Babies Dream...: A Flash-based Reflection of Babies' Dreams

Babies Dream... is a flash animation puzzle/action platformer created by Newgrounds.com designer Gregory Weir (GregoryWeir). According to the Author Comments, this submission is the last of 12 games made by Gregory Weir in 2009. This platformer was submitted to Newgrounds.com on February 3, 2010 and achieved front page status on the day of its release. There is a good chance that it will also receive another award.

Game Background

The idea behind Babies Dream... comes from speculation of what babies dream about. The author suggests that, further back than we can remember, when we were babies, we used to dream. More specifically, we dreamed about universes now long gone. As babies, we dreamed of "dead worlds." Play through these worlds to get a sense of the author's vision of a baby's dreams.

Gameplay

Babies Dream... is essentially divided into three different stories. After the initial tutorial level, the rest of the game comprises of three different stories with three different stages each. Each story has its own character and objective.

First of all, you must complete the tutorial stage. The tutorial will take you through the basic controls and show you how the environment is set up. Basically, the world is divided in half by a horizontal "beam" that appears to be a source of gravity. Your game character and move between this beam freely, but the constant pull from the beam can be felt at all times. For instance, the further you are away from the beam, the stronger the attraction, and the less high you will be able to jump. The tutorial stage will also introduce you to the sling shot method of moving around. To perform the sling shot motion, simply move back and forth across the gravitational beam. This will propel you further in each direction, allowing you to reach places you are unable to reach by simply jumping there.

After completing the tutorial, you will unlock three more levels that can be played. Each level has a different storyline.

The first story involves a character named Fuzor, who is currently competing in a race.

The second story involves a character named Mell who is currently doing research of some sort.

The third story involves a character named Naaij, who is on a mission to collect things.

Complete each story, along with other game objectives, to unlock medals that can be seen if you are logged in to a Newgrounds.com account, which is free to open if you currently do not own one.

Game Review

Babies Dream... demonstrates the type of creations that can be made to reflect creative ideas. The author's idea about the dreams of babies can take tangible shape in the form of a flash-based game. The use of flash was able to produce these results. The game itself, however, could do with some work in terms of its art and graphics. The background is quite bland. On the plus side, the storylines are very interesting, and the whole basis of the game is what initially intrigues most players.

Babies Dream... scores a 7/10 for mild levels of entertainment.