Dream Labs

8/10 (fourth out of six in Franconia) 

This room started off incredibly strong, in part because of the amazing hosting from Katherine. I mean the best start we've ever experienced. 

The ending was also pretty cool, and intense. 

One thing I will say up front is that this was the most expensive escape room I have ever done. Although as some rooms globally are heading now into the 300s,  is 200 even that expensive anymore? 

But with the cost in mind I think I was expecting more from it, in the middle stages. Maybe a more expansive set, maybe more impressive puzzles. Maybe multiple characters? 

Because the host is so involved in the game, you could argue that she is also a character in the game. Although I wouldn't really class that as a in-room character. 

There were some aspects that turned out to be a "side quest" 

I suppose in a way like a collection aspect. This didn't really go anywhere. 

But then at the end you're supposed to get a print out showing what you've accomplished, but ours was showing zero due to a technical error, so that was a bit deflating 

Before we booked there weren't that many reviews of this room. And some of the reviews that were out there struck me as kind of weird, like this were some kind of contemporary art installation. Like people were a bit lost for words, or the spirit was lost in translation. 

But in reality it's a fairly straightforward escape experience.  

I thought the "Monster" which started off so, so strong. Was actually a bit generic, it didn't fit the theme as well as it could. It would have been much better also having a middle character or fellow traveler with a story to tell, that plays a middle role. And so the interactions are with the fellow traveler, and the monster is more distant and so you maintain the tension, until the denouement. 

Which I felt did work well , or better. In the chaos confusion and cacophony of the conclusion 

All this of course depends on the nature of the character/entity, it depends on the scenario. 

In terms specifically of this creature in this world. Less would be more. 

Because they did an amazing job of building the tension. And that tension just dissipated at points when you're up close with the monster. There's also a section aimed I think at humour where the monster is supposed to be asleep, it just fell a bit flat for us. The part where me and my colleague got separated, also fell flat. 

This is still an incredible and intense experience, that I would highly recommend. The set is also very impressive. 

One thing I will say is that, take the advice to wear old clothes seriously, it could be a bit of an ordeal. 

We both came out with minor injuries. Although we did set all the parameters of the lucid dream to absolute maximum. 

7/10 (fifth out of six in Franconia) 

So Toby's review of this escape room is responsible, to a large extent, for the formation of this entire trip, and of us being dazed and confused in the middle of the Franconia countryside.  He always seems to me very measured in his reviews, but this one had a different quality to it. 

We are also fans of both Blade Runner films. 

One interesting thing about booking this place was that we wanted to do this room first in the morning and then Pirat later, in the evening. 

I thought my colleague might be a bit worse for wear later in the day, and we were looking forward to this room the most, and thought Pirat was maybe a more suitable evening experience. Particularly being set partly in a bar. However in spite of us booking it that way, they changed it, without asking us , so that Pirat was first. 

This obviously is their preference. 

And whilst I'm critiquing their booking system it's maybe also worth mentioning that (at my time of booking) you can't book these rooms , on their website, very far in advance, they claim it's three months, but if you're at the end of a month, it's more like two and a bit. Also weirdly they have no contact details on their website 

So as much as they band about the word "Premium" I'm not sure contacting someone over an Instagram conversation is a particularly "Premium" booking experience. Just saying. 

Anyway to the point - we went into this room with incredibly high expectations, (never a good thing) and especially  after doing the Pirat room, and if I could sum the experience up it would be: "Style over substance"

 I thought the aesthetic of this room was incredible and I love the theme and there is obviously a hell of a lot of tech that has gone into it, it is brain-blowingly impressive in that sense.  

It started very strongly and I thought we were trying to find a missing woman? 

But then it felt like watching a film, but you go to the bog, and miss a crucial juncture. 

There just wasn't the emotional investment, climax, or payoff for us. 

I'm still not sure what happened to that missing woman? 

And so when we were asked if we wanted to save the entirely of humanity and all human accomplishment, (or something similar) we just sort of shrugged. 

I'm willing to accept that this is a great room, and we just didn't appreciate its full magnitude and magnificence 

I just somehow had a lot more fun and more satisfaction larking around in a Pirat bar. 

8.5/10 (third out of six in Franconia) 

No matter how your mileage varies, it's a long way to Bad Steben 

So the first escape room I ever did, around 2018, was Shipwrecked at Breakout in Liverpool, which as far as I'm aware somehow still staggers, wooden-leggedly on. 

In short I didn't think anything much of the room, it was vaguely underwhelming and disappointing and I never imagined returning nor did I make any attempt to do another escape room, for several years following. 

Jump forward 8 years and here we are, doing another Pirate escape room. 

And I have to say the word "Premium" hardly does justice to the vast ocean of difference between then and now, or here and there. 

As I mentioned in another review it was Toby's review of Metropolis that was the catalyst for us ending up in Bad Steben.  

In contrast he seemed somewhat less impressed with Pirat. 

I also have to say I personally haven't got all that much interest in Pirates, and let's be honest it's a cliched,  lazy, past-it theme.

So... controversial opinion, and I'm sorry to jump ship on this, but Pirat was my favourite room here at Dream Labs in Bad Steben. 

Having the actor in the room with you could feel a bit weird and awkward, especially when they're just stood there, and you're trying to get rid of them.

 I do get it.

 I personally have never experienced anything like this, I don't think there's anything like this in England. It's very rare to have people in the room, and certainly not in this fashion. 

But for me, I loved the novelty factor, and I thought it worked really well. 

Even though the actor wasn't particularly convincing as a Pirat. 

Also, and I hope I'm not speaking out of turn here, but from reading other reviews, I thought there was supposed to be two pirates? 

I did question this at the end, but I was told there was only ever one? 

This room had so much going for it, the set design, the genuine humour, incredible puzzles, and I thought it was heartwarming; it genuinely had emotion. 

In the midst of all the bizarreness of the scenario. There was a sense of "Why", which is so often missing from these kinds of experiences. 

The story made sense and had a satisfying conclusion. 

Also the bit where we were separated worked really well. The way they did it, was perfect and our communication during the separation was brilliant! There was a really good use of tech. For me they hit every marker of a great escape room experience. 

My hard-hearted colleague took somewhat less joy from this room. But for me it was a very strong third out of six. 

Ein großartiger Raum mit vielen tollen Ideen und einen unfassbar guter Bau-Qualität! Das Intro ist ausgezeichnet!

Kaum zu glauben das sie in Bad Steben drei Räume hinbekommen haben, die diese großartige Qualität haben und doch jeweils sehr unterschiedlich sind. Am besten alle drei in einem Trip buchen (unbedingt Lost als letztes spielen!!).

Hoffentlich kommt noch mehr!