The Dreams

We had a fine time in this game, but what really made the experience poor was what we later learned about how the team here misleads their players. As for the game itself: This room is a three-in-one linear experience that takes you through three small rooms in 20-minute increments with a basic story connecting them. Three groups are playing the game simultaneously, so when you enter room 2, another group enters room 1 and so on. There was only one GM moderating three groups during our game. We most enjoyed the second room, which had more traditional puzzles and the most complete theming. The other two rooms had minimal decor and featured what I would call “mini games” rather than puzzles, including memory tests and dexterity games. It was interesting to incorporate some games into the traditional escape experience, but the drawback is that you could easily fail to complete the rooms in time due to failing a dexterity test, even if you solve everything else, which feels frustrating and cheap, not to mention not very accessibility-friendly. We ultimately solved everything with the exception of one puzzle in the final room. Our GM later confirmed that we had in fact solved it correctly, but the sensors in the prop malfunctioned. The experience itself was underwhelming but fine. But was really surprised us was what we learned about the game afterward. We spoke with the GM after our game and he led us to believe that everything in the experience was designed and built in-house by himself and the room’s owner. He also told us that it was an independent room (not a franchise). We were impressed to learn that everything was built from scratch. There were some very cool props and mechanics on display, and while the decor in 2/3 of the rooms was pretty basic, it was impressive coming from a brand new game designed by a team of two. However, we did some research about the game afterwards, interested to learn more about their story, and discovered that none of this was true. There are several other 4 Dreams locations throughout the country and based on their websites, they all feature the same game with nearly identical rooms. The most impressive props and puzzles, we learned, came from a props company that specializes in turn-key escape rooms. In their catalogue we found most of what we had just seen at 4 Dreams. 4 Dreams is promoting a Jumanji game, and we also saw this “Jungle Game” premade room available to order from the same purveyor — using the exact same photos and videos 4 Dreams is currently using to promote theirs, despite the GM telling us that they were currently designing and building it. To be clear, I don’t believe that purchasing puzzles or props makes a game bad. However, if you are using a premade room, I expect that saved effort to be spent on making the rest of the experience exceptional. When I believed 4 Dreams was built and designed entirely by a two-person team onsite, I didn’t mind that there were some glitches, or that the spectacle was lacking. But knowing that they bought their most impressive and complex pieces prefabricated leaves me very disappointed in the lackluster attention paid to everything else. And most importantly: We were lied to about all of this when we talked to the GM about the game, praised specific set pieces, and were told that he and this location’s owner created them. I would happily replay a lackluster game that improves over time, but I have no interest in returning to a business that has misrepresented its product and lied to its customers.

Some very unique elements in the room. It is split in different “dreams” each with its own win conditions.

As someone who has played over 50 escape rooms, I was truly impressed by 4 Dreams Escape Game. The production value, puzzle design, and attention to detail in the props were top-notch. The atmosphere was incredibly immersive, and it’s amazing how the owner transformed an old house into such a creative and well-designed escape experience. Every puzzle felt purposeful and well-integrated into the story. Our game master was fantastic—engaging, attentive, and clearly passionate about creating a great experience. Definitely one of the best escape rooms I’ve done, and I highly recommend it to both new and experienced players!

Many Puzzles are dexterity based. Very few logic based puzzles. Nice Tech. We tried to play with 2 people when the minimum is 4. Though it was fun, I do not recommend. please bring 4 people. Shoutout to the game master for being our extra person!

This was so much fun! Amazing setup and very cool puzzles. Some a bit challenging, but overall - absolutely great time! Highly recommended.