Dreamscaper Review

Dreamscaper is an immersive action roguelite which takes place in the world of your dreams as well as in the normal world. Released on August 14th, 2020 and considering this indie title being a game in Early Access, it still delivers in terms of gameplay and story. It has also received mostly positive response from the community for having an amazing art style as well as having satisfying combat mechanics which we will dive into more in just a moment! Perhaps you are looking for a rougelite to play? Does it have to be stylish or challenging? That is totally up to you! Here is what I got on Dreamscaper!

As earlier mentioned, it is still in Early Access and changes and adjustments might occur throughout the development up until the full release. You will spend most your playing time in the subconscious where you will explore rooms that are connected to one another. In the rooms you will be able to find traps, puzzles, enemies and other things that might turn the battles in your favour. There is also a boss that can be found in each stage and that is pretty much the key to progression. After defeating a boss, you will be given the option to stay asleep or wake up.

While being awake, you will be able to craft certain items using the materials you have gathered while you have been dreaming. You can craft things such as gifts that you will be able to give to some of the NPCs that you can choose to visit at their specific location. By talking to them you will get to know them better as well as get a better understanding for them. You will be able to unlock some more story by doing so as well as some upgrades that you can bring with you next time you dream.

The enemies are unique and can be countered in different ways. For ranged enemies with slower projectiles, parrying or blocking using your shield can be a pretty solid move considering what you will get out of it. If you feel accurate, you can try to fire an arrow and I gotta say, it packs quite the punch! For more close ranged combat and attacks that are difficult to dodge, I would suggest using the power of time manipulation and then pull off a devastating melee combo that will leave your foes in the air. The hitboxes can seem a bit off now and then, but mostly, the combat is rather enjoyable. For the dodging mechanic, you would get to know the barrel roll pretty fast since it is an efficient way to avoid enemy attacks. But what really can make the dodging feel a bit off to me is the fact that it can change depending on the equipment. Instead of rolling, you will instead do something that seems like a fast slide that doesn’t dodge the enemy projectiles as well as a barrel roll. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to preference. I think it is nice to have the dodging options available for those who would prefer another style.

The contrast between the real and more dreamlike landscapes really adds a nice touch to the atmosphere since it makes me think that the real world and the dream world somehow are connected in a way. The style really makes it look magical nonetheless, especially combined with the lighting, shadows and the relaxing soundtrack during the cutscenes. The environment pretty much leaves me speechless.

At the end of the day, Dreamscaper is quite a decent rougelite in its current state. From my point of view, most of the positive things about this title weigh more than the negative things. Despite the hitbox issue that seems a bit off now and then, it still delivers in terms of gameplay and some other aspects. Would I recommend this to you? Yeah, I would if you are into rougelites.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary PC code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.