Dreamcore

神作归神作，就是给我这空间感这么好的人玩成路痴了

Dreamcore is a game clearly inspired by the Backrooms, but what makes it interesting is that there are no jumpscares or monsters. At first, I found that a little strange, but after playing for a while, I realized that it actually captures the original feeling of the Backrooms really well: the fear comes from being completely alone, lost in an endless and unfamiliar place. I think putting on a good dark ambient or liminal playlist and diving into this world makes the experience completely different. The game was so immersive that I actually had nightmares about being trapped in the Backrooms afterward. It can get a little boring if you spend too much time trying to find the objectives, but the environments are huge and they genuinely make you feel completely lost and disoriented, almost like you're slowly going insane trying to figure out where you are. Put on a liminal or dark ambient playlist, turn off the lights, and get lost in this world. I absolutely recommend this game.

[h2][b]Seriously, as a Brazilian, do I have to praise a game made by an Argentinian?[/b][/h2] Alright, life is full of annoying things: waking up early, paying bills, working or studying stuff you don't care about... and having to acknowledge the quality of Dreamcore, despite the developers' nationality. For anyone who isn't Brazilian or Argentinian, know that, quite unlike other countries, we have a healthy rivalry. Please, it was just a joke! This rivalry boils down to one question: which is the best country? My answer: Singapore! But let's talk about the game: [h2][b]Why Dreamcore caught my attention[/b][/h2] 1) A long time ago, I watched and enjoyed several slasher and supernatural horror movies (Scream, Child's Play, Final Destination, etc). You already know the classic formula: an almost invincible killer or supernatural entity, people getting killed off throughout the movie, jump scares the whole time, and in the end, a smarter final girl manages to survive the attacks and neutralize the villain. My knowledge of horror movies is pretty superficial, so to make up for that, I asked Claude's AI to help me build two YouTube playlists of the most important films according to audiences and awards. You can check the results [url=https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfQw_ykeedjuWAuofS1mkDrnfinzSrpOf&si=dijC_2pGyiKlOzq2]here[/url] and [url=https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNErrvN_aL4Q&si=DeAE463gmAVVWlbh]here[/url]. I plan to watch most of them at some point. Even though I watched those movies a long time ago, I never got very into horror games, because in my view, most of them are just interactive versions of the classic films, repeating the same tired formula. Some time ago, I was introduced by [url=https://youtu.be/hVj0vGyp6Dw]this video from Tropia[/url] to the concept of backrooms — huge, empty spaces where you're almost alone. I say almost, because there's always the threat of some mysterious entity coming after you. At the time, that felt like a genuinely innovative horror concept compared to what I'd seen in movies. 2) Later, I got into synthwave/vaporwave artists like Home, Windows 96, Macintosh Plus, FM Skyline, and others. 3) I caught a Steam sale with a precursor to Dreamcore, a deluxe edition of The Stanley Parable. In the recommendations were Pools and a certain Dreamcore. 4) It's been a long time since I played Portal (1 and 2), and one of the things I admire most about Valve's game is the atmosphere of huge spaces and extreme solitude it stirs up in me. I've always been a solitary person and I like things that reinforce that behavior. I have trauma from multiplayer games, courtesy of veteran Left 4 Dead 2 players. So those were the four reasons: 1. The innovative horror concept; 2. The synth/vaporwave music that influenced dreamcore (the music subgenre); 3. The Stanley Parable sale and similar games like Dreamcore; and 4. My misanthropic personality. [h2][b]The game and its strengths[/b][/h2] Dreamcore is a mix of psychological horror, walking simulator, and escape room, where you have to walk around, pay attention to sounds and small visual changes in the huge scenarios to find the map's exit. All of this in settings of deep desolation that, at the same time, evoke memories and dreams of a distant past. 1. I thought it was really cool how intuitive the game is: almost no text, no tutorial, just sounds (elevators, doors opening) and music that swells as you get closer to the exit or some intermediate objective. 2. The soundtrack, when it shows up, is a spectacle of its own: accessible, slow, old-style jazz-pop, influenced by what the genre was doing in the 1930s, before it became, starting in the 1940s, exclusive territory for virtuosos and improvisers like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and others. Think of the Cuphead soundtrack, but much calmer, more melancholic and introspective. The game was dedicated to an artist who specializes in exactly this kind of sound, James Leyland Kirby, who I hadn't heard of before. I'm writing these lines while listening to Everywhere at the End of Time Stage 1, and I'm finding the sound really good. 3. The old VHS effect gave the game's graphics an extra charm. Just like the devs, I also recommend playing with this effect turned on. 4. The maps, in order of preference: Liminal Hotel (the most elegant), Eternal Suburbia (the most dreamlike), Playrooms (the most nostalgic), Dreampools (the most unsettling), and Dead Mall (the most realistic). There's still room for maps set in plenty of other places: hospitals, prisons, forests, amusement parks, malls. As a Brazilian, I thought of a small deserted town right after Carnival, with costumes, beer bottles, confetti, and broken parade floats abandoned in every corner. Just ideas, though. 5. This was the first game I ever platinumed since I've had my Steam account, and that's been a while! I was never a big fan of platinum-hunting, because when you focus only on getting the platinum, the game, at least for me, stops being fun and becomes an obligation — wasted time just to show off to others. In Dreamcore's case, the platinum was achievable: finish the maps, find certain locations. None of that "beat the game 100 times on Hard" nonsense. Another point for the devs. [h2][b]The downside[/b][/h2] 1. Dreamcore isn't a game made for everyone: if you have a more sociable, impatient personality, if you like playing multiplayer, or you prefer more intense games, this one might not work for you. [h2][b]Who this game is for[/b][/h2] If you like solitude, introspection, unconventional psychological horror games, exploration, and a bit of relaxation (yes, just playing this game improved my sleep a little), Dreamcore is a game made for you. You can buy it with no worries. But I'm still here wondering if the developers are actually part of Maradona's tribe. (Text translated from my original language into English with the help of Claude's AI.)

I've played every Backrooms/Liminal Spaces game I can get my hands on, and I can say this one is in my top three favorites, right there with The Complex games, and POOLS. I like its quirks, like having objective-based progression, although I personally believe it got a little out of hand in The Play Rooms. Still, great vibes, atmosphere and sound.

nice game

The premise of the biggest liminal exploration game seems like a great idea. The look of the game is awesome and was hyped to walk around a bunch. This fell flat for me personally as things felt very intentional but just too non linear. I get the point is to explore, but it felt very much like just like I am supposed to randomly just find what the game wants me to find to move forward. I would walk into a new area and enjoy the first few minutes but either would be in a room that felt way too big or just 1000 rooms of nothing that felt like filler to slow me down. The game feels sluggish and boring at times where other games I have played similarly are a bit linear which makes it feel a bit more intentional. I genuinely want to find all the easter eggs in these games. This game I think would just take a bit more time than I have day to day.

straight dookie. POOLS is a million times better and came out first.

ну в целом нормально 7/10

マジでなにもない ずっと似たような風景の繰り返し 敵もいない、ホラー要素もほぼない オブジェクトもほぼない、やってて苦痛 だがそれがいい