Official PlayStation Magazine - 04.2020

071

DREAMS

different things and we weren’t really
happy with it, and it wasn’t that they
were bad but they were, you know,
heartfelt attempts that didn’t land
basically,” Evans explains, later saying,
“[Tutorials are] such a pivotal part
of the game because they’re like your
bridge [...] into [creating], like, yes,
you can [Dream Surf] but how do
I get from enjoying a game to making
my own? How do I get to mucking
around? And the tutorials [we have
now] have actually turned out to be
a lovely way to do that.”
A robust suite of tutorials isn’t
all that’s new to the full release. The
aforementioned Dream Surfing has
become a streamlined experience

with improved UI, making it easier

than ever to browse other people’s

creations for inspiration. There’s a

slew of new pre-made items to help

get you started too.

However, perhaps the most valuable

jumping-off point Media Molecule

can offer would-be Dreamers is this

insight from Alex Evans: “My two-

word advice would be, like, ‘mess

around.’” He elaborates, “I think a lot

of people assume that game dev or

writing or filmmaking – or whatever

it is – is like this grand process and

people sit in ivory towers [...] the

Muse comes to them, and then they

have this power that no-one else has.

And actually what they’re doing is

just mucking around. I think it was

[...] Chuck Close, who is an American

artist, and he was like, ‘writer’s block

is for amateurs. I turn up at nine

o’clock and I start painting.’ His point

is you just muck around, you just

play. Make mistakes, get it wrong, it’s

probably rubbish, just throw it away.

Do it again. And then you’ll stumble

on something that you love.”

Media Molecule has already

held the inaugural Impy awards.

These honoured Dreams across

a wide array of categories from an

early-access community that has

spent many months doing plenty

of mucking around. From hidden

gems and community heroes to best

voice acting and animation, it’d be

impossible to feature everything

worth seeing – even for the

developers. So, we’ve taken it upon

ourselves to take a deep dive and

highlight just a few more of the

strangest, most stylish, and silliest

games you can play right now. Dream

a littledreamwithus.

WHATWESAID:VERDICT

A once-in-a-generation release that

changes absolutely everything, and

resets what a ‘game’ can be. Dreams is

essential and should be on every PS4.

Especially yours. Ian Dean