RATING: 3 Keys          RESULT: Win         REMAINING: 9:32

Delve into the depths of Mr. Bestunkovich’s twisted mindscape, but be careful- otherwise your dream will turn into a nightmare.

You’ve been inserted into the dream of Mr. Bestunkovich, a ruthless Russian billionaire whose mansion is protected by an impenetrable security system. Your mission: steal the code to unlock his fortress and deliver it to our team of expert cat burglars, who are ready to break in the moment you succeed.

But this dream is no ordinary one—it’s a multi-level maze of twisted puzzles and escalating dangers. The deeper you go, the harder it gets, and time is running out. Fail, and you’ll be trapped in his mind forever, leaving the burglars with no way in.

Can you get the code and escape before it’s too late?

We are thrust into the inner workings of Mr. Bestunkovich’s psyche, uncovering different aspects of his personality along the way. He is clearly a man of wildly varying interests,  as we encounter everything from classic video games to jungle temples to futuristic science labs.

The narrative does lose a bit of cohesion throughout, as the dream phases are so disparate from one another that it’s often jarring. Everything completely changes between each layer of the mind, and it’s difficult to maintain the immersion.

Despite the fact that we’re supposed to be finding the code for the security system, it seems we end up more focused on deciphering Bestunkovich’s bizarre subconscious. The storyline does end up getting muddled and blurred because of this shift in the center of attention.

Bestunkovich’s mind is almost disturbing, as each layer of his dream reveals a new aspect to his personality- creating a chaotic, disjointed atmosphere. The environment varies between creepy and unsettling, to vibrant and somewhat childlike.

Every portion of the dream has its own style, both visually, and audibly. Familiar game show theme songs ring out in one, while another has its ambience provided by the score of a well-known attraction, albeit in a distorted, off-key version.

There is no real thematic connection amongst any of the locales, but as this is a slumber-induced fantasy, it’s expected that it won’t make sense. In this case, it’s perfectly normal to go from a topsy-turvy bedroom to a grimy, dimly-lit garage workshop to a vine-filled cave. A tunnel and a low archway are also present, which means there is a fair amount of crawling and crouching to be done.

There is a wide array of different styles of puzzles found throughout Dream, ranging from simple locks to physical challenges that test the dexterity and agility of the dream-explorers. There is also a tremendous amount of tasks to complete, so many that sometimes it’s almost overwhelming.

Some of the obstacles awaiting us essentially require brute-forcing the solution, which is incredibly aggravating. A singularly troublesome component requires utilizing fifteen different elements to complete. A small handful of riddles depend upon watching short videos, but these all need to be viewed repetitively in order to glean all necessary information, wasting precious time.

For the most part, the puzzles correspond to the segments of the dream world where they can be found, although there are some that overlap between them. With their sheer volume, they all easily lend themselves to the notion that the further into the subconscious one goes, the closer they are to madness.

Dream is a challenging experience that can be frustrating to complete, yet it is still entertaining. At several times, however, we can only describe the navigation of the dream-world as “tedious” at best. The constant repetition, while furthering the storyworld, hinders the flow of solving the riddles.

Thematically, Escape Artists does a good job of creating an environment where disconnected scenarios do blend together well, but the execution is somewhat lacking. The (extremely noticeable) absence of padding in the areas where crawling is required greatly lessens the enjoyment factor, as it’s uncomfortable and even downright painful.

There are some very unique and clever puzzles involving different elements of pop culture (the references to video games and local theme parks) without going into copyright-infringement territory. The various Easter eggs to the other games at the venue are also appreciated.  With a few tweaks, Dream has the potential of being a truly stand-out game.

This is one vision that should remain as a figment of the imagination.

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Venue: Escape Artists

Location: Orlando, Florida

Number of Games: 3

GAME SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Duration: 90 minutes

Capacity: 5 people

Group Type: Private / You will not be paired with strangers.

Cost: $55 per person

We thank Escape Artists for inviting us to play this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.