Dreamview Weekly Roundup #50

Fifty! The big five-o. Fifty of anything is a lot: Weekly Roundups, rabbits, biscuits… Actually, never mind, fifty biscuits is just breakfast.

Anyway, yes! The fiftieth instalment of the weekly ritual that brings five fantastic Dreams recommendations directly to your feet, like a loyal rabbit with a freshly-caught biscuit. And also the fiftieth intro to the article that makes worryingly little sense. Hooray!

Monastery of St. Fausta#

by LEXX-ODUS

If you’re anything like us, a certain new From Software game might be occupying your thoughts lately. Elden Ring fever seems to be sweeping the Dreamiverse: flashplanet’s Golden Sapling interactive painting is definitely giving us “visions of tree”, and Martin Nebelong's Dreams-made fanart（新しいタブで開く） has caused a bit of a sensation over on Twitter. But it’s LEXX-ODUS’ mesmerising Monastery of St. Fausta that’s really given us the Souls shivers this week. The influences are obvious while wandering around this small marvel of Gothic architecture - a golden sun setting on the horizon, its rays glancing off of dreaming spires - but the atmosphere is one of unexpected calm, if familiar melancholy. The focal point, a statue of a praying lady raining blood-red rose petals onto a nasty-looking rack device, really helps set the scene; it’s a piece of subtle environmental storytelling that wouldn’t feel out of place in one of Miyazaki’s games.

Smile Demon#

by icecreamcheese

Look at this cheerful chap! Hat on head and balloons in hand, he’s on his way to a birthday party, grinning all the while. No invite? No problem. Press the right trigger while controlling this sickeningly detailed character, and you’ll soon understand that birthdays will no longer be an issue for anyone standing in the way of this fellow and his slice of cake.

A Kid’s Journey to One-Shot Everything Idle#

by Nicco555 and Computer_cat

Do you love videogames? Wish you had time to play more of ‘em at once? Do we have a recommendation for you: this is an adventure RPG that you don’t even have to play. Truly, the dream. All jokes aside, in addition to an excellent title, A Kid’s Journey to One-Shot Everything Idle is an inventive ‘idle’ game where the action plays out automatically. Your job is to keep your journeying hero topped up with health potions, weapon upgrades and magic lessons by spending the gold they earn from slaying enemies. The pixel art and animation across various worlds and creatures is charmingly retro, and the systems run surprisingly deep - status effects, crit attacks, hidden upgrades and secret achievements mean you may well be not-playing this one for far longer than you expect.

Relieve Me#

by CathyMcNuggetz

What in the H. P. Lovecraft is going on here, McNuggetz? We’re not entirely sure we know how to describe this twisted piece of art. Alright, deep breath - let’s break it down. Pulsating, pixelated purples. We count one, two, three, four eyes (one of which is flipping upside-down in a motion that would have even a seasoned optometrist in a dead faint). And as for screaming mouths… Well, they all seem to blur into one. While Relieve Me is clearly visually outstanding from the off, the audio design adds layers of intrigue: there’s a soft background wash of TV static and rhythmic howls, and a strange sound, almost like a monster somewhere deep in a cave is half-crying, half-singing to itself.

Baile Lan#

by TaibhseLa

Cyberpunk cities are cool and all - but when the neon, glass and reflective puddles take over, they can often lose the gritty grain that makes them familiar to us. A futuristic place feels more real if there are still echoes of the past: in Baile Lan, there are plenty. It’s the limp telephone wires hanging down by cramped streets, where apartment upon apartment has been crammed and stacked over the decades; the double-yellow parking lines on streets buzzing with boxy hovercars. TaibhseLa’s vivid paintovers add depth to this 2D locale - as does a transformative (and togglable) filter. The latter - alongside the translation of the Irish word ‘baile’ being ‘home’ - adds to an uncanny feeling of returning to a long-loved place that’s grown and shifted since we left, the warm sepia of nostalgia washing over everything new.

Want an easy way to view all of these creations in one convenient collection? Check out the playable edition of this week's Dreamview Weekly Roundup right here in Dreams!