Rishabh Borde
Remember Media Molecule, the first-party Sony studio behind the considerably successful and endlessly charming video game, ‘Little Big Planet’ and its sequel ‘Little Big Planet 2’? Ever since the release of ‘Little Big Planet 2’ in 2011, the only game the studio has released is the cutesy adventure platforming game ‘Tearaway’ for the PlayStation Vita in 2013, as well as an expanded remake titled ‘Tearaway Unfolded’ for the PlayStation 4 in 2015.
At first glance, it would seem strange that a studio with such talent and pedigree would stand idly by for so long, that is until you learn about what Media Molecule has been up to for much of the 2010s. After avoiding the limelight for the best part of the decade, the studio is ready to jump back into the limelight with a potentially groundbreaking new title ‘Dreams’. Read on to find out more about what could very well be a taste of the future of interactive entertainment.
What Is Dreams About?
It is nigh impossible to pigeonhole ‘Dreams’ into any genre, much like its spiritual predecessor ‘Little Big Planet’. The ‘Little Big Planet’ games are technically puzzle platforming games but the real draw at the time was the level creator which allowed players to create their own in-game levels and mini-games.
These could be simple platforming levels or even something radically different like racing games, shooting games, sports games and much much more. Players could also share their own personal creations for the rest of the internet to enjoy and the game quickly expanded way beyond its original scope. Simply put, ‘Little Big Planet’ and its sequel are whatever you can make of them.
‘Dreams’ tries to take this concept and take it up another couple of notches. As such, the world of ‘Dreams’ is a true sandbox where the player is allowed to do what they like, create what they like and share what they like; at least, that is the sales pitch.
The webpage for the game describes it as follows:
“Dreams is an extraordinary, ever-expanding game universe from the award-winning Media Molecule, creators of LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway, where you can discover community-made games from around the world…and learn to make your own.”
Players control an imp, which is basically the equivalent of a mouse cursor, through the PlayStation Move or DualShock 4 controllers. Using the imp, you can create all new items, characters and maneuver objects by grabbing and pulling to create your own original creation. These creations are not limited to simplistic video game levels either, as ‘Dreams’ promises to let you create practically anything your heart desires, including music, paintings, animation, sculpture, movies or any mixture of the above.
As such, ‘Dreams’ is less of a video game and more of a game creation software that is presented in a much more charming and accessible package. It seeks to strip away all the excessively technical elements of the creative focus and allows creators to let their imaginations soar free from any constraints.
Dreams Gameplay: What To Expect?
There are four distinct modes featured in ‘Dreams’, the first of which is the Dream Surfing mode. This is basically a level select screen where you can browse through innumerable creations by the development team as well as other players and immerse yourself in them.
The second mode titled Dream Shaping is what sets ‘Dreams’ apart from other sandbox type games. This mode allows you an unprecedented level of freedom when creating user-generated content. While Level Editors have been commonplace in video gaming for a long while now, none of them are nearly as fully featured as what ‘Dreams’ offers.
Here, you can create entirely new games and assets using a plethora of tools including painting, sculpting, music tools, and nifty gadgets. These gadgets themselves are infinitely configurable and are used to define the game mechanics of your creation. These creations can then be published and shared with the rest of the world. You can also allow other creators to tweak and further improve your creation, giving it a life of its own.
The third main mode is the ‘Homespace Editor’, which essentially acts as a central hub for players. Players can manipulate and customize the Homespace as well, albeit in a much more constricted capacity as compared to the Dream Shaping mode.
The final Community Jam mode is simply a theme-based content run by the developers where the ‘Dreams’ player base votes on their favorite creations.
Dreams Developers: Who Are the People Behind It?
‘Dreams’ is being developed by Guildford based British video game development studio Media Molecule. Media Molecule is a first-party subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, who will be publishing the game.
Media Molecule was founded in 2006 by Mark Healey, Alex Evans, David Smith, and Kareem Ettouney and was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2010. Since then, the studio has developed exclusively for PlayStation platforms. These games include ‘Little Big Planet’, ‘Little Big Planet 2’ and ‘Tearaway’.
Dreams Release Date: When and Where Can I Play It?
First announced at the PlayStation Meeting in 2013, ‘Dreams’ has undergone a long and arduous development process, which is understandable given the magnitude of the task Media Molecule had on their hands. However, it looks like the game will finally arrive next year with a release date of February 14, 2020.
‘Dreams’ will be playable exclusively on the PlayStation 4. Given Media Molecule’s status as a first-party Sony developer, it is highly likely we will only ever see the game on PlayStation platforms.
Dreams Trailer:
You can watch the trailer for ‘Dreams’ right here.
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