Like Dreamer

I've waited way too sinfully long a time to write a review for this flawless gem. I could frankly go on forever about how mechanically perfect Like Dreamer is, or how it has somehow found the ace-perfect fusion between a Touhou-style and Cave-like arcade STG. But Like Dreamer is so much more than that; for it touches on something so much deeper and closer to your heart and soul. Like Dreamer's gameplay is the easiest positive to get out of the way; for here we are blessed with a pristine example of a match made in heaven. Stages are finely tuned and perfectly orchestrated with well choreographed enemy formations and patterns which result in relentless and never-ending chaos and destruction; a trait commonly associated with Cave themselves. Whereas characters and bosses take many pages out of Touhou's books by combining beautiful and mesmerizing bullet patterns along with charming character designs and meticulously crafted animations and phase transitions. That, in essence, could conclude my review. But the bit which really sticks out to me with Like Dreamer is just how pure the connection feels between the player, the game, and the developer behind it. Because not only did I have an immense amount of fun with Like Dreamer; I could also feel deep down that the developer had an equally immense amount of fun in bringing this game to life. And this is new to me. Now I get that some people might find Like Dreamer's art style either somewhat off-putting or even outright offensive; especially once we concern ourselves with the "resolution" of some of this game's "assets" (lol). And sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But the one thing which absolutely cannot be argued against Like Dreamer is that its style and art is unadulteratedly pure. Personally I don't find anything about Like Dreamer offensive. As a matter of fact, I find the comically huge booba outright hilarious; and I say this as a woman with slightly above-average twins. With that said, please do not let any prejudices or misconceptions get between you and this game, for there is a lot to like here. Even if you do not fully agree with its art style, at least respect it for what it is, and respect the developer for being willing to stick true to their vision and goals. And again, as an STG, Like Dreamer is, to me, mechanically faultless; all while being a very playful one at it. But what sets Like Dreamer apart -- and I really do need to emphasize this more than once -- is that not only are you going to be playing what is an extremely pure STG, you're going to be playing one which at every step of the way is going to make you feel a connection with what can only be described as a passion project in its purest form: with every image being brought to life precisely how the developer intended, and in precisely the way the developer had envisioned. Every single time I look at this game, I know: yep, this is what someone giving us their heart and soul looks like. Personally I'm a massive fan of the art; but even if you somehow aren't, I genuinely hope that you can at least recognize and feel the same kind of connection with the game and its developer as I have, as this is truly something special. And even if all that is somehow not possible: know that you'll at the very least have on your hands one of the most potent shooters in modern STG history. Or, let me put this another way: as of the time of writing this review I have over 700 hours in Crimzon Clover; an STG which -- artistically anyway -- is about as polar-opposite as it gets when compared against Like Dreamer. But like Crimzon Clover, I can assure you that Like Dreamer is built upon extremely rock-solid STG fundamentals. This really is one heck of a shooter. The only mild quibble I have against Like Dreamer is its penchant for locking out harder difficulties and modes behind easier ones, so you'll have to unlock each and every one of them one by one. This is somewhat annoying as the final mode ("Speed Run") is really one which everyone should experience at least once. What "Speed Run" does is that it takes Like Dreamer's eight main stages and compacts them into one near-continuous run with most gaps between enemy spawns removed and a quick intermission separating stages. What you're left with is an absolutely insane non-stop half-hour marathon of anarchy and destruction. I don't typically have a problem grinding runs for 4-6 hours non-stop, but give me two full runs of this mode and I'll be utterly exhausted by the end. It's insane. I implore everyone reading this review to buy Like Dreamer. Not only is it something truly special, you'll also be supporting the work of an extremely genuine and devoted developer. Bless you Outside. Thank you so much for everything!~ <3