Level99 will officially open at Disney Springs on June 29th, and we were given a preview of the new “adult playground” and all it has to offer. Here’s what we thought of this replacement of DisneyQuest (and the much maligned NBA Experience) on the West Side.

Hands-On Honest Review of Level99 Video:

Something for Everyone (But Really Teens & Adults) – The Essence of Disney That Level99 Shares

We essentially took part in the two-and-a-half-hour ticket experience during our early preview media event. Rest assured, you don’t have to play for 150 minutes nonstop to make the most of your experience, they also sell a 1.5 hour ticket. The playtime can be paused as well for 30 minutes, allowing guests to stop for a restroom visit, a drink of water, or of course, a stop at the bar and restaurant portion. These can also be enjoyed after your playtime is over.

In case you’ve missed our coverage of the venue’s development over the past year, we’ll get you up to speed: Level99 is a real-world social gaming space built around a collection of challenge rooms that mix escape-room problem solving, physical games, teamwork, and a little arcade-style energy, glueing your hands to joysticks and controllers.

Instead of sitting down at a screen, you move through the space (which also includes a multi-story bar, complete with food service, craft beer, and more), tap into different game rooms with an access wristband, and try to solve or complete each game with whoever you came with.

It is part puzzle box, part obstacle course, part arcade, and part themed entertainment experience, which makes it feel like a very natural fit for Disney Springs — especially on the West Side, where DisneyQuest once tried to fill a similar role.

At first, the cost may seem prohibitive, but this is ultimately a premium entertainment experience that’s only twice the price of a current-day full price movie ticket. If you have the time, I would choose the two-and-a-half-hour ticket. Even with that much time, we still did not get to every game (maybe partially because several were so fun that we just wanted to try them over-and-over until we mastered them). Of the dozens of games we played, I would say we LOVED roughly 90% of them, enjoyed another 5%, and simply weren’t able-bodied enough to conquer the remaining 5% of more physical challenges. In short, all of the games are top notch.

Getting Lost in the Games

Level99 is a little like a maze inside, so it is easy to miss some games. The main aesthetic is built around decorated doors — portal-style entrances into each challenge room. Several of the interiors are intricately themed and genuinely immersive at a Disney level, and several games are downright addictive. We probably spent 45 minutes redoing games we had already tried.

While there is a learning curve to most games (one not often aided greatly by the tips you can activate on the screen outside each of them), the reward of learning each somewhat on your own added a level of challenge we often look for in similar experiences. The nice thing is the games generally last 2-4 minutes, so if you end up not liking one, you can move on rather quickly, something that can’t be done in something like an escape room. These games have real replayability for all audiences, whether you prefer mental or physical challenges, or even something in between.

Helpfully, the games are all broken out into several categories to help you gauge what kind of experience lies beyond the doors. Screens outside of each game room detail the skills expected of players, whether that is mental agility, communication, teamwork, physicality, or a combination of those ideas. Once you play a few, you start to understand what the next game might feel like just from the labels on the door. It helps you find the styles of games you may enjoy most.

A lot of the games rely on teamwork, which makes this a perfect place to visit with a group. We had a great time as a couple, and the games all worked very well for two people, but there were definitely some where I could tell that having a larger group would change the experience completely. For examples, a submarine game we played that required hitting hundreds of different switches, buttons, and knobs across the vessel would probably be more outrageous with four to six people.

Before we really started exploring the game rooms, part of me felt concerned that the target audience would be fairly limited in scope to teens, young adults, full-grown adults, and not much beyond that. Maybe the games would feel a little too arcadey or screen-heavy, or in some cases too physically demanding for a wider, older audience to enjoy.

As we tried our hands at the dozens of games on offer, however, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how many experiences felt so accessible and so intuitive that I could see my 70-year-old parents having just as much fun as me (if not more) as they explored the space. That being said, obviously, there are plenty of games I might avoid with smaller children or elderly guests, but between the information screens and the helpful employees who roam the floor, I think it would be easy to figure out what games you should or shouldn’t partake in.

There were only a couple of games that did not fully click for us right away, but the vast majority of games were immediately enjoyable during a second or third play. It’s also important to note that the games can feel totally different depending on how many people are playing. Some can even be played solo, but the strategy and timing change with each added person. We played one alien egg collection game with a third person, and it completely changed the dynamic compared to the same experience with just the two of us.

There are some screen-based games, but many are built around physical props, tactile interaction, and real-world movement. Whether you like video games or want something more hands-on, whether you’re an older guest or a little kid, there is something here for you.

We used a magnet to pick up boxes, rolled a ball with our weight down a gravity-based obstacle course, and moved physical crystals around during a screen-based challenge. I love that kind of design, and I think there is something universally appealing about real, tactile, and weighty feedback in an interactive experience.

But is it As Good or Better than its Predecessor? (Ignore the NBA Experience)

Controversially, I enjoyed the NBA Experience, but mostly because my father really loved our licit there as a lifelong fan. However, I am fully aware of the challenges that venue faced and totally understand its very short lifespan. But as for the predecessor that many, including myself hold in highest regard…

I am going to say something controversial: this is better than DisneyQuest ever was.

Not thematically, because I love the kooky ’90s Walt Disney Imagineering story elements and aesthetic of DisneyQuest. But where Level99 really wins is that the games are actually all good. Everything we tried at this preview ranges from good to great. I can not say that about my DisneyQuest experience, no matter how much I loved falling off the back of the raft on the Virtual Jungle Cruise.

DisneyQuest was fun, especially as a kid, but Level99 feels like something I could see myself coming back to on a much more frequent basis (if they had a full-day ticket, or dare I say, an annual pass). My favorite DisneyQuest attractions were things like Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold and Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster, which had more physical elements rather than being purely video-game-like. While no single game at Level99 has the size and scope of those, I am pained to say (because of my love and nostalgia for the former venue) that many of these experiences are just way more fun.

Level99 mirrors the DisneyQuest concept and takes it to… the next level. I’ll see myself out now.

In a world where so much game time happens on screens, it is refreshing to play in a physical space with people you know and love. The build feels expensive, the props and scenery are detailed, and the sensors are impressively accurate. There is nothing more frustrating than when you play a game correctly and your achievement is not recognized. I don’t see that happening at Level99.

Level99 feels like a fitting spiritual successor to DisneyQuest. Someone finally did it right. It does not have the giant alien statues, strange props, or that impossible-to-place DisneyQuest chandelier that I mistakenly acquired years ago, but it is still a really pretty space throughout initiatives like working with local artists. Most importantly, the games shine.

It also made me think back specifically to The VOID, the virtual reality experience that used to be at Disney Springs. I loved The VOID, and it was one of the best VR experiences I have ever done.

But I enjoy Level99 more, as VR is still ultimately stuck in the screen world. Level99 is an experience where you are physically spending time with your friends, family, or loved ones, having fun together and making shared memories. It embodies the heart and soul of the Disney theme park experience.

The one main downside for me as a local is that there are currently only one-and-a-half-hour and two-and-a-half-hour ticket options. Right now, there is no all-day pass, annual pass, or season pass for the Disney Springs location, even though other Level99 locations have offered options like that. I hope that changes because I can’t wait to go back and master some of the challenges and take on some that we missed.

For now, if you are not local — or even if you are and just want to try it — the two-and-a-half-hour ticket feels worthwhile. There are far worse ways to spend that money in Orlando. Frankly, two or three drinks just about anywhere else in Disney Springs will hit your wallet just as hard, and the fun of those goes by a lot faster.

I love this place, and I wish them the best. Disney Springs West Side can be a hard place to succeed because you have to give people a reason to walk all the way down there. Level99 is absolutely a reason to get those extra steps in.

We will be back, likely for another two-and-a-half-hour pass, and if they introduce a season or annual pass, we will be back with frequency.

Level99 Opening Soon at Disney Springs

You can check out more details and photos from early previews of Level99 Disney Springs in our earlier coverage.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Thursday, June 25, four days before Level99 opens to the public on Monday, June 29. Tickets are already available online.

A single ticket for 1.5 hours is $29.99 most weekdays, $39.99 on Saturdays (and Friday, July 3), and $35.99 on Sundays.

A 2.5 hour ticket is $10 more — $39.99, $49.99, or $45.99. Ticket pricing is the same for adults and minors, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

A premium upgrade is also available with expedited check-in and additional gifts.

The first 500 guests to enter Level99 on opening day will receive a commemorative pin. The venue opens to the public on Monday, June 29.

Have you visited another Level99 location? Tell us all about your experience on social media!

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