21 Q Review - Dreams
You have 21 questions about Dreams and hopefully we have 21 answers that will help you decide if this game is for you.
Who made it?
Dreams is made by Media Molecule. A first party Sony studio based in England and you most likely know them from their fine work on the Little Big Planet series
What genre is it?
I think its safe to consider Dreams is a new genre. It’s a creation tool, or a game engine or a toolbox to build what you want. Dreams doesn’t fit into any existing genre, even though you can build almost any genre using the toolset.
How do you create?
Media Molecule has built the game with many tutorials that cover almost every aspect of building a dream. The tutorials aren’t quick or easy but they are well built so that before you know it you’ll be programming, creating audio and building art. You can select whatever tutorials interest you.
Is it console exclusive?
Yes, it’s currently a PlayStation only game, although there has been a lot of speculation about this game coming to PC.
Is it in early access?
The game is fully released as of now although it did go through an early access period that started in 2019. This was most likely to generate content so that when the game reached 1.0 there would be a vast array of user created content.
Is it a live service game?
Technically it is, because this game will constantly be evolving. If the end goal is keeping players in your ecosystem, then a seemingly endless ocean of user created content should keep players coming back to see what’s new.
How much is it?
At 40 US, you get one of the most creative tool boxes in a console game, you also get a smaller campaign in the form of a dream created by MM to show what the engine is capable of.
Are there micro transactions?
No, but it would have been easy for Media Molecule to add them in. As someone who uses plenty of video, photo and audio editing software it would have been easy to add “pro” features or plugins that could be purchased at an extra cost. Instead, buying the game gets you access to everything including an Infinite number of games that will constantly evolve. Although at the moment most of the games are either in their infancy or are copies of classics.
Does Dreams have planned DLC?
As of right now everything that you need to build and play in dreams has been released with version 1.0. This game is already a hard product to market so asking people to buy extra items afterwards seems a bridge too far, at least for now.
Is it family friendly?
Although when given a blank canvas a subset of the human race typically creates the same thing but for the other 99 percent of dreams it’s family friendly. Creating a dream together would be a fun undertaking and searching other people creations have tags and previews so you won’t be surprised.
Is this game couples friendly?
Yes and no. Creating in Dreams might not lend well to working as a team but i think exploring other people’s creations aka dream surfing could be a great way to explore new games and spend a night similar to binging on Netflix. There are some fun, bite size creations as well as some good laughs to be had, both with and at the expense of the creator.
Is there multiplayer?
With the launch of the game, you have the ability to create a dream with a friend using local multiplayer. This means two people on the same couch can try to build a dream together. The developers have said publicly that online multiplayer might be a feature that they add in post launch.
Is there a campaign?
Sort of, once you go into dream surfing, the first dream you are shown is called “Arts Story” which is a dream created by media molecule with everything in it created using dreams to give you an idea of what the capabilities are. FYI it’s basically a point and click adventure blended with a platformer and a musical.
Does it look good?
The game looks good but there isn’t really any style to tie the game too, but they all look fantastic in their own right. Almost everything created in Dreams has that Media Molecule blur to it.
Does it control well?
Considering what can be done on a controller, yes it controls well and there are multiple configurations which you can choose from. Overall, the controls do feel a little floaty and the best way to describe them is that they feel like Little Big Planet.
How is the replay factor?
In a perfect world you would never run out of content. However, building dreams takes time and in its current state there is only the content that has been created from the early access period and the short amount of time post release. What you do see while dream-surfing are glimpses of things that could be great. Hopefully with time, the amount of high quality content will grow and you will always have reason to jump back into dreams. However in its current state most games are clunky or at the idea stage.
Will it be released on Next Gen?
One of the bigger rumors about the next generation of PlayStation is that it will be backwards compatible all the way back to orignal gray system. This would by default make Dreams playable on the PS5. One of the studios founder recently said in an interview with video games chronicle that bringing dreams to Sony’s next console would be “obvious progression”. I don’t know what that would entail but the extra power of the system would obviously benefit Dreams.
How long is it?
Dreams doesn’t have a finite length, instead it offers potential endless content. However, you could argue that “Arts Story” created by MediaMolecule is a campaign and that is around 2-3 hours for the dream surfing side. On the dream shaping side you have a large chunk of tutorials that will take a lot longer.
What’s the best part about Dreams?
That would be toss up between the theoretical endless content and the creative suite of tools put into the hands of so many people. Without a doubt people who will go on to develop games professionally will have been sparked from this game.
What’s the worst part about dreams?
I think relying on the community for content might hold back Dreams. The well of content would surely dry up fast if this game doesn’t find a loyal following that creates and attracts new players with hopes of the cycle repeating. This is a big if ! Currently the quality of content is lacking and I find myself having a lack of interest to return.
Do you recommend it?
Dreams is a truly incredible creation that deserves attention and praise but it’s not for everyone. There are a lot of people who won’t care for the creation aspect of the game and there will be a lot of people who won’t have the patience to experience bite size creations. I hope with a little time in the hands of the community after full release should really increase the quality of dream surfing. Dreams is depending on it. Currently, I think I would only recommend this game to people who are interested in creating as the quality of the games made are lacking in quality.
15/21