DreamBreak (2016)
Released in late July 2016, DreamBreak is a dystopian vision of a future Soviet Union — an alternative history. It was made by a Russian game studio, and I could not help feeling tempted to read it as a reflection of the present day. The cinematic platformer Flashback, released in the early 1990s, is an obvious source of inspiration. DreamBreak has received rather mixed reviews. As a game, it feels somewhat unfinished, but bugs aside, my own experience was not bad at all.
I was unable to find much information about the developer, Aist Studio. I assume DreamBreak is their first game, or at least their first commercial release. The game does not even have a dedicated website yet, so I am linking its name to the Steam page here. It is, however, available from other sources as well.
The truth begins to crack
The player is cast in the role of an ordinary nobody. What appears to be a routine work shift as a bar cleaner and general handyman suddenly takes a strange turn. A foreign customer leaves behind a message and is murdered immediately after stepping outside. The incident cannot simply be ignored, and the protagonist begins to investigate what has happened.
At the same time, video billboards across the city show the country’s leader reassuring citizens that everything is fine — except hackers have slipped messages in between, exposing the lies behind the rhetoric. Things are, in fact, the complete opposite of what the leader claims. Throughout the game world, leaflets can be found in which so-called patriots call on the people to rise up.
Solid old-school vibes
DreamBreak is an action-driven adventure game. It features a surprisingly wide variety of action sequences, all held together by an adventure framework that involves exploration and item use. A few mini-games are included as well, and platforming feels like a natural part of the whole. The experience kept me alert and felt varied throughout. The action sections are retro-inspired and simultaneously clumsy in both an apparent and a very real sense, but the lack of refinement did not bother me. I was entertained.
The pixel art deserves special praise. In addition to decay, this cyberpunk world has a certain organic quality to it. The environments are colourful, but in a soft, restrained way. Verticality and the layered construction of the world are particularly interesting. The game’s half-hour soundtrack fits the visuals well and plays a major role. It does not fade into the background, but it never distracts from the gameplay or graphics either. For such a short game, the music is surprisingly varied.
Big questions without a foundation
Despite the promise of its setting — a cyberpunk Soviet Union — the story is DreamBreak’s weakest link. The protagonist’s behaviour is not properly motivated. He unquestioningly adopts the role imposed on him by the patriots and risks his life for it. (The game does, admittedly, offer a form of immortality.) Could the title “DreamBreak” simply refer to the daydream of a bored man?
Without delving into spoilers, I cannot go much further into the game’s themes. Still, questions arise about how so-called patriotism is presented as an alternative to faceless authority, and about what actually drives great powers if not people.
Verdict
In my view, DreamBreak is an audiovisually and mechanically balanced and entertaining experience. The narrative side, however, falters. The protagonist’s psychology should be better justified, and the patriots themselves would benefit from deeper development. Action often pushes the adventure elements aside, but a stronger story would have done more justice to its classic inspirations.
I give DreamBreak an overall score of 67 out of 100.
Availability
DreamBreak is available for Windows and Mac OS X. The mechanics strongly suggest touch-screen controls, however, so I would expect mobile versions to appear sooner or later.