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I'll start with a disclaimer similar to the one I made in my Card Quest writeup: I am not affiliated with Dream Quest, or Peter Whalen, in any way. He seems like a swell dude, but I'm just a fan of the game who has recommended it more often than I can count. And seeing all the other recommendations, I figured a central post that can be linked to in the future would be nice.
One of the most beloved games (and thus, one of the most oft-recommended games) on this sub is Dream Quest, a game by Peter Whalen who was later hired to the Hearthstone team thanks in large part to his creation of Dream Quest.
Itâs also a game thatâs easy to pass over, because the art is laughably bad and no screenshots can truly capture the gameplay. Very often the comment chain on this game goes âPlay Dream Quest, itâs awesome!â followed by âThe art looks so bad though, can it REALLY be that good?â followed by âYes, itâs that good.â I thought Iâd create a post we can link back to whenever this topic comes up so that we donât have to repeat ourselves over and over.
What is Dream Quest?
Dream Quest is a single player, offline, Roguelike dungeon crawling card battler. Sounds like that many concepts would be messy together, but it works beautifully. On each run, youâll choose one of fourteen different classes to play as (you start with fewer than this but unlock the rest as you play). Each class has a starting deck, but as you progress through each run youâll obtain new cards by leveling up, finding treasure and visiting shops. You'll also remove and upgrade cards by various means - which is equally important. Deck size management is important. The ultimate goal is to beat the three dungeon floors and face off against the Lord of Dreams, who is almost impossible â but finding just the right broken deck combos to beat him is most of the fun!
It's also worth noting that this is a "finished" product. There are no plans to update or add content to the game and longer (though Peter did update the game to 64 bit to allow continued support on iOS).
HOLY SHIT THAT ART IS BAD THO!
Yes, yes it is. Rest assured, each and every person who has recommended this game is not blind to that fact. It looks like a first-graderâs art project had sex with an Excel page. But the game is absolutely still worth playing. You will forget about the art style soon enough. I dare say that most people wind up actually appreciating the art, and how it manages to effectively communicate whatâs going on at all times without distracting from, or bogging down, the gameplay.
Progression
Part of what makes this game great compared to others in its field is its deep progression system. There are 109 achievements, and completing an achievement unlocks an upgrade. Some achievements will unlock a new character, some will make your characters begin each run stronger, some unlock perks, and others will unlock cards (which will then be available from chests and shops in future runs). There is enough to keep you busy for a long time! Also, each run awards you points, which you can use to purchase achievements that you donât feel like unlocking ânaturallyâ â so the game never feels too âwalled offâ, and you constantly feel like youâre working toward something.
What other games would I like if I enjoy this game?
If you enjoy Dream Quest, you'll likely enjoy the games below. Similarly, if you enjoy the games below, you'll likely enjoy Dream Quest.
Night of the Full Moon - This game was designed from the get-go to play almost exactly like Dream Quest, but the presentation is MILES better. There is voice acting, beautifully drawn enemies and backgrounds, relaxing sound design, etc. If you've played Dream Quest, you'll pick up on the strategy here extremely quickly, because the game (right on down to some of the individual cards) are exactly the same. This game isn't a ripoff - the dev has stated that he spoke with Peter Whalen before making the game and got his blessing. It's a re-packaging of good concepts. There are two primary downsides to this game. First, the localization is pretty bad if you natively speak English, and on occasion this leads to confusion about how cards work. Second, the game is not nearly as deep as Dream Quest; there are only four main classes, and a fifth that is a $0.99 DLC purchase. Also, there are nowhere near as many card or perk unlocks as Dream Quest.
Meteorfall - This is another repackaging of the Dream Quest formula, and again it was done on purpose. The Dev has come to our very own sub and commented that he set out to make a game that was "a cross between Reigns and Dream Quest". He succeeded on that, I think. The game is bright and full of life, the art is goofy in a good way (draws heavily on Adventure Time). The gameplay is fun and quick and can be played one-handed and in short bursts. Also, the dev is actively creating new content and new heroes, and while the game isn't as deep in the replayability department as Dream Quest, it's a fantastic game to introduce yourself to the genre with.
Dungeon Maker: A Dark Lord - I debated whether to add this one. The art style (which can accurately be described as "pixel tits") will be offputting to some. The localization is terrible in this game, to the point of flat-out being wrong in some cases (for example, sometimes it will say "random" but you can actually choose which card to affect). But there is no doubt that the gameplay cycle is very addicting, and it is a dungeon crawling, deck building card battler. YMMV with this one but if you don't mind the art, this game is well worth its price tag. There are lots and lots of unlocks, too, which will keep you going for a long time.
Slay the Spire - This is not on iOS (hence no link), but I would be remiss not to mention it. This is the big-daddy in terms of Dream Quest spawns. Amazing art, amazing style, amazing gameplay, an active and communicative dev team, daily events - you can really tell that someone enjoyed Dream Quest a lot, but then said to themselves "I can make this even better", and then went on to do just that. I love Dream Quest, and StS wouldn't be possible without it, but I find it hard to argue against StS being better in most ways. Dream Quest still has the superior progression system, while StS improves on DQ in many other areas. If this game ever comes to iOS, it may just be the first game to ever knock Dream Quest off my home screen on my phone.
Honorable mentions: Guild of Dungeoneering, and Solitairica.
You just activated my trap card; or, Games that might look similar, but are not.
I covered this a bit in a previous post of mine, but this time I'll look at it from DQ's point of view.
Because Dream Quest is a card battling dungeon crawler, it often will get compared to other games with these elements. However, probably the biggest difference between DQ and other games is the deck-build-as-you-go aspect of it, and for many people, this is a huge draw to the game. If you're one of those people, the following list of games may be disappointing. On the other hand, if you like DQ but don't like the stress and randomness-factor of creating your deck as you go, then perhaps these are more what you're looking for.
Card Quest - A truly fantastic game, but one where you're going to be building your deck ahead of time to meet certain challenges. Absolutely a fun game, but won't scratch quite the same itch as Dream Quest.
Lost Portal - You do make additions to your deck as you go, but this game lacks the "Roguelike" factor. It's more of an Adventure game, than one where you have separate, distinct "runs".
There are some others, like Ascension and Imbroglio, but I think these are the two "main" ones I see mentioned.
Other frequently-asked questions:
Are there in-app purchases in this game? - No. Once you buy the game, you own everything. You unlock things in the manner described above, but there is not a single option to spend additional money in the game.
Is the game truly offline? - Yes. There is no requirement for online connectivity.
Are you SURE about the art? It's so bad. - Yes, it's still worth it if you enjoy this type of game.
I have the game, and I want to learn more about some specific things - There is a Dream Quest Wiki available, and while it's perhaps sparse in some areas, it has lots of useful info. Also, there is a dedicated subreddit for the game, where you'll find tips, tricks, seeds from successful runs, and helpful community members. It's a slower board, since it's an older game, but worth visiting if you're a fan.
Too much text. TL;DR plz.
The art is bad, but that is OK. The gameplay is great and you'll get many hours from it if you like the genre. Make sure you enjoy the roguelike aspect of it and building a character "on the fly".
I hope that helps someone out in the future. If there is anything I've missed, let me know and I'll update the post!
Edit: Obligatory Thanks for the Gold! Also, updated the link for Dungeon Maker.
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