Dreams Review

After years of waiting and eagerly preparing for the new release of Media Molecule’s Dreams, it is finally here. Let me just state that Dreams is not a game. No, Dreams is so much more than just a game.

This very ambitious project by Media Molecule is an experience, a social platform, and an extensive creative outlet all in one. But is Dreams only suitable for the creative ones among us, or does it have something to offer that everyone can enjoy? Here is my Dreams review for PlayStation 4!

THIS IS NOT A GAME

Like I said in the intro, Dreams is not a game. We can see Dreams better as a social platform with built-in tools where one can create and share the most diverse creations. Dreams focuses on the Dreamiverse, the huge online hub where everyone can view and play each other’s creations. To navigate through the Dreamiverse, you need an Imp.

When you start the game for the first time, you can choose one of the different colored fluffy balls, and it actually helps you control the game. With motion controls or using the analog sticks you can make your Imp move across the screen as a kind of cursor. With your Imp you can click buttons, grab hold of objects and much more.

With everything you do in Dreams, you can earn experience points. These points ensure that your level goes up. This allows you to unlock new types of Imps, among other things. In addition, as you do more in Dreams for PlayStation 4, a class is also assigned to your profile.

When I was doing my Dreams review, I noticed that if you are someone who mainly plays the levels of other makers, your player profile shows that you like to play. However, if you are more of an audio creator, your player profile shows that you love music. The social aspect therefore plays a very important role in Dreams.

PLAY, CREATE, SHARE

Play, Create, Share was the slogan with which Media Molecule blew up a new concept more than ten years ago with the release of LittleBigPlanet. Media Molecule thought that players should not only play their games, but should also be able to create and add content to the game and, of course, share it with other players.

Now, many years later, the Dreams developers has pushed this concept to the absolute limit. Dream Shaping is a big part of Dreams. With Dream Shaping you can make almost anything you can imagine. You can create games in the most diverse genres, but also animations, still lifes, and audio can be created in Dreams for PlayStation 4.

Because you can make so many different things in Dreams, the game also has a very extensive toolset with which you can get this done. This incredibly powerful toolset made by LittleBigPlanet and Dream’s Media Molecule allows you to create everything you can imagine, as long as you want to put some time and effort into it.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Dream Shaping can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning. You can do a lot with the tools you have at your disposal, but they may be a bit difficult to use at the beginning. Fortunately, the game has a lot of extensive and clear tutorials that explain to you in detail how to use the tools to make the most spectacular things.

It takes a bit of getting used to the controls at the beginning. In Dream Shaping mode, the game mainly uses the motion sensor in the PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 controller. You can also choose to turn this off and use the analog sticks, but that doesn’t work as smoothly as motion controls.

You also have the option to connect the PlayStation Move controllers. This works best, and with a little practice you can create the most beautiful artworks in no time. Of course, you will not immediately create a masterpiece during your first time using Dream Shaping.

However, that is not a problem, because in addition to working with a blank canvas to put your own creations on, you also have the opportunity to work with the creations of others. The Remix functionality gives you the option of using a ready-made asset in which someone else has invested a lot of time and effort.

EVERYBODY’S GONE SURFIN’

If you are not very creative yourself or do not feel like creating something, you can, of course, also enjoy the creations of others from the community. Through the Dream Surfing mode you can view and experience the availability of hundreds of different games, videos and music from other players.

The game itself does not have a campaign or Story mode. However, Media Molecule itself has released a game called Art’s Dream, entirely made in Dreams. Art’s Dream is a game of different genres and visual styles that will last you around two hours and follows the story of a musician and his struggle with depression, loneliness, and regret.

Art’s Dream is mainly intended to show how powerful the Dreams toolset actually is. Apart from Art’s Dream there is, of course, much more to experience in the Dreamiverse. Because Dreams for PlayStation 4 have been in Early Access for more than a year, the online hub is already full of interesting and high-quality creations.

They all range from simple puzzle games, to fast-paced shooters, and from full RPGs to multiplayer games and everything in between. Even when you don’t feel like playing something, Dreams is the place to be. For example, animation films have also been made in the game and you can also enjoy music and paintings. So there is something to find for everyone in Dreams and it will only get bigger and bigger over time.

CONCLUSION

The extensive creative tools in Dreams require some practice to get a really good grasp of things, but as the well-known saying goes: practice makes perfect and that is absolutely the case with Dreams. In addition, Dreams is also a social platform where one can share creations with each other and play with other people’s creations.

Through likes and comments, players can provide each other’s creations with important feedback, which makes it even more fun to create something and share it with others. Media Molecule made sure that Dreams is already packed with high-quality content, and be sure that this content will only increase as time passes by!

Have you tried Dreams for PS4, or any of the other games that Media Molecule developed? What do you think of my Dreams review? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Are you interested in more games developed by Media Molecule? Check out our review for LittleBigPlanet, and here you will fill find more information regarding Tearaway.