The Dreamerz is a point-and-click adventure game where you play a cute little astronaut who is tasked with collecting "dream spheres" filled with "dream ingredients" to fix a "dream machine" on a little planet oozing with wonderment. And if that sounds trite, treacly and unappealing, you are in for a very pleasant surprise.
Your friend the cursor, guided by his buddy the mouse, controls everything in the game. Click to move your astronaut, to select items, to use items, and to otherwise interact with the environment. You will soon find that the little planet you are on, while nice enough to visit, doesn't have everything you need to repair the dream machine, and you will need to activate the gray metal transports to hop to different worlds. Ad astra per aspera! Explore, collect, think, and try to repair the dream machine before bedtime. The fate of the world's Dreamerz depends on it!
Analysis: The Dreamerz is a game for people who don't think they would like a game called "The Dreamerz." Rather than indulge in saccharine, Robot-Unicorn style indulgence, The Dreamerz conjures a mood that's a small part mystery, a tiny bit whimsy. It's almost like Samorost, not so much in the design, which focuses more on clean lines and colors rather than rich textures; but in the quiet way it encourages you to explore. Apart from the intro and from a diary you find early in the game, there are few verbal cues to tell you what to do, and along with surreal set pieces and a cool ambient soundtrack, it's quite absorbing.
The puzzles are just what I like: clever, logical, and varied in difficulty. The sort where you bask in the satisfaction of a puzzle well solved, not where you yell at the screen in frustration. I did fiddle around a bit trying to figure out how to get off the rock you start on, but after that, it was smooth planet-hopping. The game is fairly non-linear, so if you are stuck in one area, you can try working on a different puzzle to give your brain a chance to ruminate on something else.
The difficulty is not stupendous, though I did have to consult the The Dreamerz Walkthrough for a few puzzles, which turned out to involve simple oversights on my part. I say this not so you all can gawk at my puzzle-solving infirmities (though I suppose that's now assured), but to point out how excellent the developer's walkthrough is. It's like a big map, with rollover directions for all the elements in the game. It's very intuitive and quick to consult. I get why developers use video walkthroughs, since they are quick and easy to produce, but a little extra effort at something like this shows consideration for the player. I appreciate it!
The Dreamerz is a great little point-and-clicker with fine puzzles and sense of exploration. It is not a cotton-puff excess about the power of dreams. If you find yourself put off by that sort of syrupy exhibitionism, then The Dreamerz is the game for you.
Thanks to Chiktionary, Bscott, and Rob for sending this one in!
Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
Official walkthrough for the game:
https://jayisgames.com/games/the-dreamerz-walkthrough/
Posted by: Paul | August 3, 2010 3:49 PM
This game is older now, but I just now played it and there is no walkthrough. I always wanted to be the first to post a walkthrough of a game, so even though probably no one will read it, here it is.
Stage 1: EXPLORE
Explore around the islands. Click around, and take note of anything that may be a clue for later. Pick up everything you can by clicking on it, then clicking again to drop it into your inventory.
Home Planet
Once you've circled all the way around, here's what you should have:
Diary- just to the right of entry point
Net- behind the giant
Orb- floating between 'color' sign and the machine
Empty dream ball- 5th slot of machine
You should also have noticed:
You can turn on the fan (by giant) and the pump (by whale)
The giant is wishing for a purple fuzzy
Read your diary by clicking on it. Day 12 gives you your next clue.
The grey discs on the ground beneath the signs are transport pads. Drop the yellow orb onto either one of them to activate it. Click the disc to transport to a different planet.
Color Planet
Find:
Transport orb
Notice:
the large light source changes colors when you click on it (6 different colors), and the smaller ones rotate. One of the smaller refractors is missing.
Transport Center
You should find a key and another yellow transport orb.
To reach the orb:
Use the net
Notice:
the little meter produces a puff of steam when you click on it
Life Planet
Find:
transport orb
loose tree branch (on tree)
purple fuzzy puff (click purple plant)
blue tentacle (click tentacle plant)
Notice:
Green basket next to big plant
Weird patch of dirt with green circle in middle
Music Planet
Find:
Yellow deflated balloon(hanging in front of trumpet)
transport orb- it's hiding.
Use key on chest. Orb is inside.
Notice:
numbers scratched on trumpet (write them down)
You can play five different notes on the trumpet by pushing the valves (make sure the sound is turned on)
Elements Planet
Find:
travel orb
shovel (next to red symbol)
symbol key (between red and blue symbols)
light refractor (between blue and white symbols)
Notice:
the four symbols represent the four elements on the key
Asteroid
Find:
Radio
extra travel orb (if you travelled to the planets in the order of this walkthrough, this orb is not necessary)
Notice:
Note the comet, circling so close that you're afraid it might burn you! Don't worry, you're safe.
Note the numbers on the telescope
The grid on the panel board lights and the grid on the telescope sights are identical.
You can zoom in on the panel board and turn on/off any combination of lights on the grid
Note the three icons across the bottom of the panel board
You can look through the telescope and move it around the sky by using the arrows to adjust the coordinates. There is a vertical (up/down) y-axis that starts at 300, and a horizontal (left/right) x-axis that starts at 100.
Okay, now that you've explored the extent of the planet system, it's time to solve puzzles. We'll start with the asteroid (since that's where we are) and work our way back.
Stage 2: SOLVE
This is the part where you use your brain.
Asteroid
What do you think the numbers scratched on the outside of the telescope mean?
Input the coordinates into the telescope grid (first number (38) is the horizontal x coordinate, and the second number (337) is the vertical y coordinate). It might take some clicking to get it just right. Aha. The bright stars form a pattern in the grid. What can you do with that pattern?
Exit telescope and zoom in on the panel grid. Turn on the grid lights to match the pattern the stars made on the telescope grid. Now enter the pattern by clicking the red button in the right lower corner.
Notice the middle icon (the telescope) lights up. What are the other two icons? A book and a musical note? Hm...
Good thing you wrote down that number from the trumpet on the music planet, right? enter the trumpet coordinates into the telescope, then copy the pattern to the light grid.
Find the third set of coordinates inside your diary (last page), and use them to find the last light pattern.
Now all three icons light up and look what appears! Grab it, and transport back to the elements planet. Let's see, in order to solve this puzzle you probably need to collect all four elements. Keep on the lookout for them. Now let's go home.
Home Planet
Remember what our sad giant friend was thinking about?
Give purple puff to giant
Okay, he's happy and blowing bubbles now, but they just float for a sec and then disappear. Is there a way to do something with the bubbles?
Turn on fan
Now see what happens. Hm... pink drops of liquid. There must be a way to catch them?
Use empty dream ball to catch the liquid. Take ball.
Walk a little bit around Home. What about this whale and the strange pump? Check your inventory to see if you get any ideas of what to do here.
Use blue tentacle as a hose on the pump. Turn the pump on to pump water into the whale's mouth.
Ooh, steam! Look what it does! Okay, all the puzzles on Home are solved except for what to do with that dream machine, so let's go solve the Life Planet puzzles.
Life Planet
Notice anything different?
The bucket-shaped thing you noticed earlier is filled with water and the big plant now has vines growing from it. What to do?
take the bucket. Now you have water.
click on each of the vines. You'll have to click the right one first.
Take the ball.
There's one more thing you need from here. Look around.
Use shovel on odd dirt patch. Now you have earth.
Now to solve the music puzzle.
Music Planet
Make sure your sound is on. Obviously, you are supposed to play some kind of tune on this planet in order to unlock its dream ball. Check your inventory. Any ideas on where to find your tune?
Play radio. Copy radio tune on the trumpet. It's a little off-key, so you may have to try a few times. If you give up, here's the tune:
32134
Elements Planet
You should have all four elements in your inventory. If you are missing fire, think hard. Where have you seen fire?
Go to the asteroid. Use twig on comet to create a torch. Return to Elements Planet.
If you have all four elements, do you really not know what to do here?
Use each of the elements from your inventory on the rock with its corresponding symbol. The torch on the fire symbol, the bucket on the water symbol, etc.
Grab the ball that appears.
We're down to our last puzzle. Return Home to access the Color Planet.
Color Planet
Look at your inventory. See what to do?
Take the missing light refractor from your inventory and place it into its spot.
Play around with main light source and the little refractors. Try to find a pattern. There's a clue at the end of your diary about this puzzle.
Notice when you match the colors on the little refractors with the light beams shining onto them, it allows the light beam to pass through instead of blocking it. (e.g. If a purple light ray is shining onto the refractor, spin the refractor until the little purple gem is facing the purple light beam.) If you match all the refractors up, it creates a perfect color pattern that looks similar to the color wheel at the end of your diary.
Set the big light source at the top to the correct color, and then match up the refractors accordingly.
The light source color should be green. Notice that green is the color directly at the top in the diagram in your diary.
Hey check it out! Another dream ball. Who'da guessed?
Dream Machine
Return to the Home Planet.
What's left in your inventory?
Insert the six balls in the slots on the dream machine.
Congratulations, Hero! You've saved everyone from dreamlessness. You've made those roses and rainbows dreams possible again-- and those scary nightmares! Thanks a lot.
Posted by: tiny
|
April 26, 2012 10:40 PM