LUCID DREAM Review for Steam

Lucy already lost her father and now she is scared she will lose her mother, too. She must travel through the dream world to save her before time runs out. A finalist for the 2018 Pixel Awards, Dali Games’ Lucid Dream is a puzzle based point and click game now available for Windows PC and Mac via Steam.

Lucy must travel back and forth from the dream world and the real world if she hopes to save her mother. In the real world, Lucy is wheelchair bound and lives in a tiny dreary apartment with her sick mother. However, in the dream world, Lucy can walk and run and everything is strange and colorful. Some of the things you will find in this game are goldfish with glowing eyes growing on a bush, a flying elephant, and other bizarre creatures.

The art style of this game is really cool. It is very familiar to me and I am not sure if it is just that the 2D art style is commonly used in point and click games or if it is something else. There are a few references I did notice from throughout art and history which I found very cool. I thought the music and sound could have been more interesting, especially since Lucy is in a dream world most of the time.

To help Lucy reach her goal and like most point and click games, you must find and interact with items in order to solve puzzles. I love puzzles so, of course, I found this game really entertaining. Both worlds have specific items you must find, combine, and use in order to progress. There are also a lot of puzzles that involve figuring out patterns and sequences. Some of the puzzles were very tricky, even on the easiest mode. So if you like a challenge then this is the game for you.

 If you liked Killmonday Games AB’s Fran Bow released in 2015, I think you will also like Lucid Dream. Fran Bow is geared more towards horror but the gameplay is very similar. The controls in this game could have been a little easier. To walk you click in the direction you want Lucy to go and for some puzzles, it was difficult to have her stop exactly where you wanted. Other than that, the item bar and the diary worked great and were helpful. There were a couple of times when the game lagged and it crashed once but that may have been my computer and not the game itself. The reviews on Steam are mostly positive, with the exception of a few reviews saying that the puzzles did not have any logic to them. I do not really agree with that. Most of them are very logic-based, but some of them are just lucky guesses on which items to combine. I do not think it is something that takes away from the game but rather adds to the experience.

There is a reason this game was a finalist for the 2018 Pixel Award. On top of an awesome art style and story, the puzzles and gameplay are really fun and entertaining. If you enjoy puzzle solving, colorful worlds, and dark undertones this is Lucid Dream is for you. I personally really enjoyed the game and I highly recommend it if you have a PC or Mac.

8/10

Check Out the Lucid Dream Trailer:

Lucid Dream is available for PC and Mac via Steam.

About The Author

Harleigh McGowan

I’m a postgraduate Information and Library Studies student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. I’m originally from Texas and have a BFA in Creative Writing from SFASU. I grew up playing video games and now enjoy watching other people play as well. I love anything with a good story!

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