My recent move had me hooking up my Playstation 4 again and remembering all the good times I had playing Dreams. Naturally, the next thing I did was to set up my PSVR and put in that CD so I could revisit my old creations. What happened was a bittersweet trip down memory lane because while checking out my worlds, I stumbled upon Tren, a recently released, delightful little puzzle game tucked within Dreams.
Tren immediately captured my attention with its toy train charm and super chill puzzle mechanics. However, this joy feels a little tinged with a sense of loss. Media Molecule has scaled back support for Dreams, and for the time being, there’s no PSVR2 compatibility on the horizon—a clear signal that this chapter is closing. The Dream of Dreams is still here, but it's a shadow of what it used to be, and only time will tell until the nightmare of its sunset is inevitable.
To be honest, the addition of Tren to Dreams is pretty puzzling in and of itself. It's a fully fleshed-out game within a game making it truly a hidden flatscreen gem inside a VR creation engine. I mean, I guess it isn't as puzzling when you figure Tren is built by THEE John Beech. He's such a cool developer. I loved reading his bio and to think that this, from a former construction worker turned creative director, is all because he was amazing at making Little Big Planet levels back in the day.
Maybe they were thinking that by adding this game people would see that Dreams isn't just a VR game builder but a flat-screen game builder as well? or maybe it was just getting this game out there before the end was here? Maybe it was just too good not to release? I'm really not sure, but if you own Dreams, you should check out Tren. It's pretty amazing.
In the end, Dreams was never just a game; it was a toolkit that unlocked creativity for everyday players. Media Molecule designed Dreams as a creative platform for ideas where players could build anything, from games to art. There were a lot of problems with the platform by its very nature: it took more effort and technical understanding than the average player might expect, and achieving real creative freedom meant a steep learning curve. Nonetheless, those who mastered the toolkit produced a bunch of cool stuff. If it ever fully dies, it'll leave a gap in the creative VR gaming landscape that’ll be hard to replace. I don't know if we'll ever get a VR creativity platform quite like it.
I guess what I love most about it is that Dreams’s inclusion of VR wasn’t just a side feature; it was integral to the game's vision. At the time, Dreams was one of the few platforms enabling users to build VR content without traditional game development skills. Unfortunately, VR development is costly, and without widespread headset adoption, the platform always had a niche, but very cool, community with no way for its potential whales to keep it afloat like they do with MMOs.
I suppose Dreams faced another particularly high hurdle since it's also a platform that needs constant updates, moderation, and support for the community. It really feels like for VR developers, breaking even is difficult when the target audience remains relatively small compared to traditional gaming.
Enter 2023 . . . Sony’s PSVR2 didn't warmly hug backwards compatibility with PSVR1, and that was probably the beginning of the end.
I feel like current creative VR platforms have something to offer but lack that accessible, playful approach that Dreams championed. The spirit of Little Big Planet lived on in this game, and that's part of what made it fun. Sure, platforms like Rec Room and VRChat allow creative expression but really lean heavily toward building social spaces rather than in-depth game creation. For advanced creators, VR-supported engines like Unity and Unreal offer immense power, but they’re beyond reach for most casual users. A lot of people seem to be gravitating to other platforms like Resonite, but . . . I don't know . . . it feels like Dreams held a unique spot, bridging the gap between professional tools and hands-on play while always oozing with charm.
Dreams will leave its legacy as a trailblazer in user-generated VR content. Its maintenance mode is a reminder that even the most ambitious projects face challenges in balancing creativity with commercial viability. For now, those who cared can look back at our creations, hold to the worlds we built, and hope that one day, another platform will allow us to pick up where we left off. Until then, the memories, the charm of Tren, and the spirit of Dreams live on.
Happy Dueling!
No comments:
Post a Comment