BUCHANAN — Crowded into a small FBI investigation room, a group of people circled around a desk Monday night going over suspect lists, attempting to crack the case of a cold-war era spy.

From another room, Niles resident Matt Herm, 28, watches the scene unfold from his computer monitor, sending the group text clues about the case when they get stumped.

“This is the hardest part,” Herm said watching the group struggle over a clue. “After this, it will get easier.”

Herm and the group are running a test through an escape room scenario to prepare for Outsmart Escapes’ opening Feb. 9, at 107 W. Front St., Buchanan. The Buchanan location will be the fourth Outsmart Escapes locations, as the business already has two rooms in South Bend and one room in Elkhart. The cost to play will be $25 per person.

With the escape room, the objective is to solve a series of riddles and puzzles using physical, hidden clues, using a team of at least four people. In the Cold War spy room, clues could be lurking anywhere in the room, from the coffee cups staggered around the room to a two-way mirror, meant to make the room feel like a true FBI room.

“It’s like an interactive game of Clue,” said Herm, the owner of Outsmart Escapes. “It’s like a you’re in a real movie. You really get sucked into the story line.”

Herm said he is excited for the Buchanan opening. He said that he has only been planning the room and the opening since December, though he purchased the property in May.

Herm said he purchased the Front Street building because it has old jail cells inside of it that he immediately saw potential in for an escape room.

“I initially didn’t want to come to Buchanan, because it is a smaller market compared to South Bend and Elkhart,” Herm said. “But the city said, ‘hey, we have this cool jail,’ and I couldn’t pass it up.”

Though Buchanan was a smaller market than Herm initially wanted, he said that he has already seen a lot of excitement in Buchanan surrounding the opening on social media. He also hopes to create a bigger market for the escape room by advertising out of the area.

“Our marketing campaign will really be geared toward New Buffalo and places like that, trying to bring them in from out of town,” he said. “We also hope that the customers we already have in South Bend and Elkhart will come here, too.”

The jail room still needs work and will not be ready for the public when Outsmart Escapes opens next month, but Herm said he has big plans for the room and he hopes to get it up and running as soon as possible.

The Cold War-spy room will be ready for the public on Feb. 9. The puzzle follows the storyline of a real-life CIA mole and the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ pursuit of him.

Herm said that he could not disclose the identity of the spy, because it would give away clues about the puzzle, but he said that the true-to-life aspect of the escape room offers a unique experience.

From now until the time of opening, Outsmart Escapes will be hosting test runs for family and friends to help work out the kinks in the puzzles of the cold war-spy room and makes sure they are neither too easy nor too difficult. Herm expects to run at least 20 runs through.

“My philosophy is, I want everyone to have a good time,” Herm said. “My goal is to make sure everyone gets out [of the escape room], but if not that, I want everyone to get close. I don’t want it to be impossible.”

While many people in Buchanan may be unfamiliar with the concept of an escape room, Herm said he would invite anyone to give it a try.

“These days, with smartphones and all that, it’s almost a novelty to get out and do something with friends,” he said. “[Escape rooms] give people a chance to have a lot of fun, get unplugged and try something new. It’s an experience you don’t get anywhere else.”