Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More is a film noir spin on Macbeth.

It also captures a sense of wonder and discovery usually found only in open-world video games.

The ride is minutes long.

But that’s the beauty of a game like Elden Ring.

you might justkeep going,even though you know, absolutely, that you took a wrong turn somewhere.

The ruins spiral into more ruins which spiral into more ruins which open up into ancient cities.

Nothing is going to stop you.

It’s a dizzying feeling of being both completely under your controlandcompletely out of it.

It is, simply put, “immersive.”

This is an experience that is almost entirely unique to video games.

And then, absurdly, an answer: This feels just like Elden Ring.

It sounds silly to put it so plainly, but let me explain.

Instead of a theatrical venue, production company Punchdrunk has bought and renovated a massive warehouse.

Another floor is a fully recreated downtown street, populated by tiny shops and businesses.

One of the uppermost floors is an asylum that contains a labyrinth made out of birch trees.

There’s a cathedral and a crypt and a ballroom with a mezzanine balcony.

There is virtually no dialogue and the audience isn’t allowed to speak.

I had no idea how much time had actually passed.

I accidentally kicked a bedpan on the ground and it clattered against a bed frame.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

No one rushed to shush me or reset the prop.

An actor was there, performing a scene to the crowd who were all on the customer side.

These sort of experiences never became unsurprising, but they did become relatively common.

I hesitated for maybe two minutes, suddenly unsure whether or not I was allowed to follow her.

Instead, I found a secret stairwell decorated with a massive stained glass window.

These moments kept happening, and slowly the rules of the show began to solidify in my head.

This was the Siofra River Well, I realized.

This was the secret entry to the Volcano Manor.

Yet, despite this preparation, I still wound up lost.

I’m sure I could go a dozen more times and still find new things.

Absolutely nothing about this experience was on rails.

Nothing would have stopped me.

Some character’s loops would probably take them through the room, but others wouldn’t.

Every choice I made throughout the show was a gamble, and every payoff was a surprise.

Certainly, it won’t be for everyone.

Am I allowed to see this?"

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