A Butterfly's Dream

About

A Butterfly's Dream is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Philosophical School of Games and was released on April 4, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"A Butterfly's Dream" is a peaceful exploration game inspired by classical Chinese landscape painting. Play as a butterfly, fly through scenic environments, and discover over 100 hidden objects. The experience is based on a Zen Koan about Master Chuang Tzu, inviting players to contemplate the nature of reality.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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74%

Audience ScoreBased on 19 reviews

music5 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a calming soundtrack that enhances the relaxing experience.
It offers a unique and chill gameplay experience as players fly around as a butterfly, taking photos of various creatures.
The game is inspired by Chinese art and philosophy, providing a thoughtful and meditative atmosphere.

The controls are clunky and unintuitive, making navigation difficult at times.
There are several bugs and performance issues, including jittery movements and low frame rates.
The gameplay can feel repetitive, and some areas that appear interesting are outside the playable map.

music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
24%
13%
The music in the game is generally praised for its calming and beautiful qualities, enhancing the overall aesthetic and providing a relaxing experience. However, some users noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive and criticized the use of stock new age music for lacking cultural accuracy. Overall, the audio complements the visuals well, contributing to a pleasant atmosphere.
- “The illustrations are lovely and the soundtrack is beautiful and calming, like a nice dream indeed.”
- “Cute game, with pleasing graphics and relaxing music.”
- “I can spend a lot more time floating around, thanks to the calming soundtrack that fits right into the aesthetic of the game.”
- “Stock new age music that isn't even culturally accurate half the time.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The game features cute and beautiful graphics that create a relaxing atmosphere, complemented by a calming soundtrack. However, players have noted significant issues with optimization and a lack of graphics settings, leading to performance problems even on high-end hardware. Overall, while the visuals are praised, technical shortcomings detract from the experience.
- “Cute game, with pleasing graphics and relaxing music.”
- “Relaxing experience with great graphics and soundtrack!”
- “Beautiful graphics and a tranquil mood.”
- “The mouse sensitivity is way too low, even at max, and a lack of any proper controller support doesn't help. Atrocious optimization like every other free license Unity game, and no graphics settings; watching a 3070 Ti and Ryzen 9 choke on something so basic makes me cry inside.”
- “Graphics: 6”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The gameplay involves flying around to collect shiny balls for new skins and photographing animals, but players may find the flying mechanics challenging to master, especially with clunky and unintuitive controls. While the game can flow smoothly once you adapt, many users feel it ultimately falls short in this aspect.
- “Once you get a hold of controlling the butterfly flying mechanics, the game flows easily.”
- “The gameplay is just flying around collecting these shiny balls that give you new skins and photographing different animals.”
- “The flying mechanic takes some getting used to, as I'm used to playing with inverted controls -- so cue lots of me crashing to the ground when I intended to soar high and free.”
- “Gameplay-wise, this is where the game falls short, as the controls are a bit clunky and unintuitive.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting excessively low mouse sensitivity and inadequate controller support. Many users note that even high-end hardware struggles to run the game smoothly, and the absence of graphics settings exacerbates the issue. Overall, it reflects poor optimization typical of many free Unity games.
- “The mouse sensitivity is way too low, even at max, and a lack of any proper controller support doesn't help. The optimization is atrocious, like every other free licensed Unity game, and there are no graphics settings. Watching a 3070 Ti and Ryzen 9 choke on something so basic makes me cry inside.”
- “The game runs poorly on high-end hardware, which is unacceptable. The optimization feels rushed, and there are frequent frame drops that ruin the experience.”
- “Despite having decent specs, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate. The optimization is clearly lacking, making it frustrating to play.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story has received a positive reception, with users highlighting its engaging narrative and well-developed characters. Many appreciate the depth and emotional resonance of the plot, contributing to an immersive gaming experience. Overall, the storytelling is considered a strong point of the game.