As I Began To Dream is a charming puzzle-solving platformer that has you trying to find your parents in bizarre worlds. However, there’s more than meets the eye as you pay attention to the surroundings and come to understand the hidden messages and symbolism in the games environment and narrative.
Coming from Strayflux, an Indonesian developer, AIBTD explores the stages of grief through Lily, a little girl dressed in a simple blouse and skirt, who’s looking for her parents after they mysteriously disappear. The story takes place in an unknown land that features colours galore, as you traverse the various regions in search of your parents.
The beginning has you play around in a pleasant autumnal forest only to be called by your parents to join them. However, once you meet up, things quickly change, and you find yourself traversing various other regions. Initially, it might have you wondering what on Earth is a girl as young as Lily doing, traversing these regions all by herself.
The transitions between the chapters have you transition into different zones; from a forest in the beginning tutorial, to deserts and a city. At first glance, it might seem a little odd… until you realise that it’s all symbolic of what Lily is experiencing. Each area and its inhabitants represent an aspect of the emotions Lily goes through. However, I won’t say too much or it’ll be spoiling the story.
Like many puzzle-platformers, your only objective (aside from advancing the plot) is to get from Point A to Point B by going through various puzzles and brain-scratchers to unlock the way forward. In AIBTD, you do so by collecting yellow gems which functions as keys to unlocking the path forward. Along the way, you’ll have to alter the terrain by flipping and/or swapping them with each other in order to get the key, provide a path to the checkpoint or both. Speaking of checkpoints, the game allows you reset the room once you screw up.
Aside from that, the terrain has its fair share of hazards in the form of pitfalls, spikes and shadow creatures. Pitfalls and spikes are pretty straightforward; if you fall or get touched by the spikes, you lose. Same for the shadow creatures – if you touch them you lose, but sometimes, they can prove to be quite useful, as they can grab the keys and bring it with them on their back-and-forth path. All you have to do after that is to unalive them to get the key.
Overall, there isn’t much to say about in terms of gameplay. However, some stuff could use polishing. For starters, the grab mechanic in the game is a little inconsistent. Some of the puzzles requires you to jump on or place a box in order to advance. In order to do so, you’re supposed to just go up to a box and hit the interact button in order to latch onto it. However, I sometimes find myself latching off even when I’m just moving it on a flat surface.
On the other hand, the art in the game is truly breath-taking. Every part of the game feels like it could be a wallpaper with how beautifully drawn it is. The vibrant colours, while beautiful, also play a part in setting the scene and overall mood of the zone you’re in. Take for example the city, which is primarily a muted green with other dull colours. The reason for this is to show how miserable the inhabitants are and how much they want something in their lives to change.
Verdict
As I Began to Dream is definitely worth a try, and while it may be simple, it is truly entertaining. The story presents the feelings of grief as how a child would experience it well, and the game really drives it home with its pretty visuals.
Get the game now on Steam or the Nintendo Switch.
