The Aurora Society

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Along the beautiful quaint roads and rustic red-brick buildings of Ypsilanti, a bright yellow storefront beckons you to investigate its inner workings. Adorned with an old-fashioned sign reading DECODE YPSILANTI, once you walk through the doors you’ll find yourself in an elegant lobby. The wood furniture, large rugs, and pool table provide the appropriate ambiance, while a large painting of the Aurora Borealis draws your eye in, foreshadowing what’s to come.

The immersion at Decode Ypsilanti begins right when you enter the building; all the games and puzzles available in the lobby are crafted out of wood, setting the scene for the game that is about to take place. You’re introduced to the Aurora Society — an elusive magical network that is seeking new members while trouble brews behind the scenes. The story and introductory explanations are fluidly woven together, as your (very friendly) game master brings you deeper into this realm and its plot.
The interior of Aurora Society is excellently built with exquisite woodworking and solid construction. The technology is flawless and so incredibly integrated into this room. Little touches, like fibre optics, really show how much care and effort was put into the design. However, even the excellent room quality had opportunities for improvement; there were areas here and there that we suspected will likely be installed with additional puzzles later.

The impressive set design combined with the pre-game experience really pulls you into the world of the Aurora Society. Every detail was spot-on; from the textures of the props, the hint system, and the soundtrack, this game completely immerses you in its own universe. The thematic story telling even continues after the game ends, because Decode Ypsilanti has thought of everything!

The puzzles of Aurora Society focused heavily on teamwork. Many puzzles required back-and-forth puzzle-solving, so if you’re looking for a team-building exercise, this is the room for you. There was both a wide variety and a large quantity of puzzles, and as mentioned before, everything was themed and integrated beautifully. When compared to Decode Ann Arbor, the puzzles were more task-based than logic-based, but no less fun.

Attention to little things in both the pre-game and escape room are what elevates Aurora Society from “”good”” to “”excellent””. Rarely is every aspect of an escape experience polished to this degree. If you’re a modern fantasy fan, The Aurora Society definitely the experience is for you.