Don’t Wake Up My Dream is a bizarre and lovable doggy dreamscape

There’s something bizarrely enjoyable about a game that throws you in at the deep end with little to no explanation and subjects you to pure, unbridled chaos. You know the ones, they keep you coming back for more because they’re so bonkers, and Don’t Wake Up My Dream is one of those games. 

Don’t Wake Up My Dream is a game in development by Naivus Luo, and it’s the type of game that leaves you smiling despite having no realistic idea of what’s going on. With hand drawn art and endless variation in terms of gameplay, there’s a lot to love. There’s a demo available to play now, and here’s what happened when I dove in. 

I dreamed a dream

If Don’t Wake Up My Dream were a parent at the playground, it would be the one sitting on a picnic blanket reading a book while their child was precariously balancing on the top of the jungle gym. It is not a game that holds your hand and talks you through what is expected of you, choosing to throw you in and letting you figure it out for yourself. And that, in my opinion, is the perfect approach in this case. 

It’s a puzzle adventure game that plays out in the form of what I’m choosing to describe as ‘mini point-and-clicks’. Each one is a dream that the dog enters into while traveling on a train to an undetermined destination, and the one available in the demo is a strong hint as to how nonsensical each dream is designed to be. 

Like the best (or worst) of dreams, nothing quite makes sense. Sure, why wouldn’t a key be hidden where the light bulb is supposed to be, and why wouldn’t a frog on a pogo stick steal the TV remote and hop away with it? This is a dream; it doesn’t have to be realistic. 

Earn those hints

Thankfully, given the nonsensical and chaotic nature of this little dog’s dreams, there are hints available for free, but you do have to earn them. 

To get a hint, you need to complete a mini-game on a pseudo-Game Boy that involves catching fallen hearts. Once you’ve caught 10 hearts, you earn yourself a visual hint that lets you progress the dream just a little bit more. 

Sounds easy, right? But the hearts don’t fall in straight lines, and they aren’t committed to a single direction, either. You can be in what looks like the right place to catch a heart coming down, but then it will veer off either left or right, leaving you to adjust your position to catch it. It doesn’t help that the dog moves slower than the hearts do, but hey, if you want a hint, then you have to put in the work. 

If you want to slip into the dreams of a dog and try out Don’t Wake Up My Dream, there’s a demo available to play right now via Steam. There isn’t a release date available right now, but wishlist and follow the game to be kept in the loop.