Unlocking the Mysteries of ‘Key of Dreams’ (The NoPro Review)
Lemon Difficult’s follow up to ‘The Locksmith’s Dream’ impresses in Wales
There comes a point in every immersive junkie’s life when you think “Is this worth it?”. Is it worth traveling 6 or more hours by train, bus, foot, or journeying even longer and flying across oceans, just to experience something that’s only going to exist for 24 hours? Is it worth working however many hours to be included in an experience which, once it’s over, you have little tangible proof of ever seeing?
How can we quantify a reason for living?
Key of Dreams is the latest iteration of Lemon Difficult’s takeover experiences, following The Locksmith’s Dream in the same venue but with a different narrative. The manor of Treowen is too stunning to pass up: a 400 year old Jacobean beauty whose grounds serve to seclude occupants from any distractions by means of rolling hills, bleating sheep, and the clearest night sky I’ve seen in years. The doors and spiral staircases yawn, pulling us deeper into the candlelit tangle of mysteries within.
As we arrive to settle into our rooms and begin reading some of the welcoming literature it becomes evident that the open invitation to join the Friends of Miskatonic University isn’t the only offer going: there are other players in the mix, and other intentions at hand. My companion and I are suddenly wary of each other, careful what we share even as we and the other eighteen guests explore the locale before lunch. The house and grounds are stuffed with tantalizing bits of ephemera: cryptic bits of poetry carved on scraps of leather and stone, shelves full of a library of puzzle-boxes, Blair Witch stick figures with unfamiliar sigils, torn pages of letters and diaries and notebooks strewn about the house. There is so much to pursue, and even after our delicious hot lunch where we’re set free to study and share it feels almost like too much — no one (or even five) people can hope to solve every strain. We must work together with other like-minded and like-intended visitors to get to the bottom of exactly what chthonic horrors are going on around here.
And what a scramble: the hours spill away like sand through the glass as we spread out and research, meet, plot, and subvert in the race to explore our influence over the unknowable powers which haunt the place. Our academic hosts become more enigmatic as we speak to them, their goals more evident even as they obfuscate. Teatime with its delicate canapes deliciously comes and goes, and we start to notice that the house is changing — pieces which were previously notated are subtly disappearing and new clues are appearing. Telegrams we’ve sent are being answered, letters are popping up, the looping radio station gently playing from the corners of the house is going static and shifting. As we reconvene for dinner (an incredible six course gourmet roast) it’s clear that the evening is nowhere close to over and that we’re all speeding towards something deep, and unknowable, and terrible.
The sun sets and the house ticks over into madness. Strange lights glow in hidden spaces, whispers rise from the floorboards. Lemon Difficult’s toys begin to come out to play: ancient radios crackle into life as RFID-chipped bottles are brought into their orbit, custom designed cryptex puzzles appear, props previously ignored suddenly fizz to life as we complete our dark rituals to purge or gird the house against the coming malice. One group kindles a small blaze on the front step while another fishes something out of the lake. Someone is melting something over the hearth fire. Someone is crawling out of a hidden room under the floor. There is literally no inch of Treowen Manor which the team hasn’t exploited, to the delight of us visitors.
As the culmination of the day’s work crescendos with eldritch horrors walking amongst us, I’m struck by similarities to 1986’s film Gothic and the history of the landed gentry forming secret societies to conduct rituals to play at the edge of reality. I wonder how close we all are to frenzy, and where we and our predecessors might draw the line at forgetting we’re all just playing pretend. I decide it doesn’t matter — particularly when we’re all sitting by the fire with a cocktail or lounging on the front porch staring up at the stars.
After a few hours of sleep, a last denouement after a huge fry-up breakfast: new puzzles, new clues, a final ritual to clear the house of the lingering entities. From noon to noon we’ve been fully engaged, and the high performer-to-visitor ratio means that no guest is long left at sea before a member of the house comes along to engage. One-to-one interactions and opportunities to roleplay abound even as we’re showered in puzzles and lore to pursue, and our takeaway toys will make charming additions to our personal immersive libraries.
On the surface, Key of Dreams is a staggering price tag for the UK market. In the ongoing cost of living crisis and economic depression, pitching a £400 ticket (plus £350 room and whatever travel cost to a back corner of Wales) seems like a non-starter. That said, it is worth it. For a 24-hour no-lull-except-sleep experience in an exclusive and beautiful environment with all meals included and a deeply personal experience, it is a remarkable value for cost. The convenience of having a bedroom onsite (to change for dinner and/or stay up later/rise earlier rather than fuss with patchy local transport & AirBnB’s) can’t be overstated. Some might even choose to return to play other tracks, solve other puzzles, or just enjoy the luxury of being alone in a historic estate with a handful of other immersive enthusiasts.
Lemon Difficult is continuing to write new narratives for the venue (a new series is set for October 2024 along with Locksmith’s Dream and Key of Dreams which will continue to run alongside), so with any luck the haunting of Treowen will continue long into the future, providing the UK with a particularly shiny jewel set high in the diadem of the immersive landscape.
Key of Dreams from Lemon Difficult is booking select dates throughout 2024 in Wales. Tickets are £400 per person with rooms starting at £350 for double occupancy.
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