A Beginner's Guide to Dreams - Play

Ready to get stuck into the current game from LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule? Check out these expert tips to help you get started.

This page focuses on what you’ll need to get started as a Dreams player as you wing your way across the Dreamiverse.

A screenshot of a snowy landscape created in Dreams. Beautiful, but chilly. Brrr.

A screenshot of a snowy landscape created in Dreams. Beautiful, but chilly. Brrr.

DreamSurfing#

This is your portal into the Dreams of others - a huge playlist showcasing unique creations from all over the world that you can jump into, play for as long as you like and rate them when you’re done. It's your main way to find the stuff you want to play, and the creations you make will be shared here too. For more information on how to get the most out of DreamSurfing, check out this handy guide.

A screenshot of Connie from the Dreams tutorial. She stands by a lightbulb and some pink 3D shapes.

A screenshot of Connie from the Dreams tutorial. She stands by a lightbulb and some pink 3D shapes.

Explore the Dreamiverse#

The Dreamiverse is massive, and growing every day, but there are some easy ways to find your way around the place. The main DreamSurfing menu has a bevvy of content, handily broken down into newly-created Dreams, the most popular Dreams, and the most highly-rated Dreams too. They’re also broken up into genres, so you can immediately find the types of games you enjoy the most.

If you’re still stuck, here’s a couple of recommendations to get you started.

A key art piece from Art's Dream, showing Francis and Foxy riding Lancewing.

A key art piece from Art's Dream, showing Francis and Foxy riding Lancewing.

Art’s Dream#

This is a feature-length, story-driven adventure created by Media Molecule entirely in Dreams, using the same tools you can use to build yours, and featured as the flagship piece of Mm launch content for Dreams. Spanning multiple genres, styles and game types, it’s a great way to see exactly what’s possible. Art’s Dream is one of our Mm Originals; homemade Media Molecule adventures created using the Dreams engine, and focuses on Art, a down-on-his-luck musician who needs your assistance to bring the music back to his life.

A screenshot from Ancient Dangers: A Bat's Tale, showing orc siblings Scoria and Gabbro looking confused.

A screenshot from Ancient Dangers: A Bat's Tale, showing orc siblings Scoria and Gabbro looking confused.

Ancient Dangers: A Bat’s Tale#

Here’s another full-length adventure courtesy of yours truly at Mm. Ancient Dangers: A Bat’s Tale is another Mm Original, and takes you on a creature-bashing adventure across the Land of Monsters as you dungeon-crawl your way through tricky traps, menacing monsters, and perilous puzzles. Play as orc twins Scoria and Gabbro, and work yourself up into Berserk mode as you carve your way through hordes of monstrous enemies.

We’ll be releasing more Mm Originals in the future, too. So keep an eye out for what we have cooking up!

Introductions: Meet Your Dream Team#

An image of three imps, the colourful companions that accompany you though your Dreamiverse adventures.

An image of three imps, the colourful companions that accompany you though your Dreamiverse adventures.

Your Imp#

Not merely a colourful cursor, your imp is at the very heart of everything you do in Dreams, assisting you in DreamShaping and DreamSurfing, and even imbuing your in-game creations with life (no, really!).

The imp does, however, move like a mouse cursor. Depending on the control method you pick, you’ll guide it around the screen by tilting your controller, or by using the left stick.

An image of the Mm Dream Queen, the mysterious entity who oversees the Dreamiverse.

An image of the Mm Dream Queen, the mysterious entity who oversees the Dreamiverse.

The Dream Queen#

The Dream Queen presides over the Dreamiverse, helping you get familiar with the flow of the game, and introducing the various areas. You will automatically follow the Dream Queen’s profile when you start Dreams and you can use it to find collections of coMmunity content and creations from the Media Molecule team. If you’re keen to explore what Mm have been creating in Dreams, visiting the Dream Queen is an excellent place to start.

Finding Your Feet: Where to Start?#

Get a Proper Introduction#

There are no hard and fast rules to how and where you start with Play in Dreams - you can honestly start wherever you like - but we’d suggest beginning with Art’s Dream.

A video introducing Art's Dream, the story mode for Dreams.

It’s a movie-length, self-contained experience that gives you an idea of what Dreams has to offer. It also features multiple types of gameplay: a point and click adventure; top down action combat; and 3D platforming. So you can experience a variety of gameplay types and features in one go. It’s also a great way to get some inspiration for the kinds of games you might like to make.

A still life image of art made in Dreams. It consists of a jug, some fruit, and a skull. Sounds like a party!

A still life image of art made in Dreams. It consists of a jug, some fruit, and a skull. Sounds like a party!

Browse Around a Little#

From there, why not head off into DreamSurfing and see what other budding creators have already built?

This is the best way to explore the Dreamiverse and experience all the magical merriment that it has to offer.

A screenshot from The Idyllium, by Helekosi, ZIIQ, and Bevis2. The shot shows the sun streaming into the Dreams museum, illuminating everything in an orange hue.

A screenshot from The Idyllium, by Helekosi, ZIIQ, and Bevis2. The shot shows the sun streaming into the Dreams museum, illuminating everything in an orange hue.

Get Involved With the CoMmunity#

Dreams is a coMmunity - and it’s a coMmunity dedicated to sharing - so don’t worry if you find you’re not as confident in one area as you are in another.

When exploring the games that other coMmunity members have made, you can show your appreciation for what they’ve made by giving their creations a Thumbs-Up. Or you can leave more detailed feedback and comments to help them with praise or some useful suggestions.

A screenshot of the Forever Popular playlist, showing evergreen Dreams like Southpaw Cooking and Art's Dream.

A screenshot of the Forever Popular playlist, showing evergreen Dreams like Southpaw Cooking and Art's Dream.

Plug into Playlists#

If you’re still stuck taking your first steps in the Dreamiverse, never fear. Playlists are here! Get a ready-made stream of curated content directed straight into your eyeballs. The Forever Popular playlist is a great one for budding players, as these timeless Dreams and classic creations are excellent for new players and seasoned dreamers alike.

A screenshot of the Highlights section, featuring the in-game representation of our very own digital mag, the Impsider.

A screenshot of the Highlights section, featuring the in-game representation of our very own digital mag, the Impsider.

Check out The Impsider#

The Impsider is the editorial arm of the indreams website, and it also magically appears in-game! The Impsider focuses on producing a bunch of fun and exciting articles all about what’s going on in the Dreamiverse, updated weekly (most of the time) with new content and inspiration. If you want to check out what’s new and exciting in the Dreamiverse, check out the Dreamview Weekly Roundup, a weekly (no, really?) selection of five unique creations that you will definitely want to check out. From the article, you can jump right into the Dream or add it to your Play Later queue if you’re browsing on the bus! There’s also a host of behind-the-scenes content, such as articles about How We Made Art’s Dream and Molecule Profiles, interviews with the Mm team themselves!

Keep in Touch#

Of course, one way to make sure you don’t miss out on the best that the Dreamiverse has to offer is to stay in touch for all the latest developments, news and surprises. You can follow Media Molecule on Twitter(opens in new tab), Instagram(opens in new tab), and TikTok(opens in new tab), and check us out on YouTube(opens in new tab)!

Happy Dreaming, everyone!

The Dreams User Guide is a work-in-progress. Keep an eye out for updates as we add more learning resources and articles over time.