Room Escape Artist

The Society of Adventures and Explorers is one of the best games near Orlando. Here are our other recommendations for great escape rooms in the Orlando area.

Classic puzzles for a classic adventure

Location:  Kissimmee, FL

Date Played: November 10, 2023

Team size: 2-8; we recommend 2-4

Duration: 60 minutes

Price: from $37.50 per player

Ticketing: Private

Accessibility Consideration:  There is an uneven surface.

Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock

Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints

REA Reaction

The Society of Adventures and Explorers (S.O.A.E.) was an excellent, traditional escape room. It was the kind of experience that David and I fell in love with and that inspired us to write about these games. It’s been a while since we played an escape room that took us back to that time in our lives, but we’re always thrilled to play one, because this is the type of experience that launched this industry.

S.O.A.E. offered many interesting, layered puzzles that required us to notice details, make connections, and communicate well. These were satisfying, teamwork-focused solves. The gameplay flowed well.

While we were never fully transported out of the office space where Edge Escape has built their games, the gamespace was thematically and comprehensively decorated. We enjoyed some large set pieces and props that built up intrigue and excitement.

The biggest miss was an eye-catching ghost puzzle that needed to be reworked or removed.

Edge Escape set out to build family-friendly escape rooms that will delight their local customers; they’ve succeeded with S.O.A.E. While we were visiting, we poked our heads in Edge Escape’s other games and they appeared to be just as strong offerings. We expect that S.O.A.E. is the type of escape room that will inspire new players to play another, which is exactly what we want for the businesses in this industry.

Who is this for?

• Puzzle lovers
• Indiana Jones fans
• Any experience level

Why play?

• Strong puzzle flow
• Fun interactive set pieces and props
• To find out what lies behind the office facade

Story

We’d heard about the Society for Adventurers and Explorers, and tales of their globetrotting and treasure hunting. They are probably a relic of the past, but we’d stumbled upon the group’s old headquarters and we needed to see if we’d find an adventure within.

Setting

The Society of Adventures and Explorers opened in basic office adorned with memorabilia. It looked like the office of an explorer, especially one with an interest in ancient civilizations.

When we left the office, we entered more adventurous settings.

Gameplay

Edge Escape’s The Society of Adventures and Explorers was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.

Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, solving puzzles, and some (very light) dexterity and agility.

Analysis

➕ The puzzle flow was smooth. The clue structure worked well. There were ample layered puzzles, and all well clued.

➖ Although the cluing was clear, it involved scouring a lot of reading material. There was opportunity to make the cluing more native to the environment.

➕ The set design was solid. New spaces offered unexpected set pieces and decor. It was adventurous, but always exciting and playful. (It was never intense or scary.)

➕ We especially enjoyed the more interactive props and set pieces. David leaned into one simple solve, I stepped across another. These were delightful.

➖ A ghost puzzle haunted the final set, and an apparent modification to a large set piece that likely originally worked differently was not satisfying as a solve, or as an interaction.

➖ the gameplay bottlenecked severely in the final moments due to a prop that took a while to solve. The prop was too small to even be observed by teammates. (We were a two player team and David solved this about as fast as is possible, and it still stomped on momentum.)

➕ The Society of Adventures and Explorers had a strong ending, bringing out adventure to a close.

Tips For Visiting

• There is plenty of parking.
• There are lots of restaurant options nearby.

Book your hour with Edge Escape’s The Society of Adventures and Explorers, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.

Disclosure: Edge Escape comped our tickets for this game.