Level99 Entertainment Center Opens At Natick Mall

NATICK, MA — The enormous Level99 immersive gaming center opened Monday at the Natick Mall, offering visitors a football-field sized entertainment experience and a Night Shift Brewing taproom and restaurant with seating for more than 200 people.

The 48,000 square-foot Level99, located on the top floor of the former Sears space, is packed with games like escape rooms, scavenger hunts and arenas where game players can compete against each other. There are over 40 rooms to choose from.

"As grown-ups explore the space together, they’ll encounter a series of physical, mental, communication and skill-based challenges. They’ll swing on ropes over a floor of LED lava, run across a moving plank to board a pirate ship and navigate down a museum corridor filled with laser beams to steal a jewel," a news release about the opening said.

Plans for Level99 surfaced about a year ago from the founders of 5 Wits, which operates live-gaming centers in Massachusetts and several other states. Level99 co-founder Matt DuPlessie, who has also worked as an engineer for Disney, said the Natick Mall attraction is like an arcade, except the action is happening in real life.

"This is not virtual reality, it's literally a physical set of challenges," he told Patch in June 2020.

Like the adjacent Dave & Buster's, Level99 has some age restrictions. People under 18 are allowed with a guardian who is at least 25 years old. Anyone under age 18 must leave the facility before 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Visit the Level99 website to find hours, ticket prices and menu information for the Night Shift taproom.