An unprecedented global sensation, the dystopian Korean drama Squid Game has become Netflix’s most-watched series EVER. Blending its tight plot with social allegory and never compromising on violence, there’s a lot at stake for the 456 players who enter the ‘Front Mans’ domain.
While Gi-hun is at the centre of the story, it’s the supporting players that draw you in. From the arrival of Hwang Jun-ho to meeting Ali Abdul for the first time to seeing the relationship developments between our protagonist and Oh Il-man (001) that get you hooked.
Then, there are the six most terrifying “death games” themselves. No longer are they innocent kid’s games. Instead, they make you gamble with your own life.
But when your time is running out, and the stakes are higher than ever, how would you tackle each of the death games? Well, escaping is sort of a big deal for us, and if we were up against the Squid Game, here’s how we’d beat each game:
BEWARE: CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Pre Game #1: Ddakji
Ddakji is such a popular kid’s game in Korea that it’s televised nationwide. Think WWE but with folded squared pieces of card, and you’re not far off.
Unlike Gi-hun, who is trying to write off a crippling gambling debt and plays with little logic, we would rely on basic physics to win. It’s not the strongest player who wins. It’s the smartest and most coordinated.
The secret to winning Ddakji is to utilise the surface area to make the most contact with the other square. So if you can hit the flat side of your Ddajki paper, then the momentum will transfer to the target and carry the paper up on the bounce so that it flips over.
Had Gi-hun known this simple technique, he could have hustled all the salesman’s cash without being slapped in the process!
The 3 Clauses
Clause 1: Must Keep Playing
Clause 2: Refuse & Be Eliminated (Code for Executed!)
Clause 3: Games End If Majority Agree
One thing you can learn from Squid Game is that it uses textbook psychological manipulation. You get the chance to clear your debt by gambling money that was never yours in the first place.
On the surface, it looks like prison rules apply. Until you quickly realise you are at the mercy of every single other player in the room. The whole thing is entirely illegal, so the contract is completely meaningless.
So your biggest weapon is to use unfair advantages in order to survive! Keep that in mind as we explore the 6 main death games below:
Game 1: Red Light, Green Light
56% DEATH RATE
When confronted by a creepy 4.57m high animatronic doll in an open field, you know something isn’t quite right. Players must run across the finish line within 5 minutes. The catch? The doll will announce a “red light” before anyone expects it, and the first shot will be fired if you are caught moving a muscle.
You see, every time the doll turns to face you, every move you make is monitored.
Now, like the 456 players in the show, you’ll likely want to run for your life as soon as the guns start firing. Don’t. Instead:
Be like player 001. This game is not just about speed. It’s about how much ground you can cover with enough stability to “freeze” on the spot at any given point. So, walk with your feet flat on the floor with a wide stance so your gravity stays low and stable.
Don’t look at the doll, instead watch your feet and don’t get trapped in all the visual cues of the game. Listen for “red light, green light” and use a good old fashioned meat shield to get you to the finishing line.
Game 2: Sugar Honeycombs
42% DEATH RATE
If you find yourself confronted by an oversized playground and then are told to the lineup in front of either a circle, triangle, star or umbrella, don’t be like Gi-hun. The umbrella has the most angles, so it is the trickiest shape of them all.
In a classic Korean vendor game, each player is presented with a circular tin with their chosen shape pressed into the brittle sugar honeycomb disc. Using the needle supplied, players automatically assume this is their only tool.
Pick the wrong shape = Extremely low survival rate
Each shape must be removed from the disc fully intact. Otherwise, you will be executed at the point-blank range. There are 10 minutes on the clock, let’s go!
- Follow Gi-hun’s lead: use your saliva to melt the sugar: the shape outline is thinner than the rest, so this is an excellent way to keep the cutout shape intact
- Quicker method: fill the metal disc tray with your saliva, to rapidly melt the sugar
- Work as a team: choose the same shape and quickly discover a method that works
- If unsure, look at the other players. Two players go straight to the triangle in the show – they clearly know what the games are about!
Interval: Nighttime Violence
25% DEATH RATE
It’s time to team up or get placed in a black box!
While all the murder and mayhem is going on around you, remember, there are zero rules or restrictions present in this interval game.
All you have to do is survive the night, and the other players will take care of the rest. Defend a corner with your trusted team. That way, you only have to protect at a 90° angle. Or simply hide under a bottom bunk. It’s pitch black. No one can see you.
Now that you’re all exhausted, the 3rd game can begin:
Game 3: Tug of War
50% DEATH RATE
Unlike the other “death games,” this is the first that is more than just a kid’s game. Your best chance of survival is to team up with the strongest players. But if not, you need to make the most of unfair advantages and stay ALIVE.
With the instruction manual out the window, you are instantly given permission to cheat and win! So if you know the rules of tug of war, there is no punishment for breaking them in this game:
Rule #1: Locking
- Players place their elbows behind their thighs, locking back and forth movement from rope
- This allows you to use your whole body rather than just hands and arms
- Makes it harder for the opposing team to win
Rule #2: Anchor Grip
- The end player should be your strongest, just like Ali in Gi-hun’s team
- They wrap the rope around their torso, so they can use their entire body to pull without placing hands on the rope
If it looks like you’re going to lose, play these tactics:
- Get your whole team to shift to one side together while the end player ties the rope to the metal sidebar
- Zero rules are broken as stated by the ‘square’ masked guard
- Keep pretending to pull while your strength recovers
- Other teams will be wearing themselves out
- You can also use the sidebars as foot hooks so that you are not relying on the friction from the floor to push off!
Game 4: Marbles
56% DEATH RATE
You have ten minutes to buddy up with a partner. Sounds friendly enough!
In this “death game,” your best chance is to team up with someone that will help you win. Or, in Mi-nyeo’s case, get dragged away and sit this one out as no one wants to play with you!
You can either evoke Gganbu and see where that leads like 001 and Gi-hun or try this instead:
- Choose a game you know you can win, like the ancient Chinese game NIM:
The centuries-old game of NIM uses a proven strategy that guarantees a win. Combine all 20 marbles into one pile, and take turns removing 1 or 2 marbles at a time. Whoever takes the last marble wins the game.
To win, you must take the first turn. Whatever your opponent removes, you take the opposite, e.g. they pick two marbles, you take one, or they choose one marble, you take 2.
- Or, follow Sang-woo’s dirty tactics and steal your opponent’s marbles!
- Ask for your opponent’s marbles, walk straight up to the guard, and declare you’ve met the game’s conditions. Done.
Game 5: Glass Stepping Stones
81% DEATH RATE
First, choose your vest number. Take off your shoes and prepare to walk across a bridge suspended several hundred feet up in the air. If you fall, you die. If you step through the wrong glass panel, you die. Are you ready to begin?
Here we have 18 panels, 16 players. To go first, you have 1 out of 262,144 chance of survival. This is a death game lottery with unforgiving odds. The law of averages dictates that each player will stand on two panels before meeting their end. So nine players need to die for you to make it to the other side.
Your only option here is to cheat.
Remember the shoes? Take off your jacket, tie up one sleeve and see if you can smash the glass. Continue to the end to get all the way across.
Failing that, try and walk on the metal bars. You have to test the boundaries of each game to give you your best chance of survival!
Game 6: Squid Game
50% DEATH RATE
Yes, the final meal was a game of sorts. But all that really matters is Sang-woo’s betrayal and, of course, the steak knives.
In this final battle, the last player standing wins. All the offence has to do is tap their foot in the circle at the other end of the court to win. The defender wins if they toss the attacker out of the court. Violence is prohibited.
There are two positions: Offence and defence.
Stage 1: Offensive player needs to try and win the game by running across the court while the defender attempts to stop them.
Stage 2: If successful, the offence must run through the narrow central gap to break defence and then tap their foot in the end circle.
Your best chance here is to choose defence unless you really want to play “how to murder your childhood bestie” like Sang-woo!
Simply lure the offence to the edges of the court and push them out to win. This uses the least amount of energy, and you’re less likely to kill someone! Or, stand in the narrow gap and wield your steak knife!
Best advice: Just go win the game and ignore your burning desire for vengeance! And, pay attention! The games are drawn on the walls where you sleep!
Would you take on the Squid Game? For a more friendly, less terrifying escape game, why don’t you check out one of our nail-biting yet fun games!