by 
Platinum Trophy #33: Dreams
Date Earned: 9th October 2021
Dopamine Index:
Dreams was and is a very meaningful game for me. It comes from Media Molecule, one of my favourite studios working today.
I fondly recall picking up the first LittleBigPlanet at a local game shop; they stayed open later than usual just so I could drop by and get it. The shop was named Big Byte, and it sadly no longer exists.
Every game from the Guildford developer has been a personal highlight of whichever console it was made for; LBP 1 and 2 are firm PS3 favourites, Tearaway is easily one of PS Vita's best, and Dreams is a staggering achievement on PS4.
I remember following the development of Dreams closely as a fan, from the early tech demo at PS4's announcement event all the way through to launch. However, something happened between those two things: I started working here.
Suddenly, this game I was so excited to play as a fan of Media Molecule became the subject of work; it was my job to cover it as part of the gaming press. The realisation was a pinch-me moment.
Obviously I've covered many games in my time with Push Square, but I was particularly excited for Dreams in the long build-up to its arrival. Writing about it any chance I got, I remember playing the game in early access and being blown away by it.
I put in a lot of hours, gradually learning the tools thanks to the comprehensive tutorials and exploring the creations of others. This continued well past the game's launch in February 2020.
I reviewed the game for Push Square and awarded it a 10/10. I still think it fully deserves that; the amount of stuff you can do with its tool set is crazy, and it remains a wholly unique game with so much to offer.
Off the back of my extensive coverage, a couple of things happened. Firstly, I went to the game's launch event in London, the first proper work trip I went on, where I got to meet many Media Molecule staffers in person. It was so lovely.
Secondly, I was asked to partake in a special Dreams livestream. My job was to build a quick little platform game, set in space with a shark as the main character. Then, on the stream (hosted by Outside Xtra), Media Molecule's now-creative director John Beech would finish it off, embellishing what I'd made with touches inspired by the chat and our own off-the-cuff ideas.
It was so much fun.
Some time later, I decided I should have the platinum Trophy, seeing as I'd poured in so much time with the game and it had afforded me so many amazing moments. As a first-party Sony game, the Trophy list isn't difficult, and I only had a few to go anyway. I'm so glad it's in my collection.
I kept up with the game as best I could as it continued to evolve and general interest started to wane, and this eventually resulted in another very cool opportunity — I got to go to Media Molecule's offices in order to play Tren, a major effort from the team to rekindle enthusiasm for Dreams.
I think Tren is a fantastic little game in its own right, and if you have access to Dreams (it's still on PS Plus Extra, if you're subscribed), I highly recommend you give it a shot.
But more important than playing the game, I got to explore the studio's workspace and meet even more members of the team. It was brilliant.
Obviously, things are quite different now. Dreams is still online and active, but live support from Media Molecule stopped in 2023, essentially marking the end of the line.
I know the temptation with Dreams is to discuss what it could've been and what the team should've done, but I think it's more valuable to talk about what it did achieve.
To this day, players are getting creative and uploading all kinds of things. It remains a really unique game that gives people space to go wild and make whatever they have in their head, just for the fun of it.
Dreams didn't catch on like it deserved to, but for what it continues to offer people, and for its company as I embarked on my first few years writing about games, it's something I'll forever be grateful for.
Cheers, Dreams.