The Exit Games FL: Servants of Sleight (Clearwater, FL)

The first rule of Servants of Slight club – you don’t talk about Servants of Sleight club

You’ve worked your whole life for this. Years of endless practice, mentorships, and performances. You’ve perfected your illusions and sleight of hand.

Gaining entry into The Servants of Sleight is quite possibly the hardest accomplishment any magician can make. Becoming a member would put you in the company of the greatest magicians to ever live.

​You’ve received a mysterious text inviting you to tonight’s new-member initiation ceremony… but only if you can prove worthy of the honor.

​You’re ready. Now prove it to them.

We’ve been hearing about Servants of Sleight by Exit Games Florida for years now, and we were desperate to go and play there. Their reputation really does precede them as they’ve finished in the Top 40 of TERPECA for the last two years! When we visited they had two games open so we were able to play both Servants of Sleight and Pins and Needles!

We were in the area visiting family, well not really in the area but we made a sizable detour to ensure we could play the Exit Games Florida games. The building itself is very nondescript and in a small business park type of area, but with plenty of parking which was a bonus.

When we arrived we were greeted by our GM, Ben. Ben made us feel very welcome and invited us to wait in the comfortable waiting area before leading us to a secondary breakout area (which was also lovely). After using the toilets and stocking up on some free candy, Ben reappeared to give us the health and safety and story briefing.

With that out of the way, it was finally time for us to see what all the fuss was about. I must admit though, with Servants of Sleight, the less you know, the better – and we will be leaving a number of things out of this review just to ensure the surprises remain.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

As you’d expect from an escape room that has done so well in the TERPECAs, the set design in this game was arguably perfect. At the time of playing I very much lost track of all the spaces we encountered as this was one of those games that just seemed to keep on going. When we thought we were coming to the end, there was another twist, and another room!

I really can’t praise this game enough. I’m pretty sure that I had a smile on my face for the entire time I was in Servants of Sleight. Lighting was dim but suited the sets, and torches (flashlights) were provided when needed. Background music was playing at all times which really helped us to be immersed in this mysterious world.

For the most part, this game was non-linear. We knew there was going to be a lot to cover so we actually spent most of the game working on different things just to make sure we got through it ok. We played as a team of two and had an amazing time, completing the game in just over an hour. So yes, it’s great as a team of two, but large teams will also find plenty to keep them occupied without treading on each other’s toes.

There is so much more I could talk about with Servants of Sleight. But I won’t ruin it. Just play it, and then also promise to keep the secrets alive.

PUZZLES

So. Many. Puzzles. This game had puzzles in the bucket load, and they were all a delight. I could list all the puzzle types that we encountered, but being honest I’m really not sure where to start. If you can think of a puzzle type, it was probably here (but none of those annoying skill based/steady hand puzzles!).

Now I can’t be sure, so I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that this game also had some magic involved – it’s the only explanation for what they did. Ok, maybe it was clever use of tech, but it had a sprinkle of magic. Padlocks also made an appearance, but only where they belonged and they certainly weren’t over used.

The puzzles were a good mix of quick wins and more complex meta puzzles and there is definitely something for everyone. Fortunately they also provided a notepad and pencil so we could take notes (definitely needed).

Oh and the ending – a delight!

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

I always love it when a clue system is designed to be part of the experience, and Exit Games Florida did exactly that. Was it anything fancy? No. It was a simple solution that was wound into the story well enough that it felt believable.

If we needed a clue we simply had to request it and someone from ‘The Eye’ would contact us to assist. We only actually needed one clue and that was because of a search fail because we were being too delicate with something and didn’t want to break it. So I guess not a clue, but more of a nudge? Either way, ‘The Eye’ were watching us closely as when they saw that we had discounted this item, they swiftly chimed in before we got lost and frustrated.

ANYTHING ELSE

Ok, I see what all the fuss is about. We loved our time in Servants of Sleight and the less we say about it, the better your experience will be. Just go and play it, it’s a delight.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 2 players – escaped in 1hr 3 mins

Address: 620 Lakeview Rd, Clearwater, FL 33756, United States

Website: https://www.theexitgamesfl.com/