At the end of the generation, perhaps one of the most important projects of the system was released on PS4 — the Dreams game designer (in Russia — “Dreams”). The title may well compete with Minecraft and Roblox in the near future. We tell you what he is, as well as how he was met by the press and players.
About the game
Dreams is a title from MediaMolecule studio, known for LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway. The new project is not so much a game as a game designer. It has an extensive creative environment for creating your own games. There is also a multiplayer mode, where players — the so—called “Dreamers” – can create a game together.
In the creative Dreams mode, the user creates environments, objects and entire levels, adjusts mechanics and game logic. He can develop a game of any genre. The game’s tools allow you to set textures, lighting and weather conditions, music and effects to your taste. You can also recreate locations from other famous titles, for example, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Fallout 4.
Dreams also acts as a content library. The user can find and try other people’s games – or transfer the published content from them to their own game. For example, you can save a lamppost or other object you like in your creative environment, and then supplement or modify it.
In addition, there is a small story mode “Dreams of Art” in the title. This is a kind of tutorial that allows you to see the possibilities of game mechanics.
The main competitor of “Dreams” in the market is Roblox, a social MMO sandbox where users also create games. Its MAU has already exceeded 100 million, in addition, the game earned $ 370 million last year alone, according to AppMagic. Moreover, $50 million of them is the cash register only for December.
In Roblox, the creators of game content also earn on its implementation and on the sale of toys. There is no such feature in Dreams yet. But the management of Media Molecule mentioned in an interview with VGC that they would like to see the best games of Dreamers in the form of independent PlayStation Store projects.
However, Roblox has not yet been released on PlayStation 4. It is available on Xbox One, PC, Mac and mobile platforms.
Note that the cost of the basic edition of Dreams for PS4 in Russia is 2599 rubles.
Media ratings
Dreams on release was very highly appreciated by critics. Reviewers almost unanimously list the main advantages of the project: its creative diversity and “endless” opportunities open to players.
The game received the highest 100 points from two editions. This is the PlayStation Universe and God Is a Geek.
“It is difficult to detect negative aspects of Dreams. This is a powerful and wonderful tool for real creators masquerading as a video game. If creativity is not yours at all, the Universe of Dreams will offer you an endless stream of content and a super fun campaign.”— PlayStation Universe
But this is also recorded in the advantages of the game.
“A huge plus of Dreams is the fact that in the process of creating something of your own, you begin to understand that video games are not so easy to make, and that behind each, even the simplest and most unsightly game, there are huge human efforts.”— Goha.Ru
The project is also praised for its ability to motivate the player, awaken the spirit of creativity in him and find his own style. Not only IGN writes about this, but almost all publications.
“By teaching you the basics of gameplay, Dreams simultaneously encourages you to be creative about everything. The game encourages you not just to build a simple bridge or paint a garden according to the instructions, but allows you to bring something of your own into the process.”— IGN
Although Dreams is not without flaws.
Some reviewers find it inconvenient to work in its editor from a gamepad (but you get used to it over time, — a number of media outlets make a reservation). It also has performance issues.
“The game has its drawbacks. The Homespace editor (the playground inside Dreams) is not bad for a beginner player, but it’s still almost useless. Dreams is usually loaded at lightning speed, but its performance varies from Dream to Dream, depending on the complexity of the game being created. And, of course, it will not be easy to master the tools: most likely, you will not be able to create a masterpiece in a matter of minutes. But it would be a mistake to skip the game due to restrictions of this kind, especially since it will develop over time.”— Push Square
On Metacritic, the average score of Dreams is currently 91 based on the results of 22 reviews.
Player Reviews
The opinion of users mostly agrees with the opinions of the media. Metacritic players rated the project an average of 9 points. The game was liked even by those who, according to them, do not have a creative streak. Such gamers positively evaluate the story mode and the appearance of the project. The rest, first of all, note the rich opportunities for creativity that Dreams has given them.
Nevertheless, there are also negative reviews. To some, the game seemed like a “boring sandbox”, Others complain about the disappointing shortness of the story campaign (it lasts only two hours). “You can spend hours of your life creating a mini-game or playing one of thousands of other people’s failed games,” the third note. There are also players who advise others to start learning game design from the basics of the Unity engine, and not from Dreams: they consider the game overrated.
Conclusion
Dreams started at the eighth line of the UK retail chart. In the niche of game designers, it has only two competitors — Minecraft and Roblox, the latter of which is not even present on PS4. Considering this and the fact that the Media Molecule project was evaluated extremely positively at the start, at the moment its future seems cloudless.