Take the Dream IX

[b]My Playtime:[/b] 2.2h (finished the game) [h1]Intro[/h1] [b]Take the Dream IX[/b] is an adventure [i]RPG Maker[/i] game with some horror and surreal elements. You will have to explore some areas to save your beloved. [b]Pros:[/b] - Nice voice acting [b]Cons:[/b] - Puzzles are either too straightforward or too vague [b]Specs[/b] Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 [h1]Should you play this game?[/h1] [b]No.[/b] [i]For a game that was focused on puzzles, I didn't enjoy them that much. The difficult ones are too vague even with the hints while others are too straightforward.[/i] [hr][/hr] [h1]In-Depth Review[/h1] [h3]Visuals[/h3] The game uses a combination of the default [i]RPG Maker[/i] and custom assets. You will be teleported to different areas, sometimes in a place with a customized tileset. Although they are alright, I found the first town to be too vast to navigate, especially with how empty it is. [h3]Story[/h3] It's hard to tell the story. It breaks the fourth wall a lot by telling you when the game should end and then removing that expectation by giving you more. I like the presentation, though. The demon king's voice-over is nicely done, and even without that, its presence alone gives a lot of reasoning to the bizarre things that the main character is going through. That being said, that's where the enjoyment ends. Once you get past the cool presentation, you'll be left with a confusing story that doesn't make any sense. The whole thing that the main character feels pointless and you end up being left with more questions than answers. [h3]The Game[/h3] [b]Gameplay[/b] Just like any other games from [url=https://store.steampowered.com/developer/YaiGameworks][i]Yai Gameworks[/i][/url], [b]Take the Dream IX[/b] is focused on exploration. You need to interact with all objects in the area and figure out how to proceed with the story. Most solutions are straightforward, although some puzzles might leave you stumped. These puzzles tend to give clues if you interacted with the whole object, although you still need to figure out how to solve the puzzle yourself. It's mostly about orders. You either need to push switches in a certain order or point objects in a certain direction. There is no penalty if you do it wrong, although one puzzle might take time if you have to brute force it. The main selling point of the game is its bizarreness. I like how you are suddenly being teleported with some mind-trickery thing to make it looks more mysterious. You'll end up having to finish more puzzles that way, although most of them are focused on trial and error. Game overs are also imminent, but checkpoints are abundant. [b]Length and Difficulty[/b] I finished the game at 2.2h. I'm not sure whether there are multiple endings to the game, but I don't feel like trying it out since it only has one save slot. The game itself isn't difficult aside from two puzzles that can be too vague to solve. That being said, some guides and solutions are available if you look around, so you won't have any trouble finishing the game. If you are a scaredy-cat, the game isn't scary at all aside from some strange beings that you have to avoid, which are very easy to do. Also, there are no jump scares. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] [b]Take the Dream IX[/b] is a mediocre adventure game. I expected a lot from it since I liked playing [b][url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/377330/Close_Your_Eyes_Old_Version]Close Your Eyes [Old Version][/url][/b] ([url=https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198132503739/recommended/377330]my review[/url]), but this one seems to have worse puzzles. I don't mind clever puzzles, but this one doesn't seem to click with me. Moreover, the rest of the game is just about trial and error which can be boring sometimes. If you want to play the game for its puzzles, it doesn't have plenty of them, and the available ones tend to be too vague to understand. The game's charm only lies in its bizarreness, although it sacrifices its story because of it. Sadly, I couldn't seem to recommend the game because of these reasons.

This game, just as it was in Close Your Eyes, is all about perception. There is no right or wrong, no "winning" or "losing", depending on how you think of it. It's best to dive into the experience with an open mind, void of any pre-judgements or spoilers. When the seemingly innocuous nature of the game breaks, you'll know it, and nothing will ever be the same from that moment forward. This game has a style all its own filled with surreal original artwork, gorgeous sound design, and fantastic writing. The puzzles are fun and the game has plenty of challenging moments, though some may push you to your limit of tolerance and beyond. I think, as gamers, we are used to being spoiled with arbitrary rewards and tutorials to hold our hands, so when a game like this appears--we're not sure what to think at first. There's a strange sense of voyeurism involved when you realize your protagonist is being punished and put through hell, but you can't help but continue on to the end. Just like CYE, don't expect a sense of satisfaction at the end, expect to have your thoughts and dreams haunted for days (and possibly weeks) after completion. The developer has stated that they will most likely be getting into commercial gaming development in the future. Part of me would truly miss them in the indie horror world, but I am equally excited to see what they can accomplish with even more resources at their fingertips. As of now, I would happily place AestheticGamer aka Dust Golem in the same pantheon as Kikiyama, Deep Sea Prisoner, Sen and Fummy when it comes to the true greats of indie game-making.

I would not recomend this game as-is, but I really hope the game designer continues to work on it; there is potential here. For a game about how desperately one may cling to love, this game as it is now feels simply devoid of heart and meaning. Its silly use of tropes and unprofessional sounds/voices really take you out of the story. I hope the designer keeps trying, because there is a balance between meaningful and fun that can be struck here, and I think some more editing, tweaking, re-scripting the lines, and re-recording the voices would help make this an unforgettable jaunty adventure with a dark twist.

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[no story spoilers but some gameplay ones] Take the Dream IX is a quirky game that has a lot of things going on, which can be rather confusing initially. It starts off as generic as possible, but it's fairly obvious that this is deceptive if you've seen the marketing for it. (The only way you would actually think it was a traditional generic RPG is if you went in 100% blind.) It doesn't take long to establish that something is amiss in the world, and the game does a great job at building a sense of unease and subverting expectations right when you thought you knew what was coming next. At times it feels like a traditional horror game, other times it feels like pure parody. While I personally enjoyed it, I feel like that aspect could be off-putting and frustrating to people playing. There are a handful of puzzles throughout the game, many of which I found clever and a good balance of difficulty. The only puzzle that I felt was a bit mindless was the chemical puzzle in the last timed section, which really seemed more like a time waster than anything else. At the very least, knowing the solution made that part go by very quickly, but it was a strange disconnect from the rest of that area, which was all movement and maze based. Another part I found frustrating was avoiding the Sloppy Joes while the stick figures were in the way, as the random movements basically just made it an annoyance. At least the Sloppy Joes are merciful enough not to kill you and just warp you back to a previous section. (What even are the Sloppy Joes anyway? Their existance is so strange to me.) Some areas that particularly stood out to me were the clock song puzzle and the dark area where you're trying not to get spotted. I played it last night before the latest patch, so I'm not sure how much the puzzle changed, but I thought it was interesting and made me think without needed to resort to trial and error. The stealth area felt the most like a horror game to me because the monsters are unsettling and I felt very on edge during the whole segment, and it was intense trying to avoid being spotted, especially when you don't really know their range of vision. (I somehow managed to get through without dying once, though I was playing it VERY safe until the end.) Another point about the game is that it's VERY meta, almost a bit too meta for it's own good. I don't want to spoil too many story points, but it's a very "Ryan" game. If you're familiar with him and his works you'll understand what I mean when you play it. Expect to see some subtle (and not so subtle) references to his previous Steam game "Close Your Eyes." You don't need to have played that game to enjoy this one, however. It is very much a standalone story. I guess the part I'm most conflicted about is the ending, but then again, given the information revealed in the story, I'm not really sure how I would have ended it either. Still, there is at least some sense of closure, even if it feels like there's more unanswered questions than answered ones. Overall though, I enjoyed my time playing this game, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys quirky indie games. It's free and a relatively short game, it took me about three hours, so it'll be well worth your time.

I just finished my first playthrough (but will be doing at least one more to see how/if the choices affect the game). In order to avoid any kind of spoiler, I'll just say that this was another fantastically creepy game from Yai Gameworks, proving that Close Your Eyes was not a fluke (although I do feel that Close Your Eyes was better and scarier). Its been a long wait, but it was definitely worth it.

My favourite game of all time and my first Yai Gameworks experience, when I see RPG Maker MV's assets, I think of TTD9 now as the one that best used them. TTD9 Tells an extremely surreal story that emotions me, this review is 230.

Take the Dream IX is a RpgMaker game about Gwen and her [i] true love [/i] that's just been kidnapped! Oh no, You gotta go after her! It has some horror aspects, and it plays with certain fourth wall notions, along with a cast of interesting characters, each with their traits and stories, however little of it you may get to know. Now, it's not your regular horror game, it will NOT rely on cheap jumpscares or overused zombie-whatever, but rather on atmosphere and the uncertainty. All in all a great experience for a medium-lenght rpgmaker game, highly recommended if you enjoy some midly psichological horror.