The Dream Self

This one was a very slow burn. Gameplay takes us through moments in the waking world and a series of dreams, very gradually drawing a connection with a mysterious entity who seems to want to be our friend. We're not struck by any immediate sense of compulsion: it's a long while before curiosity starts to set in, and then only if you're willing to give the game a chance. That seems like a bit of a tall order for a comp game.

Ultimately, though, it's all a personality test. At least, that seems to be how the game was conceived. The identity of the mysterious dream entity could be the one thing that elevates it just a notch above being a mere test, and gives the thing a story.

Reality is itself a slow burn, but it seems to me as though a story wants a somewhat faster pace than is strictly realistic, or at least a more compelling reason to push forward. In this case ... well, dreams are weird places, and if the focus of this story isn't on the weirdness of dreams, then perhaps the dream descriptions could be cut down? Perhaps we could cut to the chase a little more efficiently. Or perhaps the threads of the waking sequences could be pulled together into a more cohesive storyline, just so we can get a better sense of continuity and, as a result, a better idea of what we want: this sense of continuity takes rather a long time to establish itself, and then only in the dreamworld.

I think that if this were breakfast, it would be a rack of alternating white and brown toast, with unsalted butter and weak, milky Earl Grey tea, no sugar. Kind of bland to begin with, and rather a lot of it to get through, but you get used to it after a while.