Sony has released a number of extremely song exclusives for the PlayStation 4. From the likes of Game of the Year-winning God of War through to Spider-Man, PlayStation has seen a series of ambitious and impressive releases this console generation. As the PS4 heads towards the tail end of its life cycle, Dreams attempts to leave just as strong an impression.
Dreams comes from LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule, and has been a long time coming. The UK-based studio has been working on the game for some time after first revealing a teaser for the project in 2014. Promising to provide a level of creativity rarely seen in console gaming, early previews suggested that Dreams was going to be something special.
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The end result is spectacular. Media Molecule set out to build something unique with Dreams: a creative experience not just for minigames with a primary focus on platforming, but instead a toolbox to generate everything from video games of all kinds through to other media like short films. The fact that it works so well is testament to the versatility of Dreams and its engine.
The biggest surprise is just how easy it is to create something in Dreams. The game includes an army of tutorials to get to grips with the basics of Dream Shaping, from asset selection through to manipulation and artistic design. Beyond that, though, the game is intuitive enough for players to dive right in and learn through experimentation.
Dream Shaping offers two different control methods for creation, with the player able to choose a variant that uses the Dualshock 4’s motion sensor or only use the analog sticks. Allowing for two methods of control is just another example of the flexibility of Dreams, although those finding it tricky with the motion sensors should persevere to get the most out of quick creation. Even so, those struggling with motion control will still find the analog option functional, even if it’s a little slower.
From there creating something substantial is quite straightforward - as long as the user has the patience to learn how. In spite of the complexity behind the scenes, and the variety of options available for the likes of sound design and logic gadgets, it doesn’t take long to get into full swing. It’s not perfect – a particular bugbear is the small writing on the menus that won’t make it easy for some players – but when the player gets into the groove with the duplication tools they can build a framework for their next creation in no time.
Dreams creations can have their own look and feel, which is necessary in the long term to help turn the tool into the creative hub that Media Molecule has envisioned. By default users will often turn to the vague shadow of a watercolor that the game promotes, as seen in the creations generated from the game’s early access period. This helps soften what could otherwise be an awkward viewing experience, smoothing out the edges of created levels from players who are still finding their way.
It’s clear that Media Molecule has spent a lot of time building on what worked about LittleBigPlanet and expanding it into something massive. Whereas LittleBigPlanet put a heavy emphasis on sticking to the frameworks that Media Molecule provided, often held up by the series’ robust built-in campaigns, Dreams instead takes things much deeper. Just one example is its detailed logic gadgets library, which makes it easy to implement game mechanics.
Rather than just acting as a standalone portal for creation, perhaps the most exciting notion of Dreams is that it could act as a gateway to something more. It’s easy to imagine the drafts and sketches made within Dreams turning into a substantial external project, particularly if Media Molecule is able to deliver on its wish to allow creators to export their work. This goes beyond just games, too, with the platform’s short films also perfect for sharing wider or delivering outside of Sony’s device.
This does raise an interesting quandary, though. The most ambitious creators within Dreams have little to show for their work other than the kudos of their peers and potentially their work being shared further through publications or gaming personalities on YouTube or Twitch. Will these users eventually branch out to external tools that can be easier monetized, and will their following on Dreams continue to support them?
Whatever happens, it’s going to be very interesting to find out. The sheer malleability of Dreams already takes it a step above other creation tools like Super Mario Maker, and it’s likely that anyone with a PS4 will find something to sink their teeth into. Even if a user doesn’t want to create anything themselves, there’s still the ongoing pull of finding out what others are doing.
The early community of Dreams is certainly dedicated. Those early access users have already added lots of stunning content to complement the games and movies built into Dreams by Media Molecule, and new players who have picked up the game since launch are already building on that success. It’s already easy to lose a lot of time simply grazing what others have created.
Dreams will live or die based on its community, but so far the signs are good. Understandably users are turning to fan favorites as they grow accustomed to Dream‘s tools and wider intricacies. As such, the likes of Crash Bandicoot, Sonic, and even The Simpsons Hit & Run are getting demo trials in Dreams.
It’s akin to the early days of the aforementioned Super Mario Maker, as users learn the wider mechanics through their own beloved gaming frames of reference before forging their own paths ahead. Rather than just recreating official Mario levels or other 2D platformers, however, this time there are a lot more creative options.
In quick succession users will see things like an attempt to recreate P.T., building giant character models for Pokemon, and even turning to the post-apocalypse with Fallout. This is a solid place to start, but hopefully there will be more unique ideas down the line. There are already are some great examples, with users creating original turn-based RPGs and adventure games, and more of that will solidify Dreams as a platform to be reckoned with.
Dreams is not quite there yet, since understandably new users will need to learn how to make the most of the tools. Some of the more puerile fan creations are still fun: Shrek fans can find both an earnest recreation of the swamp as well as a game running Shrek through a hellish deadly gauntlet. Even when fan-made content misses, there’s still the potential that the next choice will hit the mark.
That potential is what makes Dreams so exciting. The introduction of Community Jams that challenge players to create something on a specific theme each week adds a level of friendly competition to the user base. This will hopefully push creators to the limit, as well as provide plenty of inspiration for other creators.
Dreams is undoubtedly a platform that will take time to find its feet. Already the signs are there, and the future looks bright that Media Molecule has given the PS4 yet another top-tier exclusive. More than that, Dreams is that rare video game product that could help shape where the medium goes next.
Dreams is available exclusively for PlayStation 4. Screen Rant was provided with a PS4 download code for the purposes of this review.
