After Dreams

About

After Dreams is a single player casual simulation game with a violence theme. It was developed by Matt Boyer and was released on May 6, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

After Dreams is a story-rich exploration game based on real life experiences and events. The main focus of the story is to answer the basic human question that has pervaded our collective consciousness since sentience: What happens when we die?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 125 reviews

story20 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game offers a deeply emotional and thought-provoking story that resonates with themes of grief and loss.
Visually, the game has a unique and beautiful art style that enhances the surreal atmosphere.
Despite its flaws, many players found the experience to be impactful and worth trying, especially given its free availability.

The gameplay is often criticized for being aimless and lacking clear objectives, leading to feelings of boredom.
Numerous technical issues, such as glitches and a lack of save or pause functionality, detract from the overall experience.
The story, while emotional, is considered by some to be poorly executed and predictable, leaving players wanting more depth and engagement.

story
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The game's story is a poignant exploration of loss, centered around a brother coping with the death of a sister in a car crash. While some players found the narrative engaging and emotionally resonant, others criticized its execution and predictability, noting that the storytelling could benefit from more depth and polish. Overall, the story is seen as a strong point of the game, despite its brevity and some flaws in presentation.
- “Sad yet very interesting and mesmerizing, it pulls you right into the story.”
- “The story and the feeling was just on point.”
- “It's the story that makes this game, a game.”
- “Story was promising, execution was poor.”
- “Every idea has been executed badly and the story, which is the main focus, falls totally flat for me despite its attempt to be deep.”
- “Alright game, story sounds like it was made up in 10 minutes, not going to say to play it but if you're bored go ahead.”
emotional
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its intense and poignant storytelling, often evoking feelings of grief, sadness, and reflection. Players describe it as an emotional roller coaster, with a strong connection to themes of loss and psychological turmoil, despite its short duration. The game's design and voice acting further enhance the emotional experience, making it a compelling, albeit brief, exploration of deep feelings.
- “Very intense and emotional.”
- “It's an emotional roller coaster of anxiety to confusion to sadness to contentedness.”
- “A short, story-driven exploration game, very emotional, well-chosen design of the world and good voice acting.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the polygonal art style and its unique take on storytelling, while others criticize the visuals as glitchy and unfinished. Although the art style is often described as enjoyable and fantastic, many feel that it does not compensate for the minimal gameplay and lack of content. Overall, the graphics are seen as a point of contention, with a general consensus that they could be improved.
- “The art style of the game was enjoyable, but content-wise I feel this could be developed better.”
- “Art style is fantastic, and the twisted way that the story unfolds can really grip you.”
- “The story seemed good, and the view of the polygonal art style was amazing.”
- “Graphics are way too much for what little you do in the actual game and for how minimal the art is.”
- “While your experience may differ, I found it to be very glitchy and the visuals, rather than being minimalism, just looked unfinished.”
- “Graphics could be worked on; the story was well developed.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The gameplay is primarily characterized as a walking simulator, with limited interaction and a focus on exploring environments and clicking on items, such as tapes. Many users found the experience to be choppy and lacking depth, resulting in a generally negative reception.
- “Gameplay-wise, it's basically a walking simulator.”
- “Gameplay felt choppy.”
- “However, it is very short and the gameplay is very limited to just walking around and clicking on tapes.”
- “Gameplay wise, it's basically a walking simulator.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The music in the game is described as eerie and atmospheric, enhancing the overall suspense and emotional depth of the experience. While the voice acting complements the soundtrack well, some users noted concerns about copyright issues with certain tracks. Overall, the haunting melodies, especially during the credits, contribute significantly to the game's unique ambiance, making it a recommended play despite its flaws.
- “The eerie music and feeling of suspense makes this game almost zen in a weird kind of way.”
- “The voice acting was good and the music and sound fit perfectly to the atmosphere.”
- “The world felt quite unique and I enjoyed your use of music.”
- “Although I wish it was more show than tell, it still hits home, and the haunting music during the credits made this experience feel all the more worthwhile.”
- “Yes, for all its glaring flaws, its storyline through videotapes and its tragic music, I recommend it highly, and it's free, so why wouldn't you play despite its flaws?”
- “However, if you are recording it, there is one song that is copyrighted toward the end that I got flagged for.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is characterized by noticeable glitches and bugs, which some players find intriguing and part of its charm. While it is acknowledged that the game is not fully polished and may remain unfinished, many users encourage others to appreciate it for its unique qualities rather than focusing solely on its technical issues.
- “Yes, it is a bit buggy, but what game doesn't have that?”
- “Don't listen to the people saying this game is buggy and laggy; it's still great. When you come into this game, remember that it is not finished and may never be (let's keep our hopes up).”
- “Glitches... walking into a wall when there is a path that you must go...”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is generally praised for its peacefulness and lack of fear, enhanced by good voice acting and well-fitting music and sound. Overall, it receives a rating of 7/10, indicating a solid but not exceptional experience.
- “Very good atmosphere, peaceful, without fear.”
- “The voice acting was good and the music and sound fit perfectly to the atmosphere.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment or additional lives to progress effectively.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it still feels like I'm nowhere.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players found the humor in the game to be highly effective, particularly praising the voice acting for eliciting continuous laughter throughout the experience.
- “I was laughing my ass off the entire time with the voice acting!”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever jokes and witty dialogue that kept me entertained.”
- “I couldn't stop chuckling at the hilarious situations and quirky characters throughout the game.”