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I Keep Having This Dream - And it's a pretty good dream at that

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I Keep Having This Dream - And it's a pretty good dream at that

I Keep Having This Dream is an interesting mashing together of a roguelike, and RPG, a puzzler, and a boardgame. If that sounds like too many genres to toss together on the same plate, you might find yourself surprised.

It takes slices of mechanics from its different inspirations and then layers them into a game that really works.

There are a few niggles here and there, but all in all this is an entertaining blend of ideas that feels like a breath of fresh air in a world of pixel art dungeon crawlers.

What's the idea behind it then?

Well, rather than stumbling through randomly generated subterranean lairs, here you're building the levels yourself.

You've got a set of tiles along the bottom of the screen, and you place them to build the labyrinth you need to follow. Each tile has an icon on it. These can represent monsters, or buffs and boosts that change your stats or get you equipment.

A compass flashes up when you're placing a tile to let you know which direction the exit is in. And the tiles have unique combinations of paths on them, which you can rotate to make sure you're heading the right way.

There's also a nemesis chasing you. When you hit a dead end it'll scoff up all the tiles that you've placed and stand behind you, looking all menacing. It'll also chase you when you run out of health. If you're far enough ahead you'll survive. If not, it's curtains.

Each of the monsters you lay has different stats, and you can boost your own by dropping tiles with shields and attack symbols on them. The XP you receive, which only stacks up when the nemesis eats your path, can be spent on extra stats and different special moves.

There are some ideas here that don't work quite as well as the others. It's partly because they're a little poorly explained, and partly because they feel a little too gimmicky.

The nemesis is interesting, but you're never quite sure why you've hit a dead end, and how far it's going to chase you when you run out of health. And some of the enemies you fight are incredibly cruel.

Hmmmm, so is it worth a go or not?

It is. You'll enjoy the time you spend with the game, even if it sometimes end with frustration.

There are three difficulty settings and I'd recommend starting on Easy or Normal while you get to grips with the core components of the game.

But if you're a little tired of the same style of roguelike, then this is going to be right up your street.

It's an entertaining, thoughtfully put together game of cat, mouse, architect, adventurer, and all manner of other roles.

I Keep Having This Dream - And it's a pretty good dream at that

I Keep Having This Dream mashes together a bunch of ideas, and while they don't all come off, it's still an entertaining journey
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.