Dreamview Weekly Roundup #54
Ahh, back to good ol’ reliable Friday. Thursday was nice for a bit of a change - but you know what’s even better than change? Things staying exactly the same, forever, frozen in a lovely cosy time-bubble of familiarity. Butter on toast, socks on feet, Roundup on Fridays. Now to take a big sip of coffee and load up famously predictable PlayStation 4 creation game Dreams.
(Editor’s note: Our writer filed this article with an incomplete introduction, citing a ‘technologically catastrophic liquids-based accident’.)
A screenshot of a hat-wearing character walking down a street past a dog. Text reads, “Press the circle button to Pet the Cute Puppy”.
this is a walking simulator.#
by Keenardo
Debuting via a memorable trailer(opens in new tab) at last year’s DreamsCom, this comedy-puzzle adventure - and yes, walking simulator - is now available to play in Dreams. Indeed, it’s a walking simulator in the strictest sense possible: try anything that isn’t simply strutting your stuff down the street, and you’ll be swiftly penalised with a ‘game over’ screen. As Making The Leap creator Keenardo tempts you into reacting via button prompts and in-game events, you’ll inevitably discover a surprising - and frequently hilarious - amount of things that break the golden rule of the walking sim. Soon enough, you’ll realise there’s an apocalyptic conundrum to solve if you are to continue your ambulatory adventures. This is almost an anti-The Stanley Parable caper, in which the only way to progress is to be painstakingly obedient - and while there’s plenty of trial-and-error involved, the way it’s cleverly played for laughs means you’ll likely want to get your steps in regardless.
(Requires that you own Dreams)
The timeline for pop-punk banger New Punk Track. The player’s imp is highlighting a part of the song labelled ‘Shreddage X’.
New Punk Track#
by OrphanSmoak
Great pop punk music knows how to get its message across quickly and at maximum energy levels. With an appropriately devil-may-care title, speedy tempo, instantly hummable melodies and drum fills so righteous that Travis Barker would surely shed a proud tear, OrphanSmoak delivers in spades with this track. All it’s really missing is a sweet vocal. Who’s stepping up?
(Requires that you own Dreams)
A realistically-rendered pier with lamps, string lights and benches wet from the rain and sea spray. Puddles of water glisten in the light, and a rainbow can be seen in the distance.
LE QUAI DES BANCS#
by Bracord
A crisp high-five goes to Todu, who put us onto the work of Bracord with this extensive Twitter thread(opens in new tab) of amazing Dreams artists. LE QUAI DES BANCS has to be our favourite Bracord creation thus far. This hyper-realistic pier scene is incredibly detailed - and not just visually, with lapping waves darkening the shoreline sand, raindrops misting the camera and the wind blowing the surface of a puddle back over itself in delicate rippled layers. The sound design in this scene helps convey the feeling of turning your face towards an incoming storm, a chill wind about the ears - the glass-on-glass rattle of the string lights is particularly evocative.
(Requires that you own Dreams)
A sculpture of a self-playing piano. The microchip, containing the logic for the generative music, is open to reveal some of the inner workings.
Generative music player#
There are two things that can be tricky to effectively visualise in Dreams: music, and logic. This creation, however, does both. Jimmyjules153 has plugged together a fantastic contraption that’s able to infinitely play piano chords and melodies; to show it off, they’ve built it into a self-playing instrument, with keys lighting up to indicate exactly which notes are being played and when. Alright, so the results won’t be troubling Mozart (we suppose not much does, these days. RIP, king). But Jimmy leans into this, the uncanny, wandering tunes and invisibly-tinkled ivories combining to deliciously creepy effect. Oh, and if you’re curious about how the generative music logic actually works, you can check out what’s under the hood - or, rather, lid - via the remixable scene.
(Requires that you own Dreams)
A view of a grassy hill and a rocky outcrop. Handwritten-style text superimposed onto it reads, ‘I’ve robbed you of our life together, but only so you may know the world as it once was.’
DaisyWorld#
By aandyfuzz
An older creation, recently back on the radar thanks to an appearance in the Daily DreamSurf and on stream(opens in new tab), we can safely say this heartfelt tale is approaching ‘Dreams classic’ status. Inspired by the likes of Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, it sets out a story of a world on the brink of catastrophe. As you explore the landscape before you, you collect notes to trigger quiet moments of contemplation, and hear more of their writer’s motivations doled out in subtle little narrative parcels. Some light fetch-questing gates progress - and leads up to a stunning reveal that helps put the last piece of this very personal puzzle into place.
(Requires that you own Dreams)
Check out the playable edition of this week's Dreamview Weekly Roundup right here in Dreams!
Which creations caught your eye in the Dreamiverse this week, and why? Tell us about your personal picks over on the official Dreams forums!(opens in new tab)
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.