Ghostdream
- October 24, 2016
- ArkHouse
Get on Steam"Ghostdream" is a game where the protagonist, Reader, enters a dark world of ghosts and demons after death, aiming to reach the "Other Side" and reassure the living. Along the way, they meet various spiritual entities, including the enigmatic Singer, who becomes important to Reader. Faced with the danger of becoming a demon, Reader continues the journey, focusing on the message of comfort for the living rather than the game's inherent scariness.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning art and music that create an engaging atmosphere.
- The story is unique and charming, with quirky characters that add depth to the experience.
- It offers a nostalgic point-and-click gameplay style that appeals to fans of the genre.
- The puzzles can be overly obscure and frustrating, often requiring pixel-perfect clicks that detract from the enjoyment.
- The interface is clumsy and lacks essential features like a proper menu, making navigation difficult.
- Some dialogue and voice acting choices may come off as juvenile or cringeworthy, impacting the overall immersion.
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as charmingly odd, featuring characters with a childish manner of speaking that some players found enjoyable despite its lack of clarity. While the premise and themes are engaging, the execution, particularly the dialogue, detracted from the overall experience for many, leading to mixed feelings about the narrative's depth. Overall, the story is appreciated for its artistic elements, but players recommend using guides for the gameplay, which they found frustrating.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“I would highly recommend this game for the story but use a guide for the puzzles and just click everywhere in act 3; you'll get the hidden lights eventually.”
“The story, while being fair, was enough to keep the theme interesting enough to be invested in the character, reader, and his companion, writer.”
“The story is rather odd in a charming way; the characters feel and speak in a childish manner, like 4-year-olds with thesauruses. While I still don't understand a whole lot about the story, I can say I enjoyed it. Story-wise, the whole game feels as though you put on a movie, skip half of it, and don't watch the ending. It's hard to explain.”
“While I love the graphics, the dialogue took me out of the story almost immediately.”
“The 'humor' in the dialogue came off as a bit surreally juvenile to me. I didn't find it clever, nor did it add dimension to the story or characters.”
- music11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and beautiful composition, enhancing the overall experience despite some players feeling it doesn't stand out on its own. While many appreciate the melancholic themes and integration with the art style, others criticize the background music as unfitting or uninteresting, particularly when paired with lengthy dialogues and clumsy gameplay elements. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though opinions vary on its effectiveness in isolation.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“And the music is well done; not so much that I would listen to it on its own, but it makes for great atmosphere when playing.”
“This game has very beautiful artwork, voice, and music choice for its theme, which I really enjoyed and kept me playing.”
“I like the visuals, but the clumsy interface, the unfitting background music, the obscure puzzles, and the lengthy dialogs with the annoying voiceovers killed it for me.”
“With some custom music in the background, it can just become better, and without the voiceovers (which are basically monologues of the developer with some distracting muffle/echo effects) even more!”
“Overall, I enjoyed it for what it is and hope the developer decides to try a new IP that plays into the developer's strength, the art concept (character and environment design) and music with a melancholy theme.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the unique art style and beautiful visuals that enhance the overall experience. However, some users feel that the clumsy interface and distracting dialogue detract from the visual appeal. Overall, while the graphics are a highlight for many, they are not without their criticisms.
“I love the art style.”
“This game has very beautiful artwork, voice, and music choice for its theme, which I really enjoyed and kept me playing.”
“I liked the visuals, the dialogues, and the quirky characters, all this strange vision of the afterlife.”
“While I love the graphics, the dialogue took me out of the story almost immediately.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed to negative feedback, with early puzzles being too easy and later ones becoming frustratingly difficult due to poor design choices, such as pixel hunting and trial-and-error mechanics. While the story, characters, and art are praised, the gameplay is often described as dull, annoying, and lacking in creativity, leading to a disconnect that detracts from the overall experience.
“That disconnect may be a designed component of the 'dream' atmosphere and gameplay, but it should disappear when the answer is known.”
“Tldr: story, characters, music, and art 10/10; the gameplay ranges from dull to annoying 3/10.”
“It has strange mechanics that are not at all creative and have no audio and video settings, leaving the player with strange screen proportions and ugly sounding audio.”
“I liked this game as a kind of visual novel, for the story, but not much for the gameplay.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its effective use of music, enhancing the overall experience during gameplay. However, some players feel that certain elements, particularly the disconnect in gameplay, detract from the intended "dream" atmosphere. Overall, the atmosphere is a strong point, though not without its criticisms.
“The music is well done; while I might not listen to it on its own, it creates a great atmosphere when playing.”
“Atmosphere: 5/5”
“That disconnect may be a designed component of the 'dream' atmosphere and gameplay.”
“That disconnect may be a designed component of the 'dream' atmosphere and gameplay, but it should disappear when the answer is known.”
“It just didn't feel like it fit the atmosphere or figures in the game.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is perceived as juvenile and lacking cleverness, with some reviewers feeling it detracts from the story and character development. However, others appreciate the humor for its ability to introduce an imaginative ghost world, despite the presence of bad jokes.
“Filled with humor and bad jokes, the dialogues allow us to discover an interesting imaginary ghost world.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be more tedious than enjoyable, suggesting that the repetitive nature of the puzzles detracts from the overall fun experience.
“I found these puzzles often more tedious than fun.”
“The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward.”
“It becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
