Off and on since Dreams first entered beta over a year ago, one of my favorite things to do has been searching through all of the Dreams creations and finding unique and interesting games to play or videos to watch. Well, with Dreams finally out for everyone to play, I plan on putting a spotlight on 5 creations every Friday. Some of them will be games that are already picking up popularity but are too impressive not to talk about while others will be smaller creations that have yet to be discovered. And one last thing before we get into this week’s spotlight, if you see a game that interests you and you want to play it, just head on over to my inDreams account which is at https://indreams.me/ChrisContinues and click on the collection and enjoy.
“Tiny Pier Simulator 1904” creation by Urbandevill
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you mixed Animal Crossing’s overlord Tom Nook with one of those incredibly addictive Tycoon style games? Well, Urbandevill did and apparently what you get is one of the most enjoyable experiences Dreams has to offer. Between the adorable art style, the challenge of trying to squeeze out as much money as possible from the limited space you have to work with, and the constant fear that either my most popular ride is going to break down or that a lightning storm is going to attack my pier, Tiny Pier Simulator delivers a lot of fun and has kept me coming back for repeat games. No pressure or anything Urbandevill but I’ll be expecting some DLC announcements… oh I don’t know, later today.
“Blade Gunner” creation by JimmyJules153 in collaboration with The_Tenia and RigorousMortuus
Heavily inspired by the likes of Resogun, much like Tiny Pier, I found myself returning to Blade Gunner over and over again. With polished gameplay for near-perfect shmup action and a currency system that allows for players to unlock powerups and skills like betters guns or bombs for their ship, the only thing that Blade Gunner is missing is just more content and I mean that in the best way possible. Give me more! Give me more levels! Give me more ships! Yes, Blade Gunner has turned me into Veruca Salt because I want these things and I want them now.
“Dinorama” creation by Digitalthing
While watching Kinda Funny interview Media Molecule’s Siobhan Reddy and Abbie Heppe about the launch of Dreams, a game called Dinorama was pulled up and instantly I fell in love with the visuals of the game. Now, I’ll be honest, the hardest part about searching through the Dreamiverse is that there are a lot of amazing looking games that aren’t always the most fun to play. To be fair, game development is hard so I never judge too harshly on something that might have been made by a first-time creator. All of this said Dinorama didn’t just meet my expectations, it blew them away. Between the easy to understand gameplay mechanics and the simple goal of the game being collect gems and make it to the right side of the screen, this is the kind of game that I plan on recommending to all of my friends who have children. I think it’s the perfect type of game for any parent looking to introduce their kid to gaming and because of how relatively short it is, it’ll be like the equivalent of sitting down and watching their favorite tv show with them. To all of the parents that end up doing this though, get used to that cute little dinosaur because your kids are going to want to replay this over and over again.
“The Watergardens” creation by Halfup
Like the great philosopher Forest Gump once said, I’m not a smart man but I know what a good puzzle game is and The Watergardens is just that. The Watergardens tells the story of a young boy braving the ocean as he takes his sailboat from one island to another solving simple but fun puzzles that are wrapped in one of the most beautiful art styles you’ll see in Dreams. Yes, all of the plates of food that people have been making are awe-inspiring, but the style that Halfup was able to put into this game is just incredible. Every island just left me more impressed with how well thought out everything was. For me imparticular, and I want you to experience for yourself so no, it’s not in one of the screenshots, the island The Shallows is one of the most visually impressive levels I’ve played to the point where I would be impressed if I saw that in an indie title that was being showcased on the PlayStation Blog.
“The Pilgrim” a creation by Narvikgutten in collaboration with Majoneskongen
When a trailer for The Pilgrim appeared in the Dreams Reddit, I was blown away. I mean, yeah the game looked great, but a trailer?! Now that’s impressive and it clearly showed that the people behind the game were passionate and proud about what they had made and after playing it I can safely say that they should be. The Pilgrim tells the story of a Wizard on a pilgrimage to a church where he’ll have to make an important decision. On the way, he’ll encounter enemies and obstacles that will require players to use the skills, they’ve learned over the years from games like Mario (both 2D and 3D), The Legend of Zelda, and even a little Mega Man. The Pilgrim is not only visually appealing and fun to play but it also offers a sequence that I can only compare to Control’s Ashtray Maze because of how unexpected and enjoyable it is. With incredible music, fun gameplay, and fantastic visuals, The Pilgrim is something that should be played immediately. Even if you’re in your car, pull over, plug in your Vita, use remote play and play this game. I promise you won’t regret it.
Well, that’s it for the first week of Dream’s Spotlight. While I do have a couple of things I already have planned for next week’s spotlight, please feel free to send creations my way. Whether it be something that you made or just something that you want to make sure others discover. Everyone in the Dreams community is amazing and so supportive and all I want to do is help add to that community. If you’ve stuck around this long, thank you so much for checking this out and I can’t wait for next week when I get to do this again.
Thinks of a Thoughter 