Lucy Dreaming

Passion oozes from every pore of Lucy Dreaming by Tall Story Games. I played a beta version, in which timed puzzles and distracting background music negligibly hampered the experience. Despite that, I found it to be a reverently built shrine to its adventure game predecessors. Tall Story Games have made a delightful game using beautiful pixel art graphics and a simple interface replete with streamlined shortcuts that simplify participating in an amusing story where dreams intersect with reality. Adventure game players have been gifted an excellent addition to our beloved genre.

I love how the pixel art style is used to create a living, breathing world. The way the characters are animated makes them feel more natural and relatable. It's easy to get invested in their stories and feel like you're part of their world.

In addition to a robust point-and-click interface, Lucy Dreaming utilizes a hotspot indicator and a journal to keep track of tasks. The screen is bisected horizontally. The top portion shows the scene Lucy inhabits. The halved bottom contains clickable commands for “look at” “pick-up” “talk to” and “use.” These features make it easier to participate in a story that is, in its turn, both humorous and tragic.

Lucy Dreaming is a clever play on the words “Lucid Dreaming.” This is a process involving learning to become aware that one is dreaming so that one might control one's dreams.  It’s central to the game’s story. The player inhabits a young girl named Lucy, who is afflicted with the nightmare of falling through clouds. She must control her dreams to find the truth behind a tragedy and end her nightmare. While doing so, she’ll uncover a family secret born from the union of fear and humor. It's the cleverest part of the story.

The funniest dream is the first one, where Lucy tells jokes to a room full of talking plants. Seeing the plants react to her jokes is hilarious, and Lucy's reaction is just as amusing. The other dreams are similarly entertaining. In the baking dream, there are talking trolls; in the fish dream, there is a talking crab; and the horror dream features a Frankenstein monster parody. Players will undoubtedly find themselves smiling. Additionally, Lucy may choose between two companions who travel with her during her dreams to help her solve puzzles: a talking bear or a giant roaring duck. My vote goes to the duck.

Although Lucy spends most of her time dreaming, she also spends much time awake solving mysteries. My favorite location in the waking world is the Library; the librarian and the method for selecting books are both hilarious.

The voice acting is one of the things that makes this game so great. The characters all feel like real people with unique personalities. Lucy is an excellent example of this. She's such a fun and lively character that I imagine Dennis the Menace would heartily approve of her.

There are two timed puzzles that will be difficult for those with limited finger dexterity. The first involves grabbing an anchor quickly. The second consists of pouring hot water before it cools off. They frustrated me because I had to do both several times before succeeding. I also found the fast-paced music distracting when solving puzzles; it can be disabled if you do not enjoy it.

A passionate labor of love with only tiny imperfections, and well worth the hours you invest in it, I happily recommend Lucy Dreaming.

The Good

• Fun premise, a great story
• Beautiful backgrounds, and well-animated characters with believable chemistry enhanced by skillful voice acting
• Dream companions are a great addition

The Bad

• The two timed puzzles can be frustrating
• Background music was sometimes distracting, especially while wrestling with the timed puzzles.

Our Verdict

Excellent

A superb game that excels in just about every area, held back only by one or two notable flaws or a collection of smaller ones that prevent the game from earning full marks.

Explore the enchanting world of Lucy Dreaming; with an impressive storyline, beautiful graphics, and excellent voice acting, it’s a game worth checking out!