Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow

About

"Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow" is a narrative-driven game about an elderly man revisiting his past through memories, imagining himself as a little boy named Griffin with a teddy bear that embodies his deceased son's spirit. Griffin interacts with personified forms of his parents, a cruel father and fragile mother, in a mysterious world with surreal landscapes. The game explores themes of resilience, acceptance, and letting go, with a sprawling story full of secrets and mysteries.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 166 reviews

story19 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game features a deep and wholesome story that captivates players.
Gorgeous art style and beautiful world design enhance the overall experience.
The soundtrack is excellent, complementing the game's atmosphere effectively.

Gameplay is marred by clunky controls and frustrating mechanics, leading to a poor experience.
The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay.
Many players find the puzzles vague and the objectives unclear, resulting in confusion.

story
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
55%
9%
The game's story is generally praised for its depth and emotional resonance, with many reviewers highlighting its beautiful art style and unique chapters that gradually reveal the plot. However, some players feel that the story's pacing is slow, with a late reveal that leaves them wanting more clarity earlier in the game. While the narrative is considered a strong point, it is often overshadowed by gameplay issues and technical glitches that detract from the overall experience.
- “The art style is gorgeous and the story is really deep.”
- “I think this game is beautiful, has a great soundtrack, and a lot of unique levels with a cool story.”
- “From the art style to atmosphere, gameplay, characters, and storyline.”
- “I'm sure the story gets better soon, but at the moment, it all has no purpose.”
- “It's only towards the end that you begin to understand the plot and what is happening.”
- “I won't spoil it, but I would have liked to grasp the essence of the story earlier.”
gameplay
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
77%
6%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its beautiful design and unique levels, while others criticize its frustrating mechanics and lack of polish. Many players find the gameplay challenging but not in a rewarding way, often leading to unnecessary deaths and a lack of clarity in mechanics. Overall, while the game has potential, it is held back by its gameplay quality, prompting some to suggest waiting for patches to improve the experience.
- “This game struck a perfect balance between challenging puzzles and satisfying platforming mechanics.”
- “This is a game that draws in with its beauty and keeps you hooked with its gameplay.”
- “Worth getting, but maybe wait for a patch or two to address the bugs and polish the gameplay a bit more.”
- “Unfortunately, the gameplay itself is very frustrating, often leading to unnecessary and pointless deaths, with no real understanding of how to do better the next time.”
- “I don't like the game because it tries to be like Little Nightmares and failed in many ways with cheap graphics, scary music that works in some places without cause or enemy to be afraid of, there is no smoothness in animation, a boring story, and gameplay with many bugs that make my experience poor.”
- “Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow takes place in a wonderfully dark and unique world, but its gameplay and controls prevent it from becoming a stand-out indie adventure.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
42%
8%
The graphics of the game are frequently praised for their gorgeous art style and beautiful world, earning scores around 8/10. However, many reviewers note that while the visuals are impressive, they are let down by subpar gameplay, lack of atmosphere, and technical issues, leading to a disconnect between the game's aesthetic appeal and its overall execution. Despite the stunning graphics, some players feel the game fails to deliver a cohesive experience, often comparing it unfavorably to titles like "Little Nightmares."
- “The art style is gorgeous and the story is really deep, but the overall gameplay is bad.”
- “Quality visuals and creative puzzles in a curious world.”
- “Beautiful graphics.”
- “This game tries to imitate another one like Little Nightmares (a beautiful game), especially in the early scenes, but it does so with worse graphics, art style, and gameplay quality, and without succeeding in creating a particular atmosphere.”
- “I don't like the game because it tries to be like Little Nightmares and failed in many ways with cheap graphics, scary music that works in some places without cause or enemy to be afraid of, there is no smoothness in animation, a boring story, and gameplay with many bugs that make my experience poor.”
- “Even 90s games were more accurate and much appreciated than this cheap graphics, gameplay engine, and stupid story.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
21%
13%
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting a beautiful and melancholic soundtrack. However, some users noted issues such as abrupt audio cuts and repetitive loops, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the soundtrack is often described as a standout feature that complements the game's unique levels and story.
- “I think this game is beautiful, has a great soundtrack, and a lot of unique levels with a cool story, but the gameplay is holding it back from what otherwise could've been an amazing game.”
- “The soundtrack deserves special praise.”
- “A nice little game with good atmosphere, music, and puzzles in it.”
- “I also found the soundtrack to be fairly basic, with loops that are too short/repetitive.”
- “I don't like the game because it tries to be like Little Nightmares and fails in many ways, including cheap graphics and scary music that works in some places without cause or an enemy to be afraid of.”
- “I noticed some audio cutting in and out abruptly, like the music suddenly ending.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The game's atmosphere receives mixed reviews, with some praising its beautiful level design, haunting melodies, and engaging puzzles that enhance the emotional experience. However, others criticize it for failing to match the quality of similar titles like Little Nightmares, citing inferior graphics and a lack of a distinct atmosphere. Overall, while many players appreciate the atmospheric elements, there are notable concerns regarding its execution compared to its inspirations.
- “Beautiful atmosphere.”
- “The haunting melodies perfectly complement the game's atmosphere, enhancing the emotional impact of the narrative.”
- “Good dark atmosphere and just the right difficulty of puzzles.”
- “This game tries to imitate another one like Little Nightmares (a beautiful game), especially in the early scenes, but it does so with worse graphics, art style, and gameplay quality, and without succeeding in creating a particular atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere of the game (just play and you will understand).”
- “From the art style to atmosphere, gameplay, characters, and storyline.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game is praised for its deep and wholesome story, with haunting melodies that enhance its emotional atmosphere, making it a captivating experience for some players. However, others feel it falls short, citing issues like poor graphics, lack of engaging gameplay, and technical bugs that detract from the emotional potential. Overall, while there is a strong foundation for an emotional experience, significant improvements are needed to fully realize it.
- “The haunting melodies perfectly complement the game's atmosphere, enhancing the emotional impact of the narrative.”
- “What a beautiful and emotionally captivating puzzle platformer!”
- “[*] deep wholesome story.”
- “I don't like the game because it tries to be like Little Nightmares and fails in many ways, with cheap graphics, scary music that works in some places without a cause or enemy to be afraid of, a lack of smoothness in animation, a boring story, and gameplay filled with bugs that make my experience poor.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, including clunky controls. While some players still find enjoyment in the overall experience, the recurring technical issues make it difficult to fully recommend the game.
- “Sadly, clunky controls and glitches make it hard to recommend.”
- “I'm really trying to like this game but it's such a buggy mess.”
- “I encountered some bugs and glitches which were fixed by reloading the checkpoint.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Users consistently report that the game requires significant optimization to enhance performance and address existing bugs, indicating a need for smoother gameplay and stability improvements.
- “Optimization is essential to enhance the smoothness of gameplay and address existing bugs.”
- “The game needs optimization to improve performance and fix various issues.”
- “Optimization is required to make the game run more smoothly and to patch existing bugs.”
- “The game desperately needs optimization to improve performance and fix various issues.”
- “Without proper optimization, the gameplay experience is severely hindered by lag and bugs.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players consistently express that the grinding required in the game is excessively time-consuming, often likening it to needing a second life to manage the demands.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The character development is praised for its great design and uniqueness, with players appreciating the rich world-building and engaging story that enhances the overall experience.
- “The character development is incredibly rich, with each character having a unique backstory that adds depth to the overall narrative.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making choices that truly impact their personalities and relationships.”
- “The world-building is fantastic, and the character arcs are so well-crafted that I felt emotionally invested in their journeys.”