Eric S.
Yelp
MANDATORY FUN
Sony's Wonderverse is a kaleidoscopic good time.
Open since early 2024, this huge entertainment venue can be found on the outskirts of Oak Brook Mall between Pinstripes and Lifetime Fitness, above the L.L. Bean store in the northwest corner of the shopping center. This place is geared more towards families and younger kids than Activate across the street.
We came here on 1/26/25 as part of a special event brunch celebrating their 1yr anniversary. There's lots of Sony IPs featured here, including Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Hotel Transylvania. On some days, they have costumed characters walking around and live music at night.
The brunch buffet was much better than I expected. We arrived shortly after 10am and basically had the entire space to ourselves, which was equal parts eerie and serene. The dining room still had Christmas wreaths, lights, and even a projection of 'Happy Holidays', somewhat strange to see in late January.
We enjoyed pancakes, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, biscuits & gravy, a Crunchberry waffle bar, carving station w/prime rib and ham, plus chicken tenders, baked mac 'n cheese, and fries. All drinks were included, so the only extra expense was my bloody mary ($7), a lame effort of tomato juice and - maybe - splash of vodka.
Their arcade has air hockey, basketball, a Dance Dance Revolution knockoff, Skee-Ball, House of the Dead 5, and plenty more. The games of skill are unusual in that you don't get any tickets for playing, rather, you have to reach a certain high score on a given game, which you get a voucher redeemable for....something?
There's an area for dynamic driving sims on motion platforms. It's more of a ride than a game, so much so that you have to wear a seatbelt. I took one for a spin and was surprised at how aggressive the motions were. Forget seatbelts, those things need airbags! This was lots of fun and I'd come back for this.
They've got several virtual reality rooms including Jumanji and two Ghostbusters experiences (in one, you're driving the Ecto-mobile, in another you're firing proton packs). There's also an escape room themed to Uncharted that has 3 different 30-minute challenges. These are booked in advance and are a separate $20-30 charge.
The Zombieland-themed bumper car arena is very small. They squeezed 6 bumper cars onto a floor the size of a bedroom, threw a zombified torso on a wooden rafter and called it a day. I know Zombieland is a popular IP, but this should've been a shooting gallery instead of a halfhearted bumper car zone.
Since Wonderverse is located on the top floor (no escalators), you can either hoof it up two lengthy flights of concrete steps, or take the elevator.....except that it was broken during our visit. We were carrying a toddler, baby, and stroller, so this was no small inconvenience. Going up wasn't as tricky as walking DOWN those steep-ass stairs, and in the middle of winter! -1 full star for that bullsh*t.
* TL;DR *
Pulsing with bright LEDs and VR headsets, Wonderverse is a great place to spend a few hours.
Brunch was a terrific value at $25pp for the special event, and that included a $30 game card. I wasn't too impressed with their arcade (which could use a few pinball tables) and the bumper cars seems like a creative misfire. The rest of the place is pretty cool.
The biggest gripe I have is the fact that entry is on the upper level of the mall, so if you're a family with small kids and/or a stroller, you desperately need a working elevator. Without it, climbing aaaalllll those outdoor stairs with a little one is a pain and a wee bit dangerous. Fix the elevator and then let's talk again.