Dreams of Another

Dreams of Another, much like the Richard Linklater movie it reminds me of, isn’t for everyone; it’s disjointed, abstract, and constructed in a way that is purposefully designed to confuse and, at times, frustrate. However, if you’re the kind of person who has an appreciation for games as art and enjoys seeing genre conventions turned on their head to brilliant effect, Dreams of Another is one slice of philosophical gaming whimsy you won’t want to sleep on.

Dreams of Another stands out for its artistic confidence and poetic vision. Its inventive mechanics and hypnotic atmosphere make up for the lack of challenge and replayability, offering a brief yet memorable journey through Baiyon’s surreal world of dreams.

Your tolerance for philosophical musings will probably determine how much you enjoy Dreams of Another, but underneath all that is still a fun game.

If nothing else, Dreams of Another is a unique third-person game. Its dreamlike visuals and intriguing “no creation without destruction” gameplay concept immediately draw attention and pique curiosity. However, its experimental nature doesn’t fully pay off, as the tiring gameplay, sluggish pace, and a story that fails to make sense quickly wear down that initial interest.

Upgrades are disappointingly basic... [Issue#417, p.121]

Q-Games delivers a visually striking and philosophically rich third-person adventure where shooting builds instead of destroys, offering an existential narrative full of intriguing ideas, but repetitive mechanics, uneven pacing, and inconsistent rewards make the experience feel tedious despite its originality and thoughtful concept.

Dreams of Another may seem like it has a clever gameplay premise but it gets monotonous very fast. You might enjoy its clever story, though.

Even though I consider myself someone who is good at interpreting art and who loves quirky and mysterious games, Dreams of Another goes over my head.

Dreams of Another is a creative, thoughtful effort that's given me plenty to think about, and I'm glad to see more experimental titles like this still being made by Q-Games. But when the VR support feels this lacking combined with the game's slow pacing and repetitive elements, I can't fully recommend it on PlayStation VR2.

Exploring the intrinsic link between creation and destruction, Dreams of Another hints at hidden depth, but fails to deliver it in a clear and understandable way. Repetition and disjointed storytelling undermines the narrative which is otherwise propped up by interesting art direction and a top quality soundtrack.

Dreams of Another is a game that tries to bring several interesting ideas to the table. The most notable being the reversal of the concepts of destruction and creation, and the conceptual animism of the various objects inhabiting its world. Unfortunately, Baiyon and Q-Games’ work fails to make good use of these ideas and ends up feeling dull, both in its gameplay dynamics and in its storytelling. To top it all off, the game’s underlying philosophy feels forced and overly simplistic, making it hard to engage more mature players. Baiyon has described Dreams of Another as his latest art installment, and if we’re to judge it as such, it’s worth remembering that one doesn’t always have to understand art; it just has to make you feel something. In my case, it made me feel nothing but boredom.

Dreams of Another is a rarity, one of those indie games that plays with art. A visual and sensory experience that captivates at first glance, but quickly becomes frustrating. Like dreams, there is beauty, chaos, symbolism, and moments of lucidity. But there is also a lot of confusion, repetition, and fragmentation, and a bunch of mechanics and elements that serve no purpose, which seem like good ideas that were never fully implemented to make sense.

Visually striking and ambitious, Dreams of Another struggles with shallow gameplay and poor execution.

Dreams of Another is quite dream-like in some ways; the way scenes intersperse and the surreal sights and sounds put us in that headspace. However, also like dreams, the game probably does have some sort of meaning at its core, but you're likely to forget it before long.