High stakes therapy
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Date Played: May 10, 2019
Team size: 2-6; we recommend 3-5
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: from 75 € per Group for teams of 2 to 144 € per Group for teams of 6
Ticketing: Private
Emergency Exit Rating: [A+] No Lock
Physical Restraints: [A+] No Physical Restraints
REA Reaction
Big Break Hamburg had us drift off into a dream world for Insomnia. Conceptually dreams are one of our favorite escape room settings because they allow the designers to justify a lot more than a setting in normal reality… and Big Break Hamburg took advantage of this freedom.
Insomnia had a number of otherworldly sights and moments that really stuck with us.
While there were a few interactions that could have used a little more grounding or better cluing, this was a great game. If you’re in Hamburg, you should confront Insomnia.
Who is this for?
- Adventure seekers
- Puzzle lovers
- Dreamers
- Players with at least some experience
Why play?
- A fantastic concept
- Some great moments
Story
I’d been suffering from insomnia and it was becoming maddening. One sleepless night, I had found an article about an experimental cure for insomnia.
The strange treatment required gathering my friends and having their consciousness enter my dreams so that we could conquer my inner demons.
This procedure came with a catch… if the group successfully defeated my inner demons, I would be cured. If we failed… all of our minds would be lost in my dream.
Setting
Insomnia was set inside of an eerie (not scary) dream world. Centered around a strange tree growing in a bedroom, the dream justified the presence of just about any imaginable object and Big Break Hamburg took advantage of the opportunity.
Gameplay
Big Break Hamburg’s Insomnia was a standard escape room with a moderate level of difficulty.
Core gameplay revolved around searching, observing, making connections, and puzzling.
Analysis
➕ We entered Insomnia just as one usually enters a dream world. This was an amusing and enjoyable opening.
➕ The dream world scenario afforded Big Break Hamburg the luxury of randomness. It can be challenging to pull together unconnected objects into a cohesive puzzle experience. For the most part, they pulled it off. Because of it, we got the opportunity to engage with a shocking prop or two.
➖ Since anything was possible in a dream, we couldn’t necessarily intuit cause and effect. Sound or light clues would help players follow the dream world connections.
➖ Big Break Hamburg introduced a concept that flipped our assumptions. It was nifty, but not entirely consistent, which became confusing.
➖ A few of the puzzles didn’t flow quite smoothly enough, including some momentum-killing search puzzles. A bit of additional gating could add more energy to the escape.
➕ Insomnia included some of our all-time favorite light switches. Through these, the game blossomed and then hit full swing.
➕ Big Break Hamburg hid Easter eggs in the escape room. Ask about these at the end of your playthrough!
➕ There were a number of memorable moments that really stuck with us. This game was weird in a great way.
Tips For Visiting
- At least one person needs to crawl.
Book your hour with Big Break Hamburg’s Insomnia, and tell them that the Room Escape Artist sent you.
Disclosure: Big Break Hamburg comped our tickets for this game.
