Review davidh212 5/5 · Nov 13, 2022
I Dream of PS1
If you've ever played or seen footage of the relatively obscure PlayStation 1 game LSD: Dream Emulator this feels like the 2021 nostalgic re-imagining of that idea, with a bunch of subtle nods to games of the era like Crash: Warped, Mario 64, and Ocarina of Time thrown in.
You will explore a variety of dream worlds that have vastly …
If you've ever played or seen footage of the relatively obscure PlayStation 1 game LSD: Dream Emulator this feels like the 2021 nostalgic re-imagining of that idea, with a bunch of subtle nods to games of the era like Crash: Warped, Mario 64, and Ocarina of Time thrown in.
You will explore a variety of dream worlds that have vastly different vibes, but the vibes are always strong. This game is vibes on vibes on vibes, and the most well realized version of the "PS1 graphics how you remember them rather than how they actually were," concept I’ve seen so far. Some scenes were so beautiful they stopped me dead in my tracks and all I could do was stare. 
Beyond the masterclass retro art-style it's a bit more of an actual video game than I was initially expecting. This was sold to me as a walking simulator, but there's more to it than just that. There are puzzles to solve (including a full Zelda homage dungeon), maze-like areas to navigate through, quite a bit of platforming, and the game hides a lot of content from you because every dream/level up until the last like two or three has a secret entrance to a whole new level somewhere inside it.
I don't know how hard it will hit for people younger than me that don't have strong nostalgia for PS1 games, but it made this 32 year old feel like a kid again for a few hours.
