Dreamcore offers a memorable journey into the uncanny, just don't expect traditional gaming satisfaction
There's something deeply unsettling about empty spaces that should be full of life. We've all experienced that eerie feeling of walking through an empty mall after hours or finding ourselves alone in a school corridor when everyone else has gone home. Dreamcore taps into this primal unease, creating an experience that's less of a traditional game and more of an interactive meditation on architectural uncanny.
The "game" - and I use that term loosely - currently consists of two distinct levels: Dreampools and Eternal Suburbia. In Dreampools, you find yourself in an enormous indoor swimming complex that seems to defy spatial logic. Pristine white tiles stretch endlessly in every direction, punctuated by still pools of crystal-clear water and occasional splashes of color from plastic slides that lead nowhere. The second level, Eternal Suburbia, drops you into what appears to be a perfectly normal residential neighborhood, except there's something profoundly wrong about how it stretches infinitely into the horizon, each cookie-cutter house an exact replica of the last.
Your objective in both levels is deceptively simple: find your way out. But this straightforward goal becomes an exercise in patience and psychological endurance as you navigate these massive, labyrinthine spaces. In Dreampools, you're searching for a flashlight that appears randomly in one of several possible locations, while Eternal Suburbia tasks you with locating specific landmarks and following subtle environmental cues to find the exit.
What's fascinating about Dreamcore is how it manages to create genuine unease without relying on any traditional horror game elements. There are no jump scares, no monsters hunting you down, no grotesque imagery (apart from a creepy PNG of an eye) - just the profound discomfort of being lost in spaces that feel simultaneously familiar and alien. The game doesn't even feature a map or waypoint system. It taps into something more primal: the fear of being trapped in a place that doesn't quite make sense, like a dream you can't wake up from.
What makes Dreamcore particularly effective is its presentation. Running on Unreal Engine 5, the visual fidelity is remarkable. The ray-traced reflections on the pool water create an almost photorealistic effect, while the lighting system casts subtle shadows that play tricks with your perception. The attention to detail is impressive - from the slight condensation on tiles in the pool area to the perfectly manicured lawns of Eternal Suburbia's houses. Everything looks exactly as it should, which somehow makes it all feel even more wrong.
The sound design deserves special mention. The game uses audio cues subtly but effectively - the echo of your footsteps changes depending on the surface you're walking on, distant sounds seem to shift position as you move, and there's always a faint ambient hum that keeps you on edge. In Dreampools, the sound of water dripping and the occasional splash creates an atmosphere of isolation, while Eternal Suburbia's complete silence except for your footsteps and the rustle of leaves is equally unnerving.
However, this unique approach is both Dreamcore's greatest strength and its most significant limitation. While the atmosphere is masterfully crafted, the lack of traditional gameplay elements or clear progression mechanics might frustrate players looking for a more conventional gaming experience. The randomized elements in level layouts and item placement can lead to lengthy periods of aimless wandering, which some might find tedious rather than tensely atmospheric.
The game's current content - just two levels - feels somewhat limited, though three more are promised as future updates. Each level can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours to complete, depending on your luck and spatial awareness, but once you've found the exit, there's little reason to return unless you're particularly drawn to the atmosphere.
Dreamcore is a difficult experience to score or recommend in traditional terms. It's more of an artistic statement or psychological experiment than a conventional video game. For those interested in unique atmospheric experiences or fans of liminal space aesthetics, it offers something genuinely different and occasionally profound. The feeling of being lost in these spaces can be genuinely unsettling in a way few horror games achieve.
Yet its deliberately limited scope and lack of traditional gameplay elements mean it won't appeal to everyone. At its current price point and content level, it feels more like an experimental proof of concept than a full release, albeit an intriguing one.
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a code provided by the publisher. Dreamcore is available on PS5, Xbox and PC.
