LadiesGamers Dreaming Sarah

Dreaming Sarah Review (Nintendo Switch)

Game: Dreaming Sarah
Genre: Adventure, Platformer
System: Nintendo Switch (also on PC, PS4 and Xbox)
Developer|Publisher: Asteristic Game Studio | Ratalaika Games  
Age Rating: EU 12+ | US Teen
Price: US $4.99 | UK £4.99 | EU € 4,99
Release Date: March 5th, 2021

Review code provided with many thanks to Ratalaika Games

Dream World

Sarah has woken up in a dream world where everything is a little bit out of the ordinary. Escape from this land won’t be easy. You need to explore a variety of strange environments, finding items for strange NPCs all in a bid to wake up. If you’ve already read the eShop description of the game you will know how Sarah ended up in a coma. But if you somehow go into this game blind as I did I recommend you discover this for yourself. Throughout the adventure you discover many subtle nods to Sarah’s life outside the dream world and coming up with my own interpretation of the story was quite enjoyable. 

LadiesGamers Dreaming Sarah
No, he doesn’t break out into song

Walking Metroidvania

Dreaming Sarah feels like a 2D Metroidvania style walking simulator. There’s not really any particular challenge to the experience. There is the odd moment where you could fall into a lava pit or fall on some spikes but you instantly respawn without any penalty. The challenge to the game is simply exploring around the map looking for items and using them to access new areas. There are plenty of moments where I found myself wandering about getting lost not entirely sure how to progress which does get a little tedious.

The game also relies a little too much on leaps of faith. Where you need to jump off platforms into the abyss below in the hope of finding items or areas that you need to advance the adventure. You may not be killing anything in this adventure, but the score that plays as you explore is quite captivating. It changes and flows with each environment you visit and certainly made me forget about the tedious backtracking I was doing at times.

LadiesGamers Dreaming Sarah
Time to meditate

Glide with an Umbrella

The controls are that of a simple platformer. Movement and jumping are responsive and the game performs fine in handheld and TV modes. Many of the items you collect you can use, such as an umbrella to glide, a magnifying glass to shrink and a pair of specs to see secret areas. It’s all a bit bizarre but it works for the unusual dream world you explore.

The only issue I had with items is that one item, a compass, seemed to activate when it felt like. I had to try to equip it multiple times for it to activate correctly. Not a deal-breaker but for the time I seemed to need it it was kind of a nuisance.

LadiesGamers Dreaming Sarah
This reminds me of my doctor’s office

Power Nap

Dreaming Sarah is a game that wants to take you on a journey. A very short one, while you can save absolutely anywhere it can be finished in under two hours quite easily. The theme of horror is attached to the description of this title on the eShop. But I never found any aspect of this game particularly scary or unnerving. There are plenty of weird moments, for example, when giant eyes glare at you in the background and some of the imagery used in some areas can feel a little dark. 

LadiesGamers Dreaming Sarah
Rocks know all your secrets

Pixel Graphics

Graphically Dreaming Sarah is quite beautiful. Using a simple pixel aesthetic the developers have made good use of the tools at their disposal. Even though the game is very short you will visit a wide variety of environments from lava infested caves, deserts, haunted mansions and a… doctor’s surgery?Yeah, this game is weird but there is a nice diverse range of colours used.

A mention also has to be given to the games impressive use of sprite animation and detail for Sarah. Equip an item like a pair of specs and Sarah will continue to wear it until you unequip it. It’s these small attentions to detail that I feel we don’t see much in games anymore.  

LadiesGamers Dreaming Sarah
I feel like I’m being watched

Conclusion

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.

Final Verdict: I Like it a LotI like it a lot

 

 

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