The Dream Machine
- May 10, 2012
- The Sleeping Machine
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"The Dream Machine" is a point-and-click adventure game set in a surrealist dream world. The player must solve puzzles and uncover the mysteries of a creepy apartment building, using objects and interacting with characters in each chapter. With a unique claymation art style, the game delves into themes of paranoia and the blurred line between reality and imagination.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique and beautiful claymation art style that enhances the game's atmosphere.
- Engaging and thought-provoking story that explores deep themes of dreams and existentialism.
- Challenging puzzles that require logical thinking and creativity, providing a satisfying gameplay experience.
- Frequent crashes and technical issues, particularly with the Flash engine, can disrupt gameplay.
- Some puzzles can be overly obscure or frustrating, leading to reliance on walkthroughs.
- The ending may feel rushed or unsatisfying for some players, lacking the emotional payoff expected from the buildup.
- story670 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a complex and engaging journey that intertwines themes of dreams, loss, and existential dread, often taking unexpected and dark turns. While many players appreciate its unique narrative style and emotional depth, some find the pacing uneven and the ending unsatisfying. Overall, the storytelling is praised for its creativity and immersive quality, making it a standout feature of the game despite some criticisms regarding its execution.
“The emotional storytelling takes players on a journey through complex themes of love and loss, while the challenging puzzles are seamlessly woven into the storyline.”
“The story ramps up delightfully alongside the puzzle difficulty, and in the interests of avoiding spoilers, I won't go into the revelations here.”
“The story is deep, thought-provoking and highly engaging, albeit very surreal and a touch depressing towards the end.”
“I wanted so badly to like this game, but the story was terrible, the ending was a massacre, and the game itself felt like nothing more than an extremely dull and repetitive chore.”
“However, the story really fell apart for me after chapter 4. On top of that, the next 2 chapters are at least twice the length of the first 4 put together, so once the story fell apart, the rest of the game felt like a painful slog.”
“The story abruptly becomes more abstract and philosophical. By the time I had reached the finale of the game, I had become so out of touch with the game world's inherent logic and 'reality' that I couldn't tell whether aborting a duplicate fetus with an adult mind was a good or a bad thing to do in regards to the context of the story and characters.”
- graphics265 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique claymation art style, which creates a visually striking and immersive experience. Many reviewers highlight the handcrafted quality and creativity behind the visuals, noting that they enhance the game's eerie atmosphere and storytelling. While some find the character designs unsettling, the overall aesthetic is considered a standout feature that sets the game apart from others in the genre.
“The dream machine is a masterpiece of game design with stunning handcrafted graphics that create an immersive world.”
“The art style is phenomenal - walking through all those detailed and vibrant dioramas and experiencing them close up gave everything such a unique atmosphere that I've never really felt in a game before.”
“The visuals are striking and strange.”
“The art style is presumably done entirely in claymation and cardboard, so everything you look at looks like it was a rejected design from Pee-wee's Playhouse due to being too creepy.”
“The graphics are a tad odd; they seem like that kind of Czech cartoons, made of plasteline or alike, but the story is really good.”
“The game's unique art style of clay and cardboard was honestly a bit unnerving at first.”
- music108 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and eerie qualities, enhancing the overall surreal experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to complement the visuals and narrative, creating a unique and immersive ambiance that captures the game's dreamlike essence. While some find the music occasionally repetitive or unsettling, the majority agree that it significantly contributes to the game's emotional depth and atmosphere.
“The music, the sound design, and text-based dialogue complemented everything very well.”
“The soundtrack is sparse but diverse, and serves to accompany the scenes that unfold in a fitting fashion.”
“The music adds to this atmosphere, and I only say this because I still have the game installed, just so I could listen to the in-game music again.”
“The music is deliberately uncomfortable and unpleasant.”
“Music could also have been easily improved on, since it's basically non-existent.”
“I also didn't care much for the music style; some of it just didn't seem fitting to me - it's not bad, it's just not what I would choose to have in this game if I was making it.”
- gameplay104 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its engaging mechanics and clever puzzles, particularly within the classic point-and-click adventure format, which keeps players intrigued throughout. However, some users noted issues with backtracking and bugs that detracted from the experience, while others found the gameplay repetitive or lacking depth in later chapters. Overall, the combination of beautiful artwork and a compelling story enhances the gameplay, making it enjoyable despite some technical shortcomings.
“Amazing gameplay on top of the creative artwork behind it.”
“The gameplay will keep you hooked and while the puzzles are sufficiently challenging, the game never becomes a drag.”
“The gameplay is incredible, clever, enticing, mind-boggling, and mysterious.”
“Unfortunately, the amount of bugs and lack of gameplay made me hate myself for wasting money on this game.”
“Sadly, the gameplay becomes tedious in the second half with lots of backtracking to places you already visited.”
“The amount of mundane gameplay you get for the price is not worth it.”
- atmosphere91 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its originality and depth, characterized by a unique claymation art style that creates a surreal, eerie, and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the effective use of ambient music and sound design, which enhance the game's unsettling yet captivating ambiance. Overall, the combination of visually striking environments, a haunting soundtrack, and a compelling narrative contributes to an atmosphere that is both whimsical and profoundly engaging.
“The art style is phenomenal - walking through all those detailed and vibrant dioramas and experiencing them close up gave everything such a unique atmosphere that I've never really felt in a game before.”
“The atmosphere is truly unsettling, the environments are delightfully surreal, and the story is surprisingly engaging and has quite a bit of depth.”
“The dream machine is a thoroughly unique, beautiful point-and-click adventure narrative that boasts atmosphere and depth worth waiting for the final chapters.”
“The atmosphere is truly unsettling, the environments are delightfully surreal, and the story is surprisingly engaging and had quite a bit of depth.”
“Without being a full-on horror game you will still feel weird and eerie playing this; you don't need jump scares because the atmosphere is enough.”
“The dream machine explores many varying themes across its 6 chapters, some quite dark, and the realistic grounding of it, both in terms of visual and writing, serve an atmosphere that's pretty unlike anything else.”
- emotional37 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its complex storytelling that explores themes of love, loss, and personal growth, often leaving players feeling deeply moved or even heartbroken. Many reviews praise the game's ability to evoke a wide range of emotions, from laughter to tears, through its unique narrative and immersive dialogue, although some express disappointment with abrupt or poorly executed endings. Overall, players find the experience unforgettable, with stunning visuals and a captivating emotional journey that resonates long after the game is completed.
“The emotional storytelling takes players on a journey through complex themes of love and loss, while the challenging puzzles are seamlessly woven into the storyline.”
“I don't know what to say... besides... I'm hurt and sad about the outcome and am emotionally wrecked for the time being after finishing :( ... but I want to say, this game is amazing and I'll remember it and be happy to have had the honor to play for years to come.”
“It was an emotional rollercoaster the entire way through and left me in tears.”
- humor35 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a unique blend of dark, clever, and whimsical elements, often juxtaposed with moments of horror and emotional depth. Players appreciate the witty dialogue and absurd scenarios, with many finding it both laugh-out-loud funny and intriguingly creepy. Overall, the game successfully balances its comedic aspects with a thoughtful narrative, making for a memorable and engaging experience.
“It gets dark and weird, but there is a nice sprinkling of humor to it.”
“The dialogue is witty and hilarious.”
“A very intriguing combination of creepy atmosphere, ghoulish looking characters, cheeky humor, and the kind of bewitching ambiance you can only get with claymation.”
- stability24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its stability issues, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and freezes, particularly during key chapters. While some players noted that the auto-save feature mitigates the impact of these problems, the overall experience is marred by frequent technical difficulties that can disrupt gameplay. Despite its creative merits, many users feel that the game's stability issues significantly detract from its enjoyment.
“Great game but way too buggy and laggy.”
“It is a little buggy at times, crashed a few times during play-through and a couple of times it wouldn't even start.”
“It pains me to leave a negative review for such a creative and beautiful game, but I can't look past the bugs - crashes on loading, glitches like getting stuck in a door and being unable to move, a bug in chapter 5 where it was impossible to complete the task because of a missing laser beam, and a weird bug where my save file would only show up after restarting the game.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the backtracking and inventory puzzles tedious, especially in the later chapters. While some appreciate the imaginative tasks and rewarding challenges, others feel that the repetitive nature of the gameplay can lead to frustration and a sense of monotony. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable for those who are patient, but it often requires significant effort to progress.
“In the later chapters, there is some backtracking through parts of the earlier chapters, but fortunately, you can quick-travel, so it is not too tedious.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Sadly, the gameplay becomes tedious in the second half with lots of backtracking to places you already visited.”
“This game is one that requires a lot of thought and a lot of patience, because starting around the second chapter, most of the time you will spend playing this game will involve backtracking, and if you are clueless about what is going on, the game can become somewhat tedious and frustrating.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting frequent crashes, save file issues, and significant performance drops, even on high-end hardware. Many users noted that the game suffers from lag and stuttering, indicating that it has not been adequately optimized for modern systems. While some players experienced smooth performance, the overall consensus points to a need for substantial technical improvements.
“Though this game does have a myriad of positives, there are a couple of glaring issues, most notably; its performance, as the game will frequently shift to lower frames despite how impressive your rig may be.”
“Overall performance is sluggish considering it's just an adventure game, but it's running in Flash so I'm not too surprised.”
“There are also performance issues; the game lags or skips a lot of times, it's not very optimized.”
“Though this game does have a myriad of positives, there are a couple of glaring issues, most notably its performance, as the game will frequently shift to lower frames despite how impressive your rig may be.”
“It seems like the engine has not been optimized for modern hardware, which is a shame because some of the game's areas suffer needlessly as a result.”
- character development7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its exceptional character development and the exploration of poignant moral dilemmas, making it a standout in the adventure genre. While the story begins somewhat conventionally, it evolves into a compelling narrative that captivates players, despite some criticism of the character design. Overall, the unique graphics and immersive atmosphere enhance the character's journey, contributing to a memorable gaming experience.
“I've not seen better character development in an adventure game, or more poignant moral dilemmas.”
“Puzzles can get a bit challenging at times and the story starts out somewhat standard but very much worth a play just to enjoy the unique graphics and be charmed as you watch the protagonist go through character development.”
“Truly submerges the player into its atmosphere from the beginning.. the character design, ambient music, and thought-through entertaining quests.”
“Aside from the clay animation and the unique character designs, I would say it brings nothing new to the table as far as this type of game goes.”
“But honestly, atrocious character design aside, this game is pretty cool.”
“The only negative I can find for this game is the somewhat creepy character design (due to hollow eyes), but it definitely didn't affect the quality of the final work; it just became part of the artwork.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate its complexity and find it enjoyable to revisit, others criticize its linear structure and lack of challenging puzzles, leading to minimal incentive for replaying after the initial playthrough.
“I loved this game so much, and it is highly replayable.”
“The game is replayable due to its complexity, especially after investing a decent amount of time.”
“Being a linear point-and-click adventure game, with each chapter only a few hours long and having no replay value, it really doesn't make any sense for someone to sell this type of game piecemeal if there was going to be several years between each chapter's release.”
“The puzzles are not extremely difficult to figure out and sadly, there’s very little replay value once you’ve played through.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is viewed positively, as it is not classified as early access and does not appear to exploit players for cash. Reviewers appreciate that it delivers on its promises and stands out as a superior option within its genre, despite some concerns about unfinished content.
“It's not early access; I don't really condone early access purchases. I feel they are a cash grab.”
“Chapter 6 is not out yet. I don't really encourage unfinished games, but I still recommend this all the way.”
