Dreamscaper Review (Early Access): A Dream to Remember

Our Rating: 8/10

Dreamscaper. A word that combines Dreams and Escapes. Usually used to describe something surreal and that is precisely what this game is. For easier understanding, a comparison that’s been made a lot is that this game is a mix of Supergiant’s Hades and Dontnod’s Life is Strange. And while that statement helps make an impressive first impression while giving you a better understanding of what the game is, it’s not 100% accurate.

Hack-N-Slash

Dreamscaper is an isometric APRG roguelike hack-n-slash game that tells a story of grief, depression, and overcoming it. To complement its name the game has a dreamy art style that’s got an ethereal feel to it. The levels and world have a clean look that is not only gorgeous but also very cozy. This helps quite a bit with the world-building as it instills a sense of wonder in the player.

You will want to know more about this town and Cassidy’s past. There’s also a stark contrast of colors during combat which makes the action pop more. This further adds to the dreamy aesthetic.

Speaking of which, you play Cassidy a teenager who has moved to a new town and lives a very lonely life now due to something in their past. Your goal is to uncover their lost memories while also forming new bonds with some of the townsfolk to help cope with their depression and mental illness.

Gameplay

This is done in two distinct gameplay methods. When Cassidy is awake, they can spend their time talking with people in the town to improve their relationship with them. They can also craft gifts for these people by using material found in their dreams. It’s somewhat like the Social Confidants system from Persona. Improving your relationship with people helps you with permanent stat boosts in your dreams.

However, your time each day is limited so you’ll have to plan ahead. Once you’re done with the social simulator aspects, it’s back to the dream world to further learn about Cassidy’s past. Which is only hinted at in the various conversations they have.

In their dreams, you take on various monsters and creatures which seem to be manifestations of her degraded mental health. The game also has boss fights which are challenging and arguably one of the best aspects of the game. The game is a roguelike title. So dying is part of the course because the enemies are challenging, to say the least.

And as always dodging, parrying, and blocking along with a pinch of patience is what will get you ahead in this game where progress is wiped after every death. Dying in your dream, much like in real life, wakes you up. And the gameplay loop continues.

Upgrades

You do get permanent upgrades that help you get better along with the ability to skip bosses that you’ve beaten. The latter being a somewhat good option for those who want to “catch up” to where they last died. Thankfully, the game has a wide variety of weapons to throw at you. Keeping the combat fresh and makes you experiment with different playstyles.

Fun Fact: there’s a weapon in the game that’s basically Cloud’s Buster Sword from Final Fantasy 7. Besides your regular hacking and slashing, you also have access to a few cooldown abilities that tend to be elemental magic that can turn the tide of a fight. These are extremely useful and can be the difference between life and death.

Story-Telling

As you continue to progress in your dreams, you’ll learn more about Cassidy which keeps you pushing for more every time you enter their dreams. These moments of story-telling are done quite well. The interactions in this game lack voice acting but the writing makes up for it along with the blank faces of the characters which can be unsettling but felt like it added that strangeness to this already somewhat bizarre game.

However, while the people in this do lack a voice, the game does not. The music in this game is rather impressive and had me listening to it outside of the game as well. From peaceful piano pieces that journey alongside you to swelling orchestral pieces melded with some electronica to embolden you in battle, the music does not falter at all.

Conclusion

In the end, I don’t have any major complaints about the game besides the static camera. In combat, when things get hot and heavy, I’d like to zoom in a bit to have a better understanding of what’s happening. A lot of times it was, in my opinion, too far away from the action which felt a bit strenuous.

In all honesty, Dreamscaper takes a lot of influence from some very big games but it never felt like a ripoff. It mixes some interesting mechanics together to form a game that gives you purpose to keep pushing yourself in your dreams but also importantly, in real life. If you’re a casual fan of roguelike games then this should be a game that you absolutely need to check out especially since the Prologue is free on Steam that acts like a Demo.