Dream Detective by Century Game is a port of a mobile title that has recently made its way to Steam, and on the hard drives of many. The second you boot it up, you are immediately greeted with the charm that is bursting from the seams at this game. The art style is colorful, unique, and almost chibi-like. I love the cute art style and the vibrant colors. The music is also a great addition, as it features a cute little jingle from a xylophone (I’m just guessing here? It is cute!) that does not get old as you play the game. Music can certainly make or break a game, and the music here is a great addition. And even if you don’t like the music, the developers have added an easy to use button to turn the music off. No messing with your sound required.
When you begin the game, you are greeted to a cut scene explaining the backstory of the main character. You follow Detective Allie, a girl who finds herself in a place called Dream Land. She realizes that here time is unstable, due to an object called the Time Crystal being shattered. Allie must now journey and recover what was lost.
And this is where the gameplay comes in. There is a lot of content here, and the gameplay is very simple and straightforward. You are given a themed level, and a list of objects you must find in the scene. Dream Detective gives you some hints, but there is no punishment for using them. Each scene has 3 different difficulties, from beginner to expert. Every level you pass, you get coins and XP, which can be used to level your character and spend money decorating and upgrading your castle. It isn’t really clear to me what exactly the castle is for, but I am having a blast remodeling it all pink! The game is very simple and casual—something I would usually never go for on PC. But honestly, it was such a relaxing experience, I honestly got a little sucked into it. The art style is just so good, that it was a treat to zoom in and really comb through everything to find the hidden objects. It reminded me of the iSpy books that I used to read as a kid, so if you liked those you will most certainly like this game. Dream Detective was a refreshing experience, a game meant just to make you smile and slow down for a little bit. Always appreciated!
Dream Detective runs like a dream on the PC. You don’t even need your keyboard to play it, the whole game is controlled with your mouse by clicking and dragging to move the screen and scenes around. It is easy to pick up and a delight to experience. I would certainly recommend anyone pick it up that’s looking for something to unwind with after a long day. If not on PC, I can see this game being very entertaining on your phone, as it is out on both Apple and Google Play, and the developers could even consider adding it to the Switch, as I could see it being a fantastic addition to any Switch library.
8.5/10
Check Out the Dream Detective Trailer:
Dream Detective is available now for free at via the App Store and Google Play as well as Steam for $7.99.
Steam Review
I am a senior studying History at the University of Michigan. I've been playing video games since I was very young and around age 16 I had become entirely obsessed with the medium. I hope to one day work in the industry in any way I can.
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