DREAM WAVE'84

Disclosure: a good friend of mine made this game all by himself over the course of 2 or 3 years. The mechanics are simple to understand, the goal is straight-forward, and its packed with art and music that make the experience so worth it. I love all the local philly music, it really rocks. Worth the price of admission just to hang out in the rooms and jam. There's also a ton of easter eggs, wild stuff, and art to find. This is the opposite of low effort slop. Its clearly a labor of love made by a creative mind who just wants to share his art and punk rock vision with the world.

Super cool aesthetic. Fun little world to romp around in for a couple hours. Love that all the music is Philly-local.

This game is so cool!!!! Really feels like a indie record as an interactive game and all of the music and aesthetic is fun. A lot of easter eggs to be discovered throughout the map. I've only collected a few tapes so far but am going to keep trying for all 8. Runs well on Steam Deck! The only issues I've run into are enemies can be hard to punch and the character does drift a bit. Otherwise this is a unique little indie gem that puts music to the forefront and I can't wait to see what pops up next.

I really loved this game. The scenery in the rooms and soundtrack is really surreal and blend together so well that playing it feels like the same type of dopamine hits I got the first time I watched Avatar in theaters. This has made me want to replay through even once I know how to beat it. The scavenger hunt leaves you feeling a huge sense of accomplishment whenever you find the tapes but I can almost bet on everyone having 1 or 2 that they spend 3x as much time trying to find as the others which can be pretty frustrating but makes it even more satisfying once you get them. You'll find yourself getting a lot of the music stuck in your head for the week and there's enough easter eggs and funny little hidden spots in the game that you'll quickly want to keep playing to make sure you've seen everything. Great game! Can't wait for a sequel or to see whatever Jack makes in the future! Fingers crossed for a Dreamwave '85

So the game doesn't really explain the story to you, but the steam page does. To reiterate it says: "Step into the shoes of "The Maid", whose mission is to gather all the merch for your upcoming show. But beware—a malevolent presence has infiltrated your lunar base, determined to stop you. Run, jump, and punch your way through the obstacles to collect your demo tapes and unleash the power of rock on the forces of evil. Are you ready to rock?". The first time I played I had no idea what was going on. I just ran around and punched things and it kind of was confusing. But then I went back to the page and read that I am trying to gather all of the merch for the upcoming show and all of that and it made a little more sense. The whole thing is a bit of a fever dream but has amazing music. I enjoyed trying to figure things out. It does feel like it needs more guiding or some kind of plot to make sense but it is fun to get in and mess around for a while. It was fun reaching new areas and exploring. Worth a try for the low cost of entry if you like trippy platformers with great music.

Refreshing game. Love the fact that you have to figure out the game on your own with minimal hand holding. Each zone is distinct and creative and puzzles were fun to solve. Overall great effort and result from a first game!

Honestly this isn't typically my type of game, but I am glad that I played it. It was creative and the platforming was fun and the music was great. Knowing they are all indie bands makes it even better. This game showcases a lot of talent from art design to the featured bands.