Dreamstones

About

Dreamstones is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Windybeard and was released on November 9, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Dreamstones is a single-player Role Playing game that takes about 18 hours to beat. It combines block-breaker gameplay with RPG statistics, collectable loot, and world building. Your mission is to rescue Dreamweavers and rebuild the floating Kingdom, battling through over 200 hand-designed levels and challenging bosses across 5 worlds."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 79 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Dreamstones offers a unique twist on the classic brick breaker genre by incorporating RPG elements, allowing for customization of skills and abilities.
The game features a vibrant art style and a relaxing soundtrack, making it enjoyable to play in short sessions while listening to podcasts or music.
With over 200 levels and a variety of enemies and power-ups, the game provides a good amount of content and replayability.

The game suffers from significant physics issues, including the ball occasionally passing through the paddle and unpredictable bounce directions, leading to frustrating gameplay.
Many players have reported that the difficulty spikes in later levels can feel unfair, with some levels requiring precision that the game's mechanics do not support.
Inadequate controller support and limited options for adjusting settings can detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
62%
9%
The gameplay of the game is a blend of classic arkanoid-style mechanics with RPG elements, featuring a progression system that keeps players engaged through level-based challenges and unique power-ups. While the game introduces innovative ideas and a variety of enemies, some players find issues with level design and difficulty spikes that can lead to frustration. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its fun and dynamic nature, despite some minor flaws.
- “Dreamstones really delivers where it should, retaining the classic breakout gameplay while literally building a world and continuity on top, ensuring that the content keeps a fresh feel on every gaming session.”
- “The gameplay also scaled up in difficulty, despite it feeling pretty difficult throughout.”
- “Every second of gameplay is enjoyed to the fullest; it is a very dynamic and unique game.”
- “It is a shame that the authors put so much effort into many innovative ideas to make a modern block breaker, but some of them do not really improve the gameplay and do the exact opposite.”
- “There appears to be a buttload of random extra (and mostly pointless) content tacked on in the town-building and stuff, but the game falls completely flat in the implementation of its primary brick-breaking mechanic.”
- “Dreamstones is an interesting take on the genre of brick-breaking games, combining both the 'usual arkanoid gameplay' with RPG elements, that is well done in some ways but also sadly has a considerable number of issues, mainly regarding level design and game design.”
story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
63%
10%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and filled with interesting characters, while others describe it as generic and unremarkable. It features RPG elements and a lighthearted narrative that can be entertaining, but many reviewers noted that the story often feels overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and lacks depth. Overall, while some appreciate the whimsical and cartoonish aspects, others feel the story is forgettable and not essential to the experience.
- “It starts off a little '..wait, why are there monsters?' and quickly becomes 'I _really_ gotta kill these things or I won't sleep.' As you progress through the levels, you get more XP, cash, dreamstones, and story - there's a mental story going on that's full of interesting characters.”
- “The characters and story really add a lot to the game, and they are brought to life with such beautifully illustrated art - which is consistent throughout all elements of the game.”
- “The story, characters, and dialogue are genuinely entertaining and only left me wanting more.”
- “The story is childish at times, though the game has a fairly fast ball speed aimed more towards older players in my opinion.”
- “Although I didn't like the graphics and the story was so boring I stopped reading the dialog windows - I liked the idea of progressing through leveling up your paddle and collecting items and new skills.”
- “Outside of the block-breaking meat of the game there's somewhat of a story and even town-building; if any part of the game needs more depth it's this, the buildings are well drawn and add to a kingdom score but little more than that.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
38%
14%
The music in the game is generally praised for its chill and relaxing vibe, enhancing the overall experience with a soothing soundtrack that complements the pixel art and gameplay. However, some players note that the music can become repetitive over time, detracting from its initial appeal. Overall, the combination of well-crafted sound design and engaging visuals contributes to a captivating atmosphere, making it enjoyable to play while listening to other media as well.
- “Music is very chill and relaxing, one of its stronger suits. The sound effects are satisfying, especially when you hear the ball hit off several things in quick succession; it's just so soothing on the ears.”
- “The trappings are pleasant - the pixel art and music combine to make a groovy experience while clearing boards. The progression in buying upgrades and leveling up your town is a well-paced distraction.”
- “This cheeky masterpiece disguises itself as a casual game with its crisp, friendly graphics and soothing, eargasmic soundtrack.”
- “There are also many downsides - useless and boring town building part, uninteresting story, uninspiring weapons, strange ball behavior sometimes, insufficient in-game power-ups, generic music, the absence of dubbing and creeping stereotype.”
- “A few of the sounds/music tracks can get repetitive after a while and you can't use 'fit to width' if you have an ultrawide monitor (if you do by accident you can edit it back in the ini file).”
- “The only negative thing about this game is the music is a bit too repetitive.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the colorful and diverse art style, while others find it clunky and mismatched with the gameplay. Many users appreciate the unique charm and detail in the visuals, though some criticize the lack of graphical options and the cluttered backgrounds that can hinder gameplay. Overall, the graphics are described as cartoonish and enjoyable, contributing positively to the game's character despite some navigational and design flaws.
- “The art style is gorgeous, the music awesome, and everything about the game has character. Even though it can be hard to tell exactly what the ball will hit as the background and foreground blend seamlessly, it's a good-looking game with more than enough content to keep you playing for several hours.”
- “Chill out music and great original graphics.”
- “Humorous, bright, detailed graphics.”
- “The graphics, to me, honestly felt pretty clunky. The story and character design felt overly cheesy and overbearing, plus the background blends in with the blocks a lot and can get overly cluttered very easily. The design of everything else is okay, but the art style doesn't match the game, in my opinion.”
- “The fact that there are no graphical options doesn't help.”
- “If that weren't enough, the in-game menus are unintuitive to navigate, and the graphic design feels mismatched and amateurish in general.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a grindy progression system, particularly for completionists, which can become tedious and frustrating due to its difficulty and luck-based elements. While early gameplay allows for some rewarding unlocks, the need for excessive grinding to achieve 100% completion detracts from the overall experience.
- “The game gets grindy towards the end if you are a completionist.”
- “Gameplay: progression can be grindy, though early on you get to unlock at least one thing (i.e. build one building, get one item from the shop) per map, so it's ok.”
- “In order to achieve 100% completion, the game requires needless grinding.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a humorous and engaging storyline that complements its classic breakout gameplay, enhanced by RPG elements. Players appreciate the bright and detailed graphics, which contribute to the overall enjoyment and comedic tone, despite the sometimes challenging difficulty. Overall, it successfully combines humor with entertaining gameplay, keeping players entertained for hours.
- “A classic breakout game thrown into a generic but funny story, provided with sometimes insanely hard gameplay.”
- “A gorgeous, funny, and enjoyable breakout-style game with RPG elements that does an awful lot right and will keep you entertained for hours.”
- “Humorous, bright, and detailed graphics.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users generally agree that the game offers high replayability, making it enjoyable to revisit multiple times.
- “I'd also say this game certainly has high replay value.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes makes me want to play through it multiple times.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the different paths and strategies available.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game has been criticized for its cheesy and overbearing design, which detracts from the overall experience. Reviewers noted that the character design feels clunky and falls into the uncanny valley, making it less engaging. Additionally, the cluttered backgrounds further complicate the visual appeal, impacting the effectiveness of character portrayal.
- “Character design is making a Mariana Trench level entry into the uncanny valley.”
- “The graphics felt pretty clunky, and the story and character design felt overly cheesy and overbearing. The background blends in with the blocks a lot and can get overly cluttered very easily.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of "Dreamstones" has received mixed feedback, with some users expressing skepticism about the developer's branding and authenticity, which may affect their willingness to support the game financially.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a deeply heartbreaking story that resonates with players, leaving a lasting impact without revealing specific plot details.
- “And the story... the story is just heartbreaking, but I won't spoil it for you.”