Weird Dreams

This is one of my favorite computer games. From the moment it boots, it provides one bizarre visual after another: the splash screen of a godly eye in the desert, the main two creators' names under a title underlined with an ECG reading, the harrowing first-person perspective of an imminent brain surgery (though you'd only know that if you read the novella), faceless doctors included, and so on. Part of what makes these visuals so magical is that they were made in 1989 and use VGA to its fullest. Accompanying the visuals is a sparse-yet-appropriate soundtrack. This soundtrack consists of four total songs, two of which are original. My favorite of all of them is the title theme, since it works well both to represent the game and as an original piece of music. The gameplay also complements the presentation: solutions to puzzles are often cryptic and nonsensical, which is to be expected from a game set in a dream. The controls are perhaps this game's biggest negative: they are stiff and cumbersome, which is mainly a result of the animation in this game being very slow. The animation for turning around is the biggest offender: threats can easily get in range in the time it takes to tur…

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ooohh this is a goood one

I just need to leave this somewhere, so that some poor soul doesn't wander into here and think they've discovered some forgotten gem. DO NOT LET THE POSITIVE REVIEWS DRIVEN BY SOME INSANE NOSTALGIA SWAY YOU! Stay far away from this. This is easily one of, if not the worst game I've ever played from any era of gaming. Some things should stay gone. This is one of them. I played this game for 2 hours because I had an obligation to. If you know what this is before you buy it, then fine, go crazy, otherwise, just go play anything else. I know from the screenshots, it may look like there's some fun to be had, I assure you there isn't. Controlling it in the modern era of gaming is an absolute nightmare, the rules for what it wants you to do are inscrutable, the sound design and music are an absolute abomination, (Unless you're really into low humming noises) and... it's just really bad. Don't do this to yourself. You have so much more to live for. Believe me I tried to give the game a shot. I looked up a guide, I tried to figure out the optimal way to play it, I tried to just... Find any fun here, but it's a relic from an era of gaming that very few will remember, and it's a relic that sh…

Weird Dreams is a fascinating reminder of a period in gaming when originality often outweighed accessibility. First released in 1989 and later revived for modern audiences, the title delivers an experience that is as unsettling as it is memorable. Developed by Best Ever Games Company, Rainbird Software, and Big Boat Interactive, and published by Atari, the game stands as an unapologetically surreal platforming adventure that refuses to explain itself in conventional ways. Rather than offering a clear narrative or straightforward objectives, it throws players into an ever-changing dreamscape where logic is secondary to imagination. The game's greatest strength lies in its commitment to surrealism. Every environment feels as though it was pulled directly from a fever dream, with strange creatures and bizarre scenarios waiting around every corner. Players encounter everything from oversized insects and monstrous toys to landscapes that seem to transform without warning. There is an undeniable artistic charm in how Weird Dreams presents its world, embracing the absurd with complete confidence. Even decades after its original release, many of its visual ideas remain distinctive because…

After suffering through this relic for a podcast I was shocked to see the entirely positive reviews for this...thing. I have zero nostalgia for this era of PC gaming, and after playing a couple hours of Weird Dreams I'm starting to think I didn't miss much. Nice graphics and an interesting premise are about all the compliments I can give, as the horrendously sluggish controls, obtuse puzzle solutions, and imprecise hit detection (in a game that asks precision of the player) make for a hellish experience. No, really; I envision hell as being forced to play this game for eternity. And don't get me started on the sound design, especially on that first screen (which you'll be revisiting over and over again)! I had to play this game as an obligation. You do not. You can safely leave this thing in the past. Sometimes, dead is better.