letter and office blueprint to solve this puzzle.
Hint 2: On the blueprint, there’s an important note from Hux about the time you need to ARRIVE at the office.
Answer: You need to arrive at 3:56 PM. The door code is 356.
The Briefcase
Click “I Have the Code” to input your answer (or scroll for hints!)
Hint 1: You need the crumpled paper, the calendar sheets, and the plane tickets to solve this puzzle.
Hint 2: There are flights referenced in the calendar sheets. Cross-reference these with the plane tickets and crumpled paper to get a numerical code.
Answer: The briefcase code is 531393.
The Key Lock
Nothing to input here, but you can scroll for hints!
Hint 1: You need the Elusive Jewels letter to solve this puzzle.
Hint 2: Focus on the bolded letters to reveal a secret message pointing you to the location of a key.
Answer: The bolded letters read “last letter of each line” which reads “bottom of box.” The key to the locked file is under the postcard inside the bottom of the Return to the Heist game box.
The Safe
Click “I Have the Code” to input your answer (or scroll for hints!)
Hint 1: You need the address page to solve this puzzle.
Hint 2: Check the back of the address page—it is telling you which letters to connect to each other on the front to reveal a clue.
Answer: If you connect all of the A’s, all of the B’s, and all of the C’s, the outlines show the numbers 174. The safe code is 174.
The Lockbox
Click “I Have the Code” to input your answer (or scroll for hints!)
Hint 1: You need the desk photo to solve this puzzle.
Hint 2: The clue “back to the beginning” means go back to the instructions sheet for a clue related to the keyboard that will identify specific letters to lead to the code.
Answer: The left and right side of the instruction sheet has a top-down view of keys on a keyboard, with certain letters darker than others. The letters spell the clue. The lockbox code is THIEF.
The Sliding Door
Click “I Have the Code” to input your answer (or scroll for hints!)
Hint 1: You need the photo of the cabinet and the color riddle to solve this puzzle.
Hint 2: The color riddle relates to the billiard ball poster, but there’s a trick in the wording.
Answer: The color code gives you 5318, but the second part of the riddle is telling you to reverse to code. The cabinet code is 8135.
The Trunk
Click “I Have the Code” to input your answer (or scroll for hints!)
Hint 1: You need the paper with the odd shapes/markings, the letter from HUX, the letter from QjYj, and the cardboard tube for this puzzle.
Hint 2: The paper with the markings will pair with the cardboard tube to reveal a cipher key. The letters will give you a special code to decipher.
Answer: The paper with the markings wraps around the cardboard tube to reveal the cipher key “H-5=C.” When you overlay the letters, you get the word “HQJUYJX.” The trunk code is CLEPTES.
The Cryptex
Nothing to input here, but you can scroll for hints!
Hint 1: You need the paper with dots that says "in on the" and "out on the", and the blueprint.
Hint 2: The blueprint will give you the braille alphabet (along the top and bottom of the page) to decipher the message on the other piece of paper. Flip the paper over and follow the instructions.
Answer: The braille reads "fold in on the dots and out on the line," so you fold the paper on the dots in (toward you) and out on the line (away from you). Flip the page back over to reveal a new braille message, which is a 4-letter code for the cryptex: PBOD.
What did you think?
Reviews of
"Return to the Heist"
"Return to the Heist"
February 14, 2022
Loved it, very high quality with real photos, padlocks and cryptex, interesting puzzles and a deceptively high amount of puzzles for that matter, great value for the price. I hope you’ll do more!
January 31, 2022
It was a great last minute Christmas gift for a family member we have done escape rooms with before. Enjoyed it together for some family fun over the holidays.
January 28, 2022
Well worth it for a couple of hours of family fun! Everybody is able to participate and give their ideas – just like a real escape room. Looking forward to more escape boxes from Escape Lincoln.
January 28, 2022
We have purchased numerous escape boxes from game stores. This box was far better than any we had tried. Great components – loved the padlocks and cryptex. Having to [SPOILER] to get to a clue was very tricky.
December 29, 2021
Very well put together game! Fun, unique puzzles with lots of variety. We have played many escape room boxes and this was one of the best!
We could have used an extra hint on a couple puzzles, but overall we had a great time playing.