Dreams of an Exile

About

"Dreams of an Exile" is a single-player, fantasy visual novel game with an emphasis on exploration and romance. As half-elf Lyra, you leave your village to find a cure for a mysterious illness, only to discover the truth about the barrier that's kept you safe. Determined to save your village and reunite with your mother, you must navigate relationships with other exiled girls and confront dangerous enemies to clear the barrier and return home. The game features a beautiful soundtrack and engaging storyline.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 12 reviews

music5 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game features charming art and music, creating an enjoyable atmosphere.
It offers a cute story with engaging characters and multiple endings, appealing to fans of non-combat RPGs.
The puzzles are fun and provide a good level of challenge, making it a worthwhile experience for puzzle enthusiasts.

The energy bar system is frustrating, leading to excessive waiting and hindering gameplay flow.
There are significant bugs and issues with controls, including unresponsive key inputs and poor controller mapping.
Lack of accessibility features and a tutorial makes it difficult for players to progress, leading to a discouraging experience.

gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it tedious due to an energy bar system that forces long waits between actions, detracting from the overall experience. While the exploration mechanics and narrative are praised, particularly for their charm and creativity, the repetitive nature of tasks may discourage players from pursuing multiple endings. Overall, the game offers a casual experience with appealing aesthetics, but its pacing issues can hinder enjoyment.
- “Gameplay is like Link's Awakening without the combat, just exploration using items you acquire to traverse new kinds of obstacles.”
- “Interesting mechanics for an RPG Maker game and a good narrative.”
- “A cute story about girls with good gameplay.”
- “The energy bar system makes the gameplay worse than it should be, and a lot of time is spent waiting for my energy to recharge to use a tool three times in a row, which the game often demands.”
- “There's multiple endings to the game, but the gameplay is too tedious to want to try to get any other endings.”
- “However, the gameplay is pretty tiring after a while.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally praised as genuinely good, complementing the cute art style and casual gameplay. However, some players note a clash between the 8-bit music and the game's illustrations, while others appreciate the overall quality of the soundtrack despite mixed feelings about the level design.
- “Cute game with nice art and music.”
- “The music is genuinely quite good!”
- “Great music, ok level design, great art style.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game's graphics feature a charming blend of 8-bit and 16-bit styles, complemented by appealing illustrations, though some players feel the visual elements clash. While the overall aesthetic is praised for its fun and artistic quality, the energy bar mechanic detracts from the experience. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's non-combat focused RPG theme.
- “This game looks so fun; the visuals are pretty and it's a non-fetishistic yuri, non-combat focused RPG!”
- “Great music, okay level design, great art style.”
- “While this is a nice little cheap game with some 8-bit music and 16-bit graphics that kind of clash with the illustrations, the energy bar ruins the whole experience.”
- “The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games, making it hard to immerse myself in the world.”
- “Character models are poorly designed and animations are choppy, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, which detracts from the desire to explore multiple endings. While the game is described as a charming RPG Maker puzzle experience, the lack of engaging battle elements contributes to the overall sense of monotony.
- “There's multiple endings to the game, but the gameplay is too tedious to want to try to get any other endings.”
- “It's nothing mind-blowing, but rather a cute little RPG Maker puzzle game without any sort of (often tedious) battle elements one might expect when stumbling upon something like this.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
The story is simple yet effective, serving its purpose within the game while providing a charming narrative about girls that complements the enjoyable gameplay.
- “A cute story about girls with good gameplay.”
- “The story fills its purpose for the game.”
- “There's also not too much to the story, but it fills its purpose for the game.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's stability is marred by various bugs and flaws, including random crashes likely linked to memory leaks, poor controller mapping, and janky controls with noticeable input lag. Players have also reported specific instances of buggy behavior, such as character movement issues in certain areas, contributing to an overall frustrating experience.
- “There are a number of bugs and flaws that range from annoying to major. Some of the issues I've encountered include poor controller mapping (though it works fine by assigning inputs through Steam), random crashes (likely related to the memory leaks people mention), and occasional buggy behavior. For instance, in the beach dungeon, there's a spot where you have to jump over tiles that damage you, and sometimes the landing bugs out, sending the character bouncing backwards towards a hazard. Additionally, the controls feel janky, with the jump having a weird half-second lag that takes getting used to, and the system for managing the character's energy and health feels unnecessarily punishing.”
- “The game suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues that disrupt the overall experience. It's frustrating to lose progress due to these stability problems, and it makes the game feel unfinished.”
- “I've experienced numerous stability issues, including random freezes and crashes that make it hard to enjoy the game. The overall performance is inconsistent, which detracts from the immersion.”