Dreams of Another is an artful, dreamlike experience that blends surreal storytelling with unique gameplay. You navigate through fragmented scenes, meeting strange characters and piecing together a world that feels both unstable and profound. It’s a game that embraces unpredictability and invites players to explore ideas about art, consciousness, and human nature.
A Surreal Journey Through Dreams
Playing Dreams of Another feels like stepping into a vivid, fever dream. The game is filled with unexpected events, disjointed acts, and hazy landscapes that shift without warning. Scenes often end abruptly, only to have their threads picked up again later. Along the way, you’ll encounter talking angel statues and fish longing to escape their home and swim to the ocean. This dreamlike instability is exactly what makes the experience so memorable.
Gameplay: Creating Worlds from Fragments
Developed by Q-Games, known for the PixelJunk series, Dreams of Another casts you as the Man in Pajamas, a character who wields a mysterious gun given by the Wandering Soldier. Unlike a typical weapon, this gun doesn’t destroy—it creates. When you shoot at the fragmented pieces of the environment, they solidify into objects like benches, trees, buildings, or even shipwrecks. These objects remain loosely connected, as if they could scatter apart at any moment, and sometimes they do.
Conversations with the Unusual
As you bring the world to life, you’ll engage with objects and characters that have their own unique perspectives. From the Wandering Soldier to a clown who constructs a giant ring statue from the rings of divorced partners, to a bench contemplating consciousness, the dialogue is often halting and surreal. For example, an old lady once remarked that a photo of her husband would make a “nice funeral portrait for him.” Each scene typically lasts only a few minutes before the environment dissolves, fading to white, and you’re transported to a new place—or back to the main menu, where the Man in Pajamas sleeps in his bed.
A Game That Explores Art and Consciousness
Dreams of Another isn’t focused on traditional gameplay or clear narratives. Instead, it explores themes of art, consciousness, and human nature through its fragmented storytelling and dreamlike atmosphere. The strangeness can make it challenging to follow, but it also creates a sense of unpredictability that keeps you engaged. During my six-hour playthrough, I never quite knew what to expect next, much like the unpredictable nature of dreams themselves.
Why Dreams of Another Sticks With You
Even if the experience is difficult to piece together, Dreams of Another offers moments of profound insight that linger long after you stop playing. Its unique blend of surreal visuals, thought-provoking dialogue, and unpredictable scenes make it a standout title for those looking to explore something truly different.
Dreams of Another is available now on PS5 and PC.
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