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The Dream Machine

Phage

Arcane
Manlet
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
4,696
I know there's a thread from 4 years ago, but it has no replies and quite a bit has changed since then.

Anyways, kind of surprised to see no love at all for this game here. Sure, the writing isn't technically great (made by a couple of Swedes, so I'm not surprised) and the puzzles are nothing special - but god damn this is one gorgeous game.

It's all made with "clay and cardboard" giving it an amazing aesthetic similar to The Neverhood


theDreamMachine_02.jpg



tdm_image01.jpg


2563051-1800x1200_greenhouse.jpg



Also of note - whenever there is music, it's typically pretty god-tier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfCFx5SRvjQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXu3X8ltF-g


It's setup as an "episodic" release, and we're currently up to 5 of 6 chapters. The final one should be out in 2015.

Note - I've only finished up to chapter 3, so it's possible things go to shit after that - but the first three chapters are really something special. I highly recommend checking it out before this steam sale ends.
 

Phage

Arcane
Manlet
Joined
Jan 10, 2010
Messages
4,696
Very beautiful indeed and great music, too bad I don't dig the episodic format at all. I just saw its page on steam and the chapters are a bunch of DLC, will they pack it all into a single thing after the game is complete? I'd prefer that

It's already packaged http://store.steampowered.com/sub/14622/ includes the upcoming final chapter. Bundle has gone down to as low as $5 during steam sale.
 

Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
:necro:

Sixth and last episode comes out in one week. I've played the first three or four. It's a pretty weird game with a variety of clever puzzles.

 

RuySan

Augur
Joined
Jul 11, 2005
Messages
777
Location
Portugal
This game is among the best of the best in its genre. I suppose being an episodic game with the episodes so far apart stole some hype from it, but it's absolutely glorious. (I haven't played the last episode yet)
 

Ivan

Arcane
Joined
Jun 22, 2013
Messages
7,474
Location
California
playing this now and I'm having odd performance issues, particularly when reading books. Maybe this was only an issue with areas introduced in Chapters 1 and 2? Chapter 3 ran smoothly for me. Can anyone else confirm?

Thoughts:

game has very solid, challenging puzzles
looks fantastic and has an awesome soundtrack. reminds me of the bleak hopefulness of Akira Yamaoka (silent hill)
30D73DAA704AED93CB75BF7064B7E74808C37F1B

F4AF7AA0A4190A5E847EA4C1AB9D84E91E126C24

A8BD951BBDAD854345BA73ACC30A86109DC2D022
 

Ivan

Arcane
Joined
Jun 22, 2013
Messages
7,474
Location
California
Men, I have an opinion to share: The Dream Machine is my favorite adventure game of all time (usurping Day of the Tentacle).

“I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.”

So I've just finished playing The Dream Machine. I'm at a loss for words in describing just how satisfying this truly is. What started off as a novel adventure title (Chapters 1-3 were all tradition point and click goddness) evolved into a complex game in Chapters 4 and 5. The story here really picks up after chapter 3, it's
So I've just finished playing The Dream Machine. I'm at a loss for words in describing just how satisfying this truly is. What started off as a novel adventure title (Chapters 1-3 were all tradition point and click goddness) evolved into a complex game in Chapters 4 and 5. The story here really picks up after chapter 3, it's macabre, heavy, and very dark. It reminded me a lot of Silent Hill 2, of Twin Peaks (episode 8), 2001 A Space Oddysey, The Fountain. Whoa I did not expect the finale to be so heavy, so confident in what it wanted to be. The ending was wonderfully heartbreaking. I'm so moved by this I'm going to donate some cash to the devs sinec I'm sure I bought the whole game in some bundle YEARS ago for a few scant dollars. The love and passion put into this deserves much, much more.

And without further ado, some glorious screens, warning: extreme violence, major spoilers, all that jazz


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697CBD27EF7BFB7FF91E017AFDF4655CE21AC10B

6C8B61E257143EA1FBF0362005C15E078E13AB95

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F4294BB1F358E005CA8A0B45E391FE0012AC2CE2

681F981D19DAB65E9C26BBF030E8AA064EA265A5

Onwards to Fran Bow!
 

Alpan

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 4, 2018
Messages
1,340
Grab the Codex by the pussy Pathfinder: Wrath
The only failing of this brilliant game is how severely underrated it is. A pretty good adventure with novel aesthetics suddenly threatens to turn into a masterpiece about two thirds of the way through, and does so by the time it ends. It outdoes itself with every subsequent episode in a way that is rare for episodic games (my sole other example to give is Kentucky Route Zero), but I guess it also explains the very long development cycle (a trait shared with KRZ) and the obscurity of the game.

MRY - this is the best game you won't find the time to play.
 
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Horton

Educated
Joined
Feb 22, 2019
Messages
67
I just finished the first chapter. Easy, with graphics that reminds me more of the Neverhood than the Dark Eye. The chapter ended exactly at the moment where the story started to become interesting.
 

Zann

Cipher
Patron
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Messages
206
A Beautifully Desolate Campaign
I just finished the first chapter. Easy, with graphics that reminds me more of the Neverhood than the Dark Eye. The chapter ended exactly at the moment where the story started to become interesting.

Go on. You won't regret it.
 

Durq

Novice
Joined
Jul 20, 2019
Messages
35
I just finished the first chapter. Easy, with graphics that reminds me more of the Neverhood than the Dark Eye. The chapter ended exactly at the moment where the story started to become interesting.
Go on. You won't regret it.


I second this. Keep going. This is one of my favorite point-and-click adventures released in the 2010s.
 

Maxie

Guest
Whoever has envisioned the need for constant hopping to and fro between Selma's and Martin's dreams, along with the tedious size change gimmick and the Several Minutes Later yarn above the void cruise, hates fun
 

Verylittlefishes

Sacro Bosco
Patron
Joined
Sep 14, 2019
Messages
4,731
Location
Oneoropolis
Whoever has envisioned the need for constant hopping to and fro between Selma's and Martin's dreams, along with the tedious size change gimmick and the Several Minutes Later yarn above the void cruise, hates fun

I abandoned this game after the Episode 2, is it good after that?
 

Wirdschowerdn

Ph.D. in World Saving
Patron
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
34,470
Location
Clogging the Multiverse with a Crowbar
So I've finally finished the game early this morning, exhausted by this harrowing and moving journey (and the horrible stuttering issues)... yet I didn't dream about it (go figure).

I don't even know where to begin. It's a work of genius. Particularly the last two chapters. The creativity that went into TDM, from the creepy clay figures, to the unique imagery, the unsettling sound design, the memorable characters, to the (finally!) challenging puzzles that seem illogical at first, then make perfect sense in retrospective... I'm just flabbergasted. This is what games should be: Brains & Hearts > L00t Bawkses & Shader Effects.

There's also this:
dream_machinewxkua.jpg


Perfection.

Men, I have an opinion to share: The Dream Machine is my favorite adventure game of all time (usurping Day of the Tentacle).

I'm almost inclined to concur. At the very least it punches its weight in the same league as Grim Fandango or Sanitarium, my personal point-n'-click adventure favorites.
 

Verylittlefishes

Sacro Bosco
Patron
Joined
Sep 14, 2019
Messages
4,731
Location
Oneoropolis
So I've finally finished the game early this morning, exhausted by this harrowing and moving journey (and the horrible stuttering issues)... yet I didn't dream about it (go figure).

I don't even know where to begin. It's a work of genius. Particularly the last two chapters. The creativity that went into TDM, from the creepy clay figures, to the unique imagery, the unsettling sound design, the memorable characters, to the (finally!) challenging puzzles that seem illogical at first, then make perfect sense in retrospective... I'm just flabbergasted. This is what games should be: Brains & Hearts > L00t Bawkses & Shader Effects.

There's also this:
dream_machinewxkua.jpg


Perfection.

Men, I have an opinion to share: The Dream Machine is my favorite adventure game of all time (usurping Day of the Tentacle).

I'm almost inclined to concur. At the very least it punches its weight in the same league as Grim Fandango or Sanitarium, my personal point-n'-click adventure favorites.

OK, I'll give it another try.
 

V_K

Arcane
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
7,714
Location
at a Nowhere near you
Played it through and I'll put it that way: the first five chapters of it make up a brilliant game. Clever puzzles, imaginative locations, interesting story - and absolutely gorgeous art.
But the last chapter... oh, boy, what a complete drag. It's like they ran out of ideas, both mechanically (except for the map puzzle, it's basically a walking simulator) and narratively (I don't have enough fingers to count all the cliches they fit in there). Such a disappointment.
 
Last edited:

MRY

Wormwood Studios
Developer
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
5,703
Location
California
The only failing of this brilliant game is how severely underrated it is. A pretty good adventure with novel aesthetics suddenly threatens to turn into a masterpiece about two thirds of the way through, and does so by the time it ends. It outdoes itself with every subsequent episode in a way that is rare for episodic games (my sole other example to give is Kentucky Route Zero), but I guess it also explains the very long development cycle (a trait shared with KRZ) and the obscurity of the game.

MRY - this is the best game you won't find the time to play.
As I procrastinate on auditing VO for Strangeland, I played the first two chapters. I like it, but it feels strangely unpolished in the UI/UX in those chapters. I was struck in particular with the fact that entering a conversation again often has a fairly lengthy verbatim dialogue that you've already gotten before, not because it contains critical information, but because of a lack of "reenter dialogue" variants. Some puzzles feel somewhat minimalist on feedback, and in general, the motivation for many puzzles is simply "because it's there" -- though the dreamlike nature of the game makes this thematic. To a certain extent, the puzzles might require a bit more outside knowledge than is ideal, though I haven't been stumped by that (yet). (For instance, the ear-bone puzzle.) The major highlights to me are the visuals, the audio, and the way in which at least some puzzles are more of the "escape room" variety than the traditional P&C variety (for instance, the puzzle with putting the books in order). I think my biggest criticism is that for the writing style, I think the amount of text is excessive. The writing is pretty unengaging so having multiple options that don't really go anywhere can be a little tedious. Also, I would like a double-click to fast exit rooms.

Still, it's engaging enough to make me want to play more, once this VO is done.

(One interesting point of connection -- I don't find the lack of VO a problem in the game at all. Perhaps because I find the characters not particularly interesting, I view their dialogue as essentially functional and thus not needing VO to flesh it out. I'm more interested in dabbling with the puzzles and listening to the music!)
 

Verylittlefishes

Sacro Bosco
Patron
Joined
Sep 14, 2019
Messages
4,731
Location
Oneoropolis
The only failing of this brilliant game is how severely underrated it is. A pretty good adventure with novel aesthetics suddenly threatens to turn into a masterpiece about two thirds of the way through, and does so by the time it ends. It outdoes itself with every subsequent episode in a way that is rare for episodic games (my sole other example to give is Kentucky Route Zero), but I guess it also explains the very long development cycle (a trait shared with KRZ) and the obscurity of the game.

MRY - this is the best game you won't find the time to play.
As I procrastinate on auditing VO for Strangeland, I played the first two chapters. I like it, but it feels strangely unpolished in the UI/UX in those chapters. I was struck in particular with the fact that entering a conversation again often has a fairly lengthy verbatim dialogue that you've already gotten before, not because it contains critical information, but because of a lack of "reenter dialogue" variants. Some puzzles feel somewhat minimalist on feedback, and in general, the motivation for many puzzles is simply "because it's there" -- though the dreamlike nature of the game makes this thematic. To a certain extent, the puzzles might require a bit more outside knowledge than is ideal, though I haven't been stumped by that (yet). (For instance, the ear-bone puzzle.) The major highlights to me are the visuals, the audio, and the way in which at least some puzzles are more of the "escape room" variety than the traditional P&C variety (for instance, the puzzle with putting the books in order). I think my biggest criticism is that for the writing style, I think the amount of text is excessive. The writing is pretty unengaging so having multiple options that don't really go anywhere can be a little tedious. Also, I would like a double-click to fast exit rooms.

Still, it's engaging enough to make me want to play more, once this VO is done.

(One interesting point of connection -- I don't find the lack of VO a problem in the game at all. Perhaps because I find the characters not particularly interesting, I view their dialogue as essentially functional and thus not needing VO to flesh it out. I'm more interested in dabbling with the puzzles and listening to the music!)

It gets better in chapters 3-4, didn't make it further yet, but I've heard quite opposite opinions about the final ones.
 

V_K

Arcane
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
7,714
Location
at a Nowhere near you
I think my biggest criticism is that for the writing style, I think the amount of text is excessive. The writing is pretty unengaging so having multiple options that don't really go anywhere can be a little tedious.
Yep. The game is very imaginative with its mini-stories behind the dreams, but actual dialogs are somehow dreadful.
Apropos, in case that leads you - like it lead me - to skip most of the dialog and only engage in options that seem relevant - that can get you stuck as certain puzzles require exhausting all dialog options with certain NPCs.
 

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