Dreamview Weekly Roundup #60

Hello, fair reader! Apologies for last Friday’s absence: we’ve got this thing over here in the UK called a ‘queen’, whose long-time reign on the throne led to a ‘jubilee’ happening last weekend. Two bank holiday days off, and a country-wide mandate to bathe in clotted cream while waving a little flag and singing ‘Rule Britannia’. Couldn’t be helped.

Speaking of celebrating largely useless things - 60 Dreamview Weekly Roundups! Good gravy. At five fabulous creations per Roundup, that’s a total of 300 Dreams-made games, art pieces, albums, collections and gadgets that we’ve written about on this part of The Impsider. (If you're enjoying these, why not share your favourite edition so far on your social media platform of choice? We'd appreciate it!)

And hey - let’s raise a glass of clotted cream to the next 300, eh?

Bo’s Island#

by byvsen and Fr0d0_FragginS79

Estimated playtime: 30 mins

The tiny pink ‘gator has never felt so real. After years of getting to know Bo via animated shorts, Bo’s Island finally puts us directly in their shoes (or… crocs?). There is a mission here: you must meet up with your partner-in-adorable-crime, Green Guy, and bring along his lost ukulele so that you can play another of your famous duets. Sure, there are puzzles to solve and collectibles to snag along the way - but they almost feel secondary to how joyful it is just to exist in this place. The island - designed wholly by Fr0d0_FragginS79 - is filled with wonderfully useless distractions, from whizzy slides, to TV shows and plenty of references to other Dreams favourites. And byvsen’s animation genius shines out of Bo like sunshine: a bouncy movement system, a dedicated ‘kazoo’ mechanic and an array of heartwarming idle animations mean that we’re more than happy to take our time reuniting with our pal. When we do, the reward is most assuredly worth leaving the comfort of Bo’s treehouse for.

Indecision#

by Wothcloth, VinceKully and ghostfruit64

Estimated playtime: 30 mins

This, or that? Oblivion feels all the closer when your options are limited. This text-based survival adventure sees you attempting to make it to the end of the wastes, as the apocalypse closes in all around. The art is minimal and impactful, and so is the mechanical core - stripped down to the very bone. Each turn offers the choice of travelling to a near or far location: walking further might mean more life-saving resources, but sometimes the smarter decision may be to conserve your energy for something later along the path. The road becomes steadily more perilous the longer you survive, and with randomised events adding dramatic twists, you’ll often find yourself justifying that title - stood in the centre of the map, stomach twisting, agonising over whether this next step might be your last.

6face - EP

by dittatore_game

Estimated runtime: 20 mins

Imagine your first go at anything being this good. 6face is dittatore_game’s debut EP - and with a strong concept, striking visuals and a friendly and stylish interface, the browsable 6-track album makes a great first impression. That’s before you even get into the music. Experimental production and unexpectedly catchy melodies mean tracks linger in the mind; Only Fives’ is perhaps the standout, a moody synth piano-based trip with rhythmic quirks and a hook to die for. But another favourite of ours has to be Sentient And In Agony, a chiptune-esque story that whose sentiment moves from vaguely threatening to suddenly euphoric.

CHIMP MAN SONNY#

by ONTEMUSIC and BigSams92

Estimated playtime: 5 mins

Bananas. Well, not literally - despite the chimp protagonist. It’s more that this side-scrolling beat-’em-up is one of the most mind-bogglingly stylish things we’ve seen in Dreams. We punch, roll and helicopter our way through burly rat-men and mohawked pigeon-people as hand-drawn hit sparks fly; in the background, the skyline actively bops up and down in time to the music. In a neat touch, a ‘monkey’s paw’ icon keeps track of your health, putting more fingers down the more you get hit. It’s an absolute blast to tear through, all hectic monkey screeches and sweet anime slides - the momentum only stops when we - this time, literally - hit a wall. This is a “dead project”, according to the developers, and further evolution won’t be occurring anytime soon for Chimp Man. Still, the in-game comments on this creation are overwhelmingly encouraging, so you never know - maybe, like his ancestors, he’ll pop up in future with some sweet new features. (Shoutout to ‘wheels’ and ‘fire’.)

OKStupid: Dating For Dummies#

by ManikinChild and TheBllackSheep

Estimated playtime: 10 mins

We’ve always known Stranger Studios were funny (remember their brilliant booth attendant, Marla, from last year’s DreamsCom?). True to form, this bizarre cryptid dating is a right laugh. Presented with flair by a sock puppet - whose voice is a dead ringer for Ed Wynn’s Mad Hatter - you’re encouraged to swipe left or right on a variety of increasingly unlikely love matches, from muscle-bound hunks to sasquatches. But OKStupid: Dating For Dummies proves these creators are insightful, too. The catch here is that not everyone on whom you use your limited ‘likes’ will return the compliment: just like in real-life dating, RNG can put a real dampener on your plans. (We’ll wait for you, Ingrid Mothman.) Once you’ve snagged a match, you can continue a text conversation with your beau, responding to prompts to deploy chat-up lines and send pics in an attempt to impress. With witty writing and multiple outcomes to encourage repeat playthroughs, this is a cheeky send-up of the game of love - and unnervingly realistic, despite all the alien talent.

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!(otworzy się w nowej zakładce)