Dreams of Aether (2025)

It's not often I see a game that has one interesting idea that it leans on it so heavily that it snaps. "No creation without destruction" or not, there isn't enough game here to wrap around the cool visuals and the issue is so egregious that you grow tired of those visuals very quickly. Boring and frustrating, the only dream you'll have here is of playing another game.

At first, I had no idea what to expect from Dreams of Another, as screenshots and trailers don’t make it justice. It seems like a generic, pixelated shooter, although the game is much more than that. It’s a game that focuses on creating a great, different experience, and it mostly sticks the landing in my opinion. Yes, it’s not flawless, nor does it try to be.

Dreams of Another is an example of a work that confuses the means with the end, presenting itself on the market as an interactive art installation that unfortunately forgot to take care of the playful component. The work done by Q-Games on the artistic front is undeniably well done, but unfortunately, as soon as you are ready for action, the whole structure collapses, revealing a hopelessly dramatic void in content.

Dreams of Another is a visually captivating experiment, but one lacking in substance. The idea of “creating by destroying” and the suspended aesthetics of the clouds of dots hint at remarkable artistic potential, but the execution fails to deliver on its promise. The result is a work that is more admired from afar than played with: fascinating, yes, but also cold and disorienting. A dream that, although beautiful to look at, ends up dissolving too soon.

Dreams of Another offers a touching and thought-provoking narrative that invites players to reflect inwardly, exploring themes of identity, loss, and purpose. Yet despite its emotional depth and strong storytelling, its shortcomings as a game, particularly in core gameplay design and engagement, ultimately hold it back from reaching true greatness.