DreamBreak Reviews

  • FullMoonBeaverFullMoonBeaver1,688,876
    15 Sep 2017
    11 0 10
    Dreambreak Review
    Developer: Aist
    Publisher: Digerati
    Release Date: 15th September 2017
    Price: £7.99


    Harking back to the days of side scrolling games, such as the obvious influence of Flashback, developer Aist have brought us Dreambreak. The tale of a lowly janitor, embroiled in a conspiracy where a resistance looks to take down the oppressive GenTec, who control the populace with a regime with an equally oppressive hold.

    External image


    The game starts of easy enough, as you make your way to work and attend to the electrical problem, before a news broadcast is aired. This is when things take a turn for the worse as you leave you place of work. Authorities are on to you, and you must make a hasty retreat in a cab back to your apartment. From here on in, robots and police seek to thwart you at every turn.

    For a game that has gone retro with the graphics, it is still pleasing to the eyes with a generous palette of soft colours for the scenery, and a bright orange indicating in its own subtle way, that you can interact with said object. Something I much prefer than button prompts filling up the screen.

    External image


    Gameplay can feel awkward at times when controlling our janitor hero, with a simple nudge of the analogue stick taking him into a potential death scenario. More so during a chase scene, which AI found to be a frustrating scene, but aside from this and one part later on, I had no issues.

    Dreambreak while an excellent title, will disappoint those looking for a deeper and more engaging story. It's entirely possible to complete the game and its achievements in less than an hour. Along with a reference to the cult book 1984, I fully believe that given more time and money, Dreambreak could have been something spectacular with more locations to visit and characters to interact with. As it is, Dreambreak doesn't fail, and it's short and sweet approach won't leave a sour taste in your mouth.

    Graphics
    Retro and pixelated visuals are a more commonplace theme given the ID Xbox program in the current generation of consoles, and some may be fed up of this, but Dreambreak captures this retro feel perfectly.

    Audio
    With no voice acting, and all interactions being text on screen, it really felt like I was playing one of my old favourites like Monkey island or Beneath a Steel Sky. In its place was an excellent musical score that's subtle and ambient. But not to the point you'd forget it was there.

    Gameplay
    Timing jumps and that chase scene was an awkward experience, but overall the gameplay was easy enough to get to grips with aside of that problem. Puzzles were limited, and advancing through the linear gameplay was quite relaxing.

    Longevity
    It scores low here due to how quick you can finish it. Barely any exploration is required, but it's worth hunting down all letters and vinyls for the related achievements. A play once game for sure, but one I won't quickly forget.

    Value for Money
    Available for an early discount, it's almost justifiable for the price. If it still puts you off, I'd recommend a sale instead. The easy achievements will tempt many an achievement hunter, but I'd say that it's a game to experience at some point.
    4.0
    Showing all 10 comments.
    builder dirgeGreat review mate. Oh and I remember Beneath A Steel Sky, cracking game that was.
    Posted by builder dirge on 15 Sep 17 at 09:39
    FullMoonBeaverThanks buddy. BaSS was a great game.
    Posted by FullMoonBeaver on 15 Sep 17 at 09:41
    True MarvellousNice review, Pretty much shared the same opnion on this one.

    Oh and that Taxi section boy what a mess.

    Oh just for Lol TA reviewer seem to think this is a point and click game roll
    Posted by True Marvellous on 21 Sep 17 at 18:43
    FullMoonBeaverThanks. It was a quirky game. But agreed, that taxi section can sling it.
    Posted by FullMoonBeaver on 21 Sep 17 at 22:15
    AirRaidPatrolThat taxi section was horrible. I also think the space invaders bit was out of place.
    Posted by AirRaidPatrol on 24 Sep 17 at 15:46
    FullMoonBeaverSeems like the taxi ride is out right hated. As for the space invaders part, it is a bit weird and totally unexpected. Least it's a lot easier.
    Posted by FullMoonBeaver on 25 Sep 17 at 09:14
    Schnauzer HQI've yet to be able to get past the taxi escape. It's terrible.. Thought it was a cool game till that
    Posted by Schnauzer HQ on 10 Aug 18 at 22:25
    FullMoonBeaverThe taxi escape was a challenge. But after a few attempts I made it. Persevere and you’ll make it.
    Posted by FullMoonBeaver on 10 Aug 18 at 22:59
    EverStoned77Another spot on review Mr.Beaver 😃👍
    Funny how many of my friends seem to hate this & more than a few have rated it 0,5 which I feel is a score that should be reserved for games that are as close to unplayable as possible (since TA has no zero rating) I think 0,5 is for a crappy game with unobtainables &/or game breaking bugs so the 1,0 rating is for a crappy game that have little to none bugs & no unobtainables which I really don't think applies here though I weren't as generous as you & only gave it 3,0 as in above average, thinking back I do think 3,5 might have been more accurate but that terrible taxi is definitely a good reason to subtract an half star hehe 😁
    Posted by EverStoned77 on 05 Feb 21 at 09:08
    FullMoonBeaverThanks buddy. Yeah, that taxi was a nightmare. No idea to this day why it was included. I think its been hated on as a game way too much. For a quick game, it's pretty cool.
    Posted by FullMoonBeaver on 05 Feb 21 at 09:33
Hide ads