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A gorgeous new PlayStation 4 game enables players to create their own games, and the first examples are incredible
A gorgeous new PlayStation 4 game enables players to create their own games, and the first examples are incredible
Ben GilbertFeb 5, 2019, 23:32 IST
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Sony/Media Molecule
When Sony originally announced the PlayStation 4 in 2013, a gorgeous new project was also announced: "Dreams."
Now, it's more than five years later and "Dreams" is still in development, but a recent beta offered the first extended look at what the game actually is.
"Dreams" is a game that can be used to make entirely new games, and the games it's capable of producing are absolutely incredible.
When Sony originally announced the PlayStation 4 in 2013, a new game from the quirky British studio Media Molecule was announced at the same event.
More than five years later, that game is still in development.
"Dreams" is a bit of an enigma at this point, repeatedly teased and delayed across the entire lifespan of the PlayStation 4 console. It's currently planned for launch at some point in 2019.
In a recent beta, the world finally got its first look at "Dreams" - and what players created in that beta is a tantalizing look into what could be one of 2019's most interesting games.
So, uh, what is "Dreams"? It's kind of a game, and kind of a set of tools.
Like "LittleBigPlanet" before it, "Dreams" is only a "game" insofar as it comes with a set of example games created from its tools.
For instance: In "LittleBigPlanet," the previous game series from Media Molecule, you could buy it and play through a "campaign" of levels/worlds. But the real point of buying "LittleBigPlanet" was to create your own levels and play the creations of the game's community.
Such is the case with "Dreams." It has a "campaign" of levels created by Media Molecule, but they exist as a demonstration of the game's creation tools.
Also like "LittleBigPlanet," an online depository of creations — freely playable by anyone — is a big part of the experience.
To that end, "Dreams" is three components:
1. A main campaign 2. A robust "creation" mode 3. A community-driven selection of player-created content.
It's the latter two components of the three that people got to explore in a recent beta for "Dreams," and the results are remarkable.
For example, this surprisingly complex third-person shooter:
Or this nearly complete prototype for a first-person puzzle game:
There are, of course, several creations that take liberties with copyright — like this "Super Mario 64" re-creation:
And this tease of a "Spongebob Squarepants" game:
Then there are these very attractive eggs:
More than just tools for creating games, "Dreams" can be used solely for visual design.
The eggs you see above, for instance, were created by Ben Presland.
"I made some eggs! One of my first sculpts in the 'Dreams' beta," Presland said on Twitter. "Thanks to @mediamolecule for the awesome creation tools, I was surprised how quick it was to learn the tools."
Or how about some billiards?
This pool game was created by "Dreams" designer John Beech, who demonstrated it during one of Media Molecule's streams:
Another creation of Media Molecule's: The studio's first major game, "LittleBigPlanet," re-created in "Dreams."
This shockingly thorough, deep puzzle game named "Divide" could probably be its own game:
But there are countless others that we couldn't include here. If you're looking for a thorough rundown of some of the coolest creations from the beta, check out the latest round-up from Media Molecule:
