Dreambreak Review
Developer: Aist
Publisher: Digerati
Release Date: 15th September 2017
Price: £7.99Harking 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.
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.
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.
GraphicsRetro 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.
AudioWith 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.
GameplayTiming 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.
LongevityIt 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 MoneyAvailable 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