Release Date: June 28th, 2018
Developer: Warsaw Games
Platforms: Switch (Reviewed), PC, Coming soon to PS4 and Xbox One
Price: $9.99

Dream Alone is an interesting platformer. The best way to describe it is Limbo meets Inside. Dream Alone is an odd PC game in a crowded Steam library, but the game may appeal to certain people despite it’s troubling issues.

The game’s art style reminds me of Limbo. It is mostly two toned black, white, greys with a dash of color. That color is red as in blood. The game is challenging and its not very forgiving. Gamers play as a young boy whose whole town has been put into a coma and he must journey to find Lady Death and hope to find a cure. The music and slight dark atmosphere make the game very somber.

Well, the game has a few issues. Probably the most glaring was the controls, they are not that tight. I made lots of mistakes and paid for them. The protagonist has floaty jumps and a slow trot. At this time I really wish he could move faster.

There needs to be more checkpoints, as death is a just a step away. This is a platformer where everything can kill you and you are supposed to guide the character through the challenging levels. Did I mention the environments are dark? I guess a better description is the game graphics are very dark and dim. Gamers will find out that if they crank up the brightness, it may not make a difference.

Speaking of death, there are also things in the environment such as trees that block visible obstacles and thus leads to more death and frustration. This caused me to die a lot, as well as miss traps, spike pits, and other enemies because I couldn’t see them. I cannot imagine playing this on the Switch’s small screen; I would really have to crank up the brightness. On my 26” PC monitor, I still had problems seeing everything.

There is an interesting puzzle element which includes the main character changing realities and potentially cloning themselves. Most of the time this is used to solve puzzles and move objects to help you. Players cannot remain in the alternate realities forever, as this is controlled by a meter that is filled when players collect potions.

If the controls had been tighter, and the game a little more forgiving, then this would have been a great game to play alongside of Limbo. For now it’s a challenging puzzle platformer that is good for gamers who enjoy a challenge. The game is supposedly coming to Xbox One and PS4, but now Switch and PC gamers can play it.

Thanks for the publisher for letting us review it.

Final Score

Pros:
-Interesting concept
-Dark Themes
-Challenging

Cons:
-Controls need work
-Challenging
-The game's graphics are too dark

Dream Alone Review