Way back in 2013, at the PS4 reveal event in New York City, the software that would eventually become Dreams was unveiled for the first time. Developed by Media Molecule, the studio behind Little Big Planet and Tearaway, it was unclear to the public what Dreams was meant to be. The studio touted it as an accessible games development platform, an animation suite and digital art gallery all rolled into one, running on PS4. In 2019, the developers ran a Beta program, and the game picked up a small but dedicated community of creators. Now the game is finally out, so we’re taking a look at it, in order to answer the question; what is Dreams, and should you buy it? 

In a nutshell, Dreams is an accessible creative platform. But of course, there’s more to it than that. It follows the Little Big Planet motto of “Play, Create, Share”, except Dreams applies it to more than just user-created game levels. Dreams can be used to create entire games, 3D art, music, animations and more. Anything made in the game is uploaded to the ‘Dreamiverse’ for players around the world to use or modify in their own creations. You’ll spend most of your time either playing or creating. I had a go at both to get my bearings in the vast world of Dreams. 

Playing

Dreams foregoes the succinct “story mode” and “create mode“ found in Little Big Planet, instead encouraging you to try a showcase game made by Media Molecule entirely within the creation toolkit. This game is a two-ish hour long story called Art’s Dream. It explores the struggles of a jazz musician named Art, as he tackles his crippling self-doubt, wrestles with his past and attempts to make amends with his estranged bandmates. The story plays out in the backdrop of a dream in Art’s head. In typical Media Molecule fashion, this leads to some incredibly creative scenes and mechanics. The campaign showcases how Dreams can be used to create an impactful narrative, a rhythm game, a twin stick shooter, a shoot-em-up, a racer and a platformer, all under the same banner. Undoubtedly, Art’s Dream is the most ‘wow factor’ that Dreams has to offer. 

After completing Art’s Dream, you’re encouraged to go “Dream Surfing”. This involves browsing the latest creations from the community, whether they’re games, animations or anything else. Some of these are absolutely jaw dropping. The stunning work done by the community would encourage anyone to try their hand at creating something for themselves. 

Creating

I don’t mean to brag, but my Little Big Planet levels were modestly popular some twelve years ago. The simplicity of the creation tools in Little Big Planet and its sequels led me to think that the toolkit of Dreams would be equally accessible. I was unfortunately wrong. Creating anything in Dreams is relatively complicated. Thankfully, there are optional tutorials for each part of the creation toolkit, though these can still be overwhelming as there are literally dozens of hours of interactive videos to explore. You can also search the “Dreamiverse” for user-generated assets, which can mitigate some of the more complicated work. In order to create anything, you’ll need to get to grips with the motion-controls. The creation toolkit relies entirely on the motion sensor of the Dualshock 4 controller in order to move objects around in 3D space. Alternatively, you can use a pair of PlayStation Move controllers, although both control schemes have a similarly steep learning curve. Armed with the tutorials and a litany of online forum posts, I had a crack at recreating a level I had made in Little Big Planet all those years ago. Once I had my vision in mind, it was easy to solve the problems I encountered and to create at the very least, a proof of concept. 

Dream or Nightmare? 

Dreams’ complicated creation mode shows that simplicity can come at the cost of versatility. However, the difficult learning curve is not steep enough to discourage a determined and creatively inclined user. Dreams has plenty to offer for lovers of art, animation, or indie games, as well as just about anyone with a creative itch. I would highly recommend it, especially for its asking price of €39.99.