Escape Academy Lab Rat Walkthrough - Complete Guide

Lab Rat is the sixth escape room in Escape Academy, featuring a computer lab setting that challenges players with technology-themed puzzles. With a 25-minute time limit and a difficulty rating of 3 out of 5, this level balances screen-based puzzles with physical environment interactions. This guide provides complete solutions to every puzzle in the Lab Rat escape room.

Restore Power to the Lab

The level begins in darkness because the power is out. Turn around from your starting position near the doorway and examine the piping with three holes in it. You need to find three Power Tubes to complete the connection:

• First tube: Located on a chair against the far wall from where you entered
• Second tube: In the chill-out area to the left, on a sofa near the snack machines and TV
• Third tube: Placed on an equipment board on the wall in the corner, not far from the first tube

Once you’ve collected all three tubes, place them in the piping gaps to complete the connection.

Power Up the Generator with Turmeric

To the left of the generator, you’ll find a hamster wheel. Before you can use it, you need to complete several steps to capture Turmeric the rat.

First, collect coins from the table in the chill-out area. These coins will be used in the vending machine to get a donut. Before approaching the vending machine, head into the main computer area and turn left to find the Sudoku picture on the wall. Either write down the layout or have a co-op partner memorize it as a reference.

Solving the Snackdoku Puzzle

According to puzzle designer Jacob Surovsky, the Snackdoku machine was designed as “a simplified sudoku puzzle in the form of a vending machine” and became a fan-favorite element of the level. Each spot in the vending machine has a letter and number combination. Cross-reference with the Sudoku to discover that:

• A = 1
• B = 2
• C = 3
• D = 4

The donut sits on a “3” square in the Sudoku, so the first part of the code is “C”. To find the number, use standard Sudoku logic—the same number cannot appear in the same row or column. Since A2 and B1 are on the same row, the number cannot be 1 or 2. B3 is on the same column, eliminating 3. Therefore, 4 is the correct number.

Enter C4 into the vending machine to get the donut.

Capturing Turmeric the Rat

With donut in hand, turn around and approach the far wall. You’ll see a rat eating pizza who runs off as you approach. Look to your right for plates on the floor. Place the donut on the plates, and the rat will eat it, allowing you to pick him up.

Return to the generator and place Turmeric on the hamster wheel. The generator will jumpstart and restore power to the lab.

Disable the Security Lasers

With power restored, lasers appear across the middle of the main room, preventing access to the QUANTY terminal. Crossing these lasers shuts down the machine. A Laser Shutdown terminal sits to the left of the lasers, but it requires a password.

Click the “Forgot Password?” button to access two security questions. You need to find the “Mother’s Name” and “Dog’s Name” by exploring the newly powered computers.

Unlock the Five Computers

With power restored, five computers on desks are now operational. Each requires a passcode made of five shapes. To solve this puzzle, step backward until you can see all five PC screens at once. Each screen displays a moving screensaver icon that traces out different shapes. The password is:

Square, Circle, Square, Triangle, Circle

Enter this combination into any computer to unlock access to Files and a Virus program.

Reset the Laser Terminal Password

Click on Files to find the security question answers:

• Mother’s Name: Dell-Ilah
• Pet’s Name: Sprocket

Input these answers into the Laser Shutdown terminal security questions. The password will reset to SAFER. Enter this password to disable the lasers, granting access to the QUANTY persona computer.

Install the Virus in QUANTY

Note that QUANTY is persona #13—this number is essential for the next step. Return to one of the five unlocked computers and access the Virus program. It requests a 4-digit binary code.

Since QUANTY’s persona is #13, you need to create Virus #13. If you’re unfamiliar with 4-bit binary, a machine behind the PCs allows you to experiment with 1s and 0s to generate numbers. For 13, the binary code is:

1101

Enter this code to receive Virus #13 on a floppy disk. Insert the disk into the QUANTY Persona terminal to trigger the next sequence.

Complete the Disco Fever Dance Challenge

Designer Jacob Surovsky explained that this puzzle was created to “break up the tension of the room” with “a fun moment” and “unique interaction that players enjoy.” The virus transforms the floor into a disco dance floor with movement-based puzzles.

Step onto the dance floor and your position appears as a head icon on the big screen. Navigate to land on the feet icon to win. The challenge includes multiple sequences with increasing difficulty:

• Follow your movements on the screen carefully
• Avoid red skull icons in later challenges
• Near the end, the screen flips upside down to confuse your sense of direction
• Take your time and track your position relative to the goal

Successfully completing all dance sequences opens the previously locked Server Room door.

Execute the Manual Override Protocol

Enter the Server Room and interact with the computer at the end. To complete the override and finish the level, you must pull eight levers in a specific order. Pulling the wrong lever resets the sequence, forcing you to start over.

Pull the levers in this exact order: E, B, D, H, F, G, C, A

Completing this sequence finishes the Lab Rat escape room.

Design Philosophy Behind Lab Rat

According to puzzle designer Jacob Surovsky, who was the primary designer for this level, the Computer Lab presented a unique challenge: “I didn’t want the player to get so immersed in the screen-based puzzles that they lost track of the physical environment the level took place in.” His solution was to create “very novel puzzle interactions offscreen that could be uniquely paired with the onscreen activities.”

Surovsky emphasized that “novelty is everything” in escape room design, with the goal of making players “feel like they’re doing something new…never seen before, and never seen again.” Novel elements in Lab Rat include outsmarting an animal (Turmeric), using “feet” instead of “hands” for input (the dance floor), and the simplified Sudoku vending machine puzzle.

FAQ

How long do I have to complete Lab Rat?
The time limit is 25 minutes with a difficulty rating of 3 out of 5.

What is the correct vending machine code?
Enter C4 to get the donut needed to capture Turmeric the rat.

What is the computer unlock pattern?
Square, Circle, Square, Triangle, Circle—observed by stepping back to see all five screens simultaneously.

What binary code creates Virus #13?
1101 in 4-bit binary equals 13 in decimal.

What order do I pull the server room levers?
E, B, D, H, F, G, C, A. Pulling levers in the wrong order resets the sequence.

Where is Lab Rat in the game progression?
Lab Rat is the sixth escape room in Escape Academy, unlocked after completing The Breakout level. It can be completed alongside Trial By Taste and The Tea Kettle.