[Inventory

An inventory mechanism accessed using the Tab key. It holds items such as keys and allows players to equip cipher sheets so they stay on screen while solving puzzles.

Verification: Human verified

The Inventory is your character's carried-item storage in Escape Academy, opened at any time with the Tab key. It holds quest items such as keys and lets you equip cipher sheets so they remain visible on screen while you work on a puzzle. Because many rooms require you to match a code against a clue you picked up earlier, the inventory doubles as your reference sheet — check it before assuming you're missing information.

Opening and Using the Inventory

1. Press Tab to open your inventory during normal play. The same control is listed on the waiver screen at the start of the game, alongside WASD movement, left-click interaction, and shift sprinting [src-2c17f7b0c2].
2. Look through your held items. Keys you have picked up appear here and can be used on the matching locks — for example, opening a locker with "the key in your inventory" [src-0dc02cf791], or pairing a newly found key with one already stored to open a numbered door [src-cc415a0c9f].
3. Note any clue items or evidence you are carrying. Written clues, recipe cards, and evidence pieces all live in the inventory and can be reviewed whenever a puzzle asks you for a code [src-cdf9faa348].

Keeping Clues On Screen

The inventory's most useful feature is pinning. When you select a cipher sheet or clue from your inventory, you can pin it to your screen so it stays visible while you solve the associated puzzle [src-3c4a331aa3]. In co-op this is especially valuable: one player can pin a clue showing a sequence of colors and read it out while the other player manipulates the lock, rather than describing it from memory [src-3c4a331aa3].

Step-by-Step: A Typical Inventory Workflow

1. Pick up everything you can interact with. Clues, keys, goblets, evidence, and recipe cards all route into the inventory automatically when collected [src-3c4a331aa3][src-cdf9faa348].
2. Open the inventory with Tab and read each item's description. Some items carry codes or letter sequences directly on them — a goblet, for instance, may be engraved with a letter and a color order [src-3c4a331aa3].
3. Pin the relevant clue so it remains on screen, then close the inventory and return to the lock or device.
4. Cross-reference items against the puzzle. If a lock wants a five-letter code, check whether your recipe cards or clue notes can be combined to produce it — the recipe-card puzzle, for example, is solved entirely from three cards held in the inventory [src-cdf9faa348].
5. Use keys directly from the inventory on the door or container they belong to [src-0dc02cf791].
6. Use evidence items on the correct target. Certain progression steps require selecting an item such as the Incriminating Painting from your inventory and using it on a specific object or person [src-0dc02cf791].

Tips

• If a puzzle seems to be missing a number or letter, re-open Tab before searching the room again — the answer is often already in your bag [src-cdf9faa348].
• In co-op, split clue-holding duties: whoever holds the cipher sheet should pin it and narrate it while the other player inputs the solution [src-3c4a331aa3].
• Keys are consumed by the locks they open, so if a door still won't budge, check whether you are holding the correct key rather than a spare [src-cc415a0c9f].
• Keep written notes to a minimum where possible; the inventory itself records what you've written down, so you can retrieve the information later instead of memorizing it [src-eca7cb7683].

Notes and Limitations

The available sources do not describe an inventory size limit, item stacking, or any drop/discard function, so treat the inventory as an unlimited quest-item holder unless the game tells you otherwise. The only confirmed control is the Tab shortcut; the waiver screen also lists left-click for interacting, which is how you pick items up in the first place [src-2c17f7b0c2].

Details

shortcut

Tab

Sources

• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School walkthrough - Full guide and puzzle ...
• Escape Academy | Become the Ultimate Escapist!
• Escape Academy - The Co-op Mode
• Escape Academy - All Achievements/Trophies Walkthrough - 100% Puzzle Solution Guide (Xbox Game Pass)
• Escape Academy A Trying Trial Walkthrough
• The Escape Academy | Episode 3 | Bust a Move