Room Escape Artist

Servants of Sleight is one of the best games in Orlando. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in Orlando.

Update 6/20/23: If you enjoy Servants of Sleight, we hope you’ll check out our interview with creators Taylor Pfyffer and Josh Skidmore on The Reality Escape Pod.

The Prestige

Location:  Clearwater, FL

Date Played: February 26, 2023

Team size: 2-8; we recommend 3-5

Duration: 90 minutes

Price: $52 per player

Ticketing: Private

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

Servants of Sleight was another seriously hyped escape room.

After having played the deconstructed version of this game at The Exit Games’ Wilmington location (Dog Gone Alley and White Rabbit Society), we couldn’t understand how the combination of these two games would transform into one of the most highly regarded games in the United States.

Now we get it. The Exit Games FL created different spaces and scenes, and linked them into an experience that was considerably more than the sum of its parts. And that was the magic.

In Servants of Sleight, the opening act was leaner. It didn’t include the puzzles that dragged in Dog Gone Alley. The later scenes had more room to breathe than in White Rabbit Society. The aesthetic in Servants of Sleight was different too, but no less compelling.

As reviewers, and as students of the escape room medium, we got a lot out of playing both Servants of Sleight and the deconstructed version in Wilmington. We don’t necessarily recommend this. We recommend you go straight to Clearwater. But we’re happy it worked out this way for us. For science.

When you go to Clearwater (and it’s not easy to get to, but it’s worth the trip), play Servants of Sleight and Pins & Needles Tattoo Parlor, in that order.

Who is this for?

• Adventure seekers
• Story seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Scenery snobs
• Fans of the magical arts
• Any experience level
• Players who don’t need to be a part of every puzzle

Why play?

• Strong, varied collection of puzzles
• Nifty interactions
• Magic!

Story

We knew of the prestigious Servants of Sleight. We’d been practicing for years to be good enough magicians to gain entry. Now with a text inviting us to a new-member initiation ceremony, it was finally time to prove ourselves worthy.

Setting

We began in the back alley behind the magic shop Fenways. It was dimly lit with graffitied brick walls. But soon enough, we entered the Fenways and the mysterious places it concealed.

Gameplay

The Exit Games FL’s Servants of Sleight was a standard escape room with a modest level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around observing, making connections, solving puzzles, and interacting with the world around us.

Analysis

➕ Our adventure was underway before we entered the back alley. While we’ve seen this trick performed before, the crispness of The Exit Game FL’s execution gets our stamp of approval.

➕ Each game space set a different tone, but they belonged in a cohesive world. Through the decor, lighting, and soundscape, The Exit Games FL created different atmospheres, and we engaged appropriately. One set, in particular, was especially beautiful.

➖ In our favorite set, one area lacked the fit and finish of the rest of the space. This was especially apparent because the gameplay drew our eyes in that direction for a prolonged period.

➕ Servants of Sleight delivered on the promise that only skilled magicians would gain entry.

➕ Servants of Sleight unfolded across multiple acts. The transition sequences were especially engaging, and wholly unexpected. These added vivacity to the escape room.

➖ While the transitions were often the highlights, one scene change lacked the dramatic flourish of the others.

➕ The puzzles worked beautifully. Although there were many puzzles, they were well-clued and we moved through them swiftly, never spending too long before the aha. If there was process to any puzzle, the process itself added excitement.

➖ We struggled to comprehend what one prop was meant to be.

➕ The finale sequence perfectly concluded this adventure, weaving in interaction that deftly and magically revealed.

➕ Servants of Sleight told a story without any reading or exposition. At every step of the way, we knew our role in the world, our goal, and what had transpired to our characters. Through in-world interactions, we could make progress.

Tips For Visiting

• There is a parking lot.

Book your session with The Exit Games FL’s Servants of Sleight, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: The Exit Games FL comped our tickets for this game.