So we’re doing something a bit different here. First off, this is NOT the official review for “Servants of Sleight” at the Exit Games in Clearwater, FL. That will come soon enough.
Josh and Tay, the owners of the Exit Games, were gracious enough to allow me to ask them five questions of my choice for this site. I am completely thankful for the opportunity that was given to me to do this and the enthusiasm received in each answer.
Question 1: [I prefaced not to answer if it contains a spoiler] Why “Servants of Sleight”? What’s the meaning behind the name?
The Exit Games: “Servants of Sleight” was built with the intention of being a not-your-typical magic escape experience. This experience’s story involves a fraternal order named the Servants of Sleight: the most prestigious, top-secret magic society to ever exist. The word “Servants” attributes to the fraternal nature of the experience, with the word “Sleight” pertaining to the common phrase in magic, “sleight of hand,” meaning skillful deception used by magicians to entertain or manipulate their audiences with illusion. We wanted the name of this room to reflect the uniqueness of its storyline and gameplay.
Question 2: Who’s your favorite magician?
Ooooh that’s a tough one!! David Blaine is definitely the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), but Shin Lim from America’s Got Talen and Fool Us is no doubt the best sleight of hand magician we’ve ever seen.
Question 3: Aside from the time it took to create a whole new location (first location of The Exit Games is in Wilmington, NC), how long did it take to create Servants of Sleight from idea to opening day?
Josh has been in love with magic since he was a kid. I (Tay) was always super intrigued by it but it was totally amplified when Josh and I started dating. We’ve had the dream of creating a magic-related escape room for probably the past 2 years. We would draft up the magic-type puzzles in our free time everyone once in a while starting about a year and a half ago. However, it wasn’t until we signed the lease for our Clearwater location last November that we really started hammering out the storyline and puzzle flow.
So in total, Servants [of Sleight] took roughly 10 months to create from dream to reality in its final state!
Question 4: Outside of your own designs, what is your favorite Escape Rooms/Games?
Now that’s a tricky question. We go back and forth with this a lot! For Tay, my answer has to be The Room in Berlin, Germany. This is my favorite venue we’ve ever visited. Their rooms are nothing short of amazing. They have such a unique twist to each room, paired with wonderful set designs and puzzle flow. If I absolutely had to choose, I’d pick Lost Treasure from there as my favorite.
For Josh, his [favorite] teeters between the Room and Mission 53 at the Padlock in Prague, Czech Republic. That was a 99 minute room that made us fall in love with the concept of pure immersion. Two years ago, we had never done anything like it before!
Question 5: What can we expect next for the future of The Exit Games FL?
Our next venture for The Exit Games FL will be bringing the most bone-chilling horror escape experience to Tampa Bay!
Furthermore, we have the capability to hold a total of 4 experiences in our facility. Upon the completion of our horror experience, we intend to introduce two entirely one-of-a-kind themes that will each host its own twist on the traditional escape experience.
So that’s it. Your owners, hosts and game masters of The Exit Games are true enthusiasts of this industry and even though I have not typed out my review of “Servants of Sleight”, our group of three can safely state that their love for these experiences is apparent.
Thank you again, Josh and Tay, for this fun interaction, along with everything else.
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