Among the piles of point & click adventure games available to PC gamers is The Last Dream: Developer’s Edition. While it proclaims to be a casual point & click adventure game, it utilizes live action videos to tell a gripping story about love. What intrigued me about The Last Dream: Developer’s Edition in particular is its emphasis on how reality and dreams play a role in guiding the character to their goal. This is done so by utilizing live action videos as well as computer graphics to create unique settings and atmospheres.
The story focuses on a husband who has lost his wife in a car accident who passes away and is assumed lost forever. Surprisingly, the husband has a dream that gives him guidance to meet his wife again within his reality. From here, his dreams aid him by giving him hints and clues on what to do within his reality to once again meet his wife and even possibly save her from death. As the story unfolds, some interesting twists and turns occur but nothing that is overly surprising or unexpected. It’s a relatively smooth ride that isn’t particularly boring or uneventful, but just isn’t very dynamic. After the main adventure; however, a bonus chapter unlocks that allows you to experience another perspective for a short period that does allow for a bit of closure.
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“It’s a relatively smooth ride that isn’t particularly boring or uneventful, but just isn’t very dynamic.”
Gameplay is of your average and straightforward point & click as well as hidden object games. You’ll investigate an area for obtainable objects, environments to interact with, and complete mini-games to move on to the next area. Multiple objects are, at times, required to be combined to be used in certain areas. A little added bonus is a cat companion you get at the very beginning of the game that plays a role in your progression through the game. You’ll also have the opportunity to find collectable items to view in the main menu throughout the game. While the gameplay is generally easy, there are some mini-games that are challenging but can be skipped if you feel the need to do so. In addition, the game does offer different difficulty levels that adjust hint recharge rate and other variables that effect easing up gameplay, but the game is clearly aimed at casual players looking for a laidback game. In terms of the length of the game, it can be completed in a very short hour or two (depending on how fast you finish the puzzles and whatnot).
An important aspect of the game that I didn’t expect to be so captured by is actually its visuals and presentation. The live action videos are integrated extremely well and even transition into the computer graphic portions quite smoothly. It really makes you feel like you’re jumping back and forth between the main character’s reality and dreams. The point & click portions of the game have you looking at colourful and fairly detailed environments that usually have some sort of animation included. Overall, the visuals and presentation do a great job in bringing the game to life.
The Last Dream: Developer’s Edition is one of many point & click adventures available for PC gamers to navigate through. With a clever combination of live action videos and computer graphics, the game makes you feel as if you do indeed have one foot in reality and the other in a dream. However, while its narrative is enjoyable, it doesn’t go beyond in bringing anything new or exceptional. Nonetheless, the visuals and presentation for it are great and well-worth to experience. It’s a simple and straightforward journey from start to finish that’s perfect for players looking for a casual and laid back point & click or hidden object game.
***A PC review code was provided by the publisher***
The Good
- combination of live action and computer graphics
- visuals and presentation
- laidback adventure
The Bad
- doesn’t go beyond the basic narrative
- not a very fruitful story
- basic gameplay
- may be too short for some
