Review: 4 Dreams Escape Game

RATING: 2 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: *Not timed

Some dreams just make no sense. Is it time to wake up yet?

Story

Would you like to explore the fantasy dream of a magic forest or solve the mystery of the cabin in the woods? How about traveling back in time to visit an inventor’s lab where mechanics and magic collide? Or living through a classic dream of being trapped inside an elevator… a gorgeous 18th-century elevator!

You will have 80 minutes to visit four charming dreams at our escape room in Seattle, WA, each filled with unique clues and challenging puzzles. Solve the mystery of each dream and bring us the proof…

Four unique, totally unrelated spaces representing different dreams are waiting to be explored. Beyond this, the story nearly is non-existent.

Why are these visions happening while dreaming? Why are there puzzles? Why is there a time crunch? Teams are seeking proof… that the dream was real? None of this makes any sense.

Scenic

The four dreams consist of a magic world, a lab, a cabin in the woods, and an elevator to nowhere. Each space is roughly the same-sized square with puzzles along the perimeter. There is a thematic centerpiece that helps dreamers keep track of progress in the room and how much time is left. There is no discovery in these spaces; what you see is what you get.

The experience begins in a magic, forest-like world. It is bright and looks nice with a unique mirrored ceiling. Complete with teapots, bells, clocks, and clouds in the sky. It set the bar high for the rooms to come.

Moving to the second dream, teams enter a cabin in the woods. It is a darker space that also feels immersive. Again, there is another cool ceiling, this time with a straw-like material. It is a strong follow-up to the magic world.

The third dream takes place in the lab. It is not clear what the purpose of the lab is outside of it simply being in a dream. It does not feel authentic and believable that any lab work would be done here. There is some relevant art, but otherwise, it falls flat. It is a step back from the previous spaces, although not bad.

The series of dreams concludes in an elevator to nowhere. This is the least impressive space. It simply did not read as an elevator. There are photos on the wall with characters that had not been seen at any point thus far, but presumably, represented each of the previous dreams. It felt out of place. The finale of the fourth dream is disappointing.

Multiple groups can be playing at the same time. This in itself is not an issue, but what can be is noise pollution. The walls are thin and teams will be able to hear other groups talking or working on puzzles, especially in the case where audio tasks are present. It is possible to hear this throughout nearly the entire experience and dramatically takes away from the immersion of the game.

Puzzles

Each dream consists of four puzzles and teams will have twenty minutes to complete them. If teams do not finish, they will be moved into the next space, giving it constant forward momentum. Groups cannot return to a room once they have left it. If a team can complete all the puzzles in a dream, they are rewarded with a completion card, but they must still wait out the time and there is nothing to do. The puzzles in the lab were on the quicker side so dreamers may find themselves awkwardly standing around waiting for a timer to countdown.

The riddles themselves felt more like arcade games than full-on puzzles. The four tasks in each room are unrelated and teams can tackle them in any order they want. They largely consist of walking up to a prop and pushing buttons or maneuvering an object around. Some tasks are easy to understand what needs to be done, but executing them can be challenging.

One dream consists of two loud audio puzzles, making it impossible to work on them at the same time. Given the non-linear nature of the game, teams must solve puzzles simultaneously to complete them all in time. This is a frustrating and easily avoidable problem.

There is one skill-based puzzle that is nearly impossible. It is based on a specific dexterity knack and dreamers either can or can’t physically do it. This leads to a frustrating player experience, and worst of all, this is likely the final puzzle for most groups leaving a sour experience on the way out.

4 Dreams Escape Game makes it clear not all groups will solve every puzzle, especially with smaller teams. This would be okay, except that poor design and exceptionally challenging skill puzzles are the reason to not finish them.

Overall

This game was previously a 60-minute experience and was the version we played. Since then, it has been increased to 80 minutes.

The lobby is spacious and includes a photo booth. Some board games are also present.

The 4 Dreams Escape Game is one of the first forward-only progression games in the Seattle market. There is nothing inherently wrong with this format, but this example misses the mark with inconsistent pacing, absent story and distracting noise pollution.

Show your support for Escape Authority and get social with us: