Dreams Review
Dreams
Publisher: Sony Interactive
Developer: Media Molecule
Genre:
PEGI: T
Comments:
Dreams, a brilliant game creator, social experiment, quite literally what may be the best example of games can be art that has ever existed.
At face value Dreams has you take control of an “imp”, basically your avatar that is used to interact with the environment in Dreams, it can be used to move objects, possess characters to take control of them, use as basically a mouse to help create stages, so on and so forth. Media Molecule has various different control options to choose from that really makes this game accessible by most. Utilizing move controllers or a dualshock (with or without motion controls) really make you feel immersed in the project.
Dreams consists of 4 different modes – Dream Surfing, Dream Shaping, Home Space Editor and Community Jam.
Dream surfing is basically where you go to experience what other creators have made, you can sort by most popular, most played, recommended, or of course search by various keywords to find something specific. This is also where the “campaign” Media Molecule created Arts Dream is which is a breathtaking adventure following a former jazz player Art as he dreams about his past and present and comes to terms with his life as it is today. Which is definitely a highlight and a great example of what this software is capable of.
Dream Shaping is your creator space – where Dreamers can create games, art, music whatever inspires them. There are a plethora of tools to use to sculpt, paint, create gadgets, so on and so on. You can even co-op create with other dreamers. Once finished you can upload for others to play in Dream Surfing but will allow you to continue to edit, expand and tweak which will all for players to continue to follow the progress of development.
Homespace Editor, is the central hub for players where you can tweak and customize your Homespace to give it a little more flair.
Community Jam is the best example of trying to keep this game fresh and relevant, Media Molecule places themed contests for other to compete in every couple of weeks, winners get an exclusive badge on their creations page identifying it as an award winner.
The creation tool from my experience can be a little overwhelming to those not really used to creating with nearly endless options. It does seem easy enough to navigate and use as long as you have a clear goal in mind as to what you wish to create.
But the most fun had by me (and my family) was searching for things to experience that others created. From spending hours exploring hidden secrets in Hogwarts Castle, to playing adorable and fun platformers, to even checking out Disneyland, or looking at a hyper realistic diner plate, Dreams delivers endless possibilities. The ONLY downside I can possibly imagine long term is does the community stay engaged and involved in creating these Dreams for others to experience. I can imagine myself checking in at least once a week for months and months to come. At only $30 this is definitely something to experience for yourselves.
I will gather the codes of some of my favorite dreams and post later this week for anyone interested in checking out what I loved the most!
Trailer
Article By Kevin Austin
Kevin Austin has been in gaming journalism in one way or another since the launch of the Nintendo Gamecube. Married and father of 3 children he has been gaming since the ripe age of 6 when he got his first NES system and over 30 years later he is still gaming almost daily. Kevin is also co-founder of the Play Some Video Games (PSVG) Podcast network which was founded over five years ago and is still going strong. Some of his favorite gaming series includes Fallout and Far Cry, he is a sucker for single player adventure games (hence his big reviews for Playstation), and can frequently be found getting down in one battle royale or another. If it's an oddball game, odds are he's all about it.
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