Dreamscaper Reviews
Dreamscaper was a rich, deep, intimate experience through the mind of a person suffering under the weight of her trauma. The gameplay and the story serve each other in a way that's rare to see in video games. There are a ton of little touches that make it a joy to play, and I found myself wanting to learn more about Cassidy and what happened to her after her sister died. While not everything wound up being a home run, I enjoyed the game overall. I'm grateful to the team at Afterburner for this sometimes satisfying, sometimes painful piece of art.
Dreamscaper is a game of contrasts and not all of the elements are cohesive. It combines the incredible gameplay loops of Hades and Persona 5, but wraps them in a slice-of-life package that doesn't quite fit them in properly. Weak characters and story aside, however, Dreamscaper is a great roguelike and worth checking out for fans of the genre all the same.
Dreamscaper really is rather good; this is a game that certainly deserves more attention than it’s received. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in heart. A surprisingly emotional story, rewarding progression system, snappy combat, and painterly visuals make for an experience that we’d suggest you give a serious look.
While the gameplay provides a strong loop that makes it easy to jump in, it’s the immersive atmosphere that grabs hold and keeps players engaged for multiple runs. The emotional struggles of the characters resonate, and there are important messages about how helpful the support of others can be.
Afterburner Studios enters the gaming world with a very strong roguelite that has the gameplay to rival its ambition.
Dreamscaper is a rogue-lite game with an attractive story. It also has excellent actions and upgrade systems.
Review in Korean | Read full review
"Action-heavy roguelite with a thoughtful story."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
I appreciated the time I spent with Dreamscaper, and I think Afterburner Studios is a team to watch. If you’re a fan of roguelikes and don’t mind a steep challenge, I’d definitely check Dreamscaper out.
Dreamscaper is a delightful and deep game, mixing elements of realistic character development with fluid combat in a dreamlike world. However, this does come with moments of tedium and monotony, making it best to experience through shorter play sessions. There’s a good balance of subtlety between the character writing and atmosphere with combat’s fast pace and tension. Dreamscaper makes a name for itself in the ever-expansive world of roguelite titles with great detail and nuance.
For an unknown studio they come out swinging pretty good with Dreamscaper, the core game is fairly engaging and interesting, but the core loop has some serious progression issues, as well as bad difficulty balance. Trying new moves and weapons is the highlight of the experience, but the very slow lack of progress and difficulty walls hold this back from being truly great.
Afterburner Studio did one thing, which is to be appreciated, the players are given a chance to experience exclusive Cassidy’s skin, exclusive weapon skin, and retro model.
As a bit of a roguelike action/shooter junkie I'm always fascinated to see new titles come into the fold that are determined to do things their own unique way...
Dreamscaper is a delightful rogue-lite that is worth sinking hours and hours into if you are a fan of this genre. Beautiful graphics, engaging combat and a constant trickle of content easily overcome the small niggles I had with this game. A great game to play in long or short bursts that I found hard to put down. Just don’t stay up too late playing it. Sleep is very important. Sweet dreams.
Fans of fast-paced roguelites might appreciate the chance to play this dreamy, relationship-focused title. Or maybe not.
Dreamscaper rewards patience. It may not have immediately pulled me in, but sticking with it was ultimately worth it. In part because the wait wasn’t huge, but also because the majority of my time with it has been worthwhile. It’s a very satisfying game to play once it finds its rhythm. Roguelikes are a crowded genre with plenty of games vying for attention, and Dreamscaper is one definitely worth your attention.