In this preview we will tell you about Dreamscaper, a new extremely original roguelite developed by Afterburner Studios
By now roguelike e roguelite have become very popular among gamers and there are many titles belonging to these categories on Steam. It’s not easy to be able to carve a place among some of the best in the genre, but over the years there have been several titles that have made it.
In this article we will tell you about Dreamscaper, a action RPG roguelite developed by Afterburner Studios and available very recently in early access. If you are curious to find out if this title will be able to stay afloat in the great sea of Steam, you can do it with us thanks to this preview.
Troubled dreams
In Dreamscaper, players will take on the role of Cassidy, a young girl who recently moved to the city of Red Haven. Cass has spent his entire life in a very small village inhabited by a few hundred people but, after certain events that will be revealed by playing, he has decided to change the air and move to a metropolis. Due to the sudden change, the protagonist is disoriented and this, combined with hers fears and insecurities, will lead it to be plagued every night by nightmares.
Our goal in the game will be to help Cassidy defeat the fears that harbor her dreams. To do this, however, we will not have to limit ourselves to defeating the nightmares, but we will also have to help the protagonist to opening up to his new city friends.
The story might seem very simple but its strength lies precisely in simplicity. Surely you have all found yourself in the same situation as Cassidy at least once and this allows you to easily empathize with her. Also, thanks to the memories you will find in dreams and to dialogues with NPCs, you can also discover many other aspects of Cass’s life with which it is easy to relate.
The dungeon of the mind – Dreamscaper preview
By day Cassidy is a girl like many others, but in dreams she turns into a lethal warrior able to use a lot of weapons and spells. Once our protagonist has gone to bed we will have to check her mental alter ego e go through dungeons infested with nightmares.
These levels are randomly generated and with each game the order of the rooms and their contents will be different. Often inside the rooms you will find only a few enemies, but sometimes there may also be treasures, shops, challenges and even real puzzles. Furthermore, in some cases the doors of these places will be blocked and can only be opened using keys or bombs, two of the four types of consumables in the game along with the sand (the currency of dreams) and ai bullets.
Initially the dungeon areas will seem quite varied but, given the scarcity of event rooms and particularities, after a while they will all start to look identical. Also enemies will end up repeating themselves, varying only in color and adding a few moves. Even the bosses are repetitive, given that there are only 3 and, unlike common opponents, they will always be in the same places. However we must consider that Dreamscaper has just been released in Eaerly Access, so it’s understandable that there isn’t much variety within the levels.
A respectable arsenal – Dreamscaper preview
In every self-respecting roguelite it is possible to find many objects scattered in the dungeons and in this respect Dreamscaper has nothing to envy to the already complete titles. Unlike the levels, the upgrades are very varied and they manage to make it each game very different from the previous one. In addition to the classic passive upgrades, inside the dungeons you can also find melee weapons, ranged weapons, spells, shields and shoes.
These equipments they really affect gameplay a lot, for example all types of weapons will have gods moveset differenti and shoes will change the dodge animation. Also, whenever you find these items, they may have gods random modifiers capable of upgrading your character in many different ways.
Despite the always different movesets, all types of melee weapons they will always have three light attacks and one heavy attack. Thankfully, the combat system adds variety to combos since pressing the attack button again at the right moment we can power up our next shot. Any weapon it will require different timing so it will take a while to learn them all, but when you master this technique Cass will become extremely more efficient on the battlefield.
As if that were not enough then within dreams you will also have an additional tool to use against nightmares: the Lucid. This essence will accumulate inside a bar as soon as you defeat the enemies and can be used for slow down time. Thanks to this power you can move safely between the bullets of the enemies e deal tremendous damage without them being able to respond to your blows.
Live the everyday – Dreamscaper preview
Dreamscaper is not only based on fighting nightmares, but also onl create relationships in the real world. After defeating the boss one level or being dead, we will find ourselves in the real world where we will be able to explore some places in the city and interact with people. In particular, forming good relations with the citizens of Red Haven is essential, since in this way you can discover new information on the history of Cass and above all unlock new gear and unique passive bonuses.
In total for now there are 5 different locations to visit and 6 characters to interact with. To move from one place to another and to talk to the NPCs though it will take some time for Cassy to gain while sleeping. If the game ends with killing a boss then we will wake up with 3 hours of free time to spend, in case of death instead we will have less based on what we explored the previous level.
To improve relations with the characters you can talk with them, but this method is time-consuming and ineffective. To be able to level up your friendship with NPCs quickly the best method is give them gifts. These gifts will be more or less effective according to people’s tastes and cannot simply be purchased, but must be created by Cassidy using materials found during sleep. In this way the game makes both the dream world and the real world equally important, prompting the player to work hard during both sections.
Exceptional style – Dreamscaper preview
Although it is very simple, Dreamscaper’s style is truly enchanting. Thanks to an excellent use of lighting the scenarios of the game are truly splendid and the character models manage to show personality despite the lack of facial features. The enemies are also very cool and in particular the boss designs representing Cassidy’s fears are really great.
Also thanks to the simplicity of the graphics sector Dreamscaper is also very light. During our test there has never been a drop in FPS and as if that were not enough we have not found not even a noteworthy bug. Considering the state of many of the titles available in early access, this is a great merit.
Conclusions
Dreamscaper is a really good title that, despite being in Early Access for a very short time, it almost looks like a finished product. The alternation between the world of dreams and the real world was handled very well, making the gameplay fun and interesting at all times. The characters offer very pleasant dialogue and fit perfectly into Cassidy’s story, which is greatly enhanced thanks to the game’s enchanting artistic style.
The biggest flaw is represented by the lack of variety in dungeons, but being an early access game this problem will probably be solved over time. In short, Dreamscaper at the moment is really a great title and if it will continue to update with new content for sure it will be able to make its way into the hearts of many gamers.
Dreamscaper is available now in Early Access on Steam. If you are interested in staying up to date with all the news on the world of video games and much more, then continue to follow us here on TechGameWorld.com.