Dreaming Sarah

Dreaming Sarah is a rather nonsensical wander through a string of surreal environments and sadly never coalesces into much more than a hodgepodge collection of ideas. It’s a carefree and low stakes affair which may appeal to some, but with almost no story to speak of, and driven by only the tiniest sliver of gameplay, I found my attention span waning long before the two-hour runtime was up.

Dreaming Sarah offers us a curious graphic adventure with a lot of backtraking and surrealism. Its playable structure can get tiresome by always doing the same thing with no other incentive than to see the end, as well as the level design, which are somewhat short of imagination. Recommended for fans of hidden theories and subplots.

Nitpicks aside, I don't think that Dreaming Sarah is a bad game, just that it is a great proof of concept that could use more polish. But for an average list price of around $5, I may be asking for too much. Head into the game with an open mind and prepare to think outside the box and you may be pleasantly surprised. Overall it was an ok, if not great, experience and worth taking a look at.

Dreaming Sarah's surreal world is fun to explore, all wrapped in great pixel art and an excellent soundtrack. There's plenty of variety and puzzles to solve. Despite its short length, it's worth checking out if you're after something different yet memorable in the genre.

Dreaming Sarah won’t appeal to everyone. This is a game where you grab a good drink, sit down on your favourite comfy chair and just get immersed in, then probably never touch again. But for the price of entry, it’s worth a shot. Maybe it was the music, the subtle but effective details or maybe just because the game spoke to me in ways I didn’t expect. But Dreaming Sarah was an experience that moved me. A weird but memorable experience I don’t think I’ll be forgetting anytime soon.

As you delve further into your run, you will wonder what you are playing. This thought soon passes and you will love the odd atmosphere and surreal imagery that is presented. The unveiling of the true nature of this story doesn’t come clear until the very end, so I suggest keeping with it. At around £4 it’s great value for money, so I suggest buying it here! Can you help Sarah walk through her mind and piece together the objects that stop her waking? Traverse many surreal landscapes, solve the puzzles and awaken from your slumber.

Having played so many indie platformers with pixel graphics, a relatively light feel, and an early hint at a story that at least develops as you play I think I've sadly gotten a bit jaded with the formula...