I started exactly same thread on gamespot, but since the crowd down there's very unlikely to respond, I'm reposting it here:
As interesting as they are, dreams have been used in very few games to date. It's a pity, for they would provide excellent setting for a computer game, given that the designers would prove up to the task of translating dream logic into game logic. What's your thoughts on the matter? Do you know of any other computer games (apart from those listed below) whose storyline revolves around the dream?
And the few games I know of that make use of this how interesting phenomenon are:
- "Dreams: to reality". Now-forgotten action adventure. The plot centers around activities of ancient Egyptian priests, who open doorways to dream realm, and now the protagonist has to close them - or something like that. This dream-dimension looks like vast, celestial space filled with hovering islands. Player has certain amount of dream-energy he can use to fly between the islands, materialise weapons etc. Received rave reviews in computer game magazines in my native country before it slipped into oblivion.
- "The longest journey". A classic no one has to be introduced to starts with the interactive dream sequence. Later on the protagonist discovers that her dreams - and, in fact, everyone's dreams - are peeks into alternate dimension, where magic took place of technology.
- "5 days a stranger", "7 days a sceptic" - both have some brief nightmare sequences that unfortunately play minor part in the story.
- "Dreamfall"(?) - according to vague information scattered around the net, dreams will play important part in the plot, and that there will be a third dimension beyond Stark and Arcadia - a dreamlike dimension. However, nothing certain can be said till the game's actually released.
- "Noc" ("The night") - attempt of polish company "L.K. Avalon" to break into the adventure genre. Fortunately for all of you out there, it wasn't released abroad. The abomination in question had the player traversing various dream-realms in search of his imperiled friends. Poor graphics, poor story and poor design made a poor game that was deservedly forgotten.
- "Dreamweb" - haven't played. But according to scattered info I dug up in the net dreams play some part in the plot.
- "Silent hill". While I could not get to play any of them - from the reviews I've read "Silent hill" games do excellent job employing dream logic in game design. While it's not stated per se that the main character is asleep and dreaming, the logic their reality follows is actually dreamlike. Probably the most exemplary of all the listed examples.
Are there any games the list omitted?