I've waited a long time to write this review, because for some reason I got it in my head that I wanted to play the entire game before I formed a complete opinion. But now that the game is finished, I realize this was totally unnecessary. The Dream Machine is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ masterpiece. And you can tell this from the very beginning. I fell in love after being gifted the first chapters, and went on to immediately buy the next 3, then eagerly waited the final chapter. I was lucky to have come across it towards the end, and only had to wait a year. Others have waited over 8 years for its completion. And the devs (all 2 of them) kept the fans updated through the whole thing.

It was well worth the wait.

This point n click is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ gorgeous. The sets blow me away. Every new scene I entered I spent the first few minutes just guessing what everything was made of. I think about how much work it must've taken to put it all together, and its just so impressive. Every chapter gets prettier and prettier. And that final one is just astounding! Some scenes are sweet, and even more are creepy. And I was physically uncomfortable more than a couple times. It was fantastic. Stop motion animation, made with all kinds of stuff like clay, paint, broccoli, pubes. It's really cool. The game looks great.

And that was just the art! There's even content behind that pretty face! The story was beautiful, and twisted, and at times very sad. It dives deep into a dream world with dark realities and harsh truths. There is no voice acting, you have to read. This is a big plus to me, cuz sometimes bad voice acting can ruin a good story.. But the music and the ambience set a perfect tone, and sculpt ominously soothing voices to imagine as you read.

As far as gameplay, the interface is very comfortable. Walk speed, and text speeds all adjustable, so you can click through the dialogue at a casual pace. Some puzzles were a bit challenging, but nothing a little more exploring couldn't solve. Many times you can find multiple solutions to a problem, or discover clues that lead you nowhere. But never in an annoying way. I thought exploring was very rewarding. Even when it didn't actually matter. I am told this is called "having fun". I had a lot of fun playing this game.

I would highly recommend. Don't even wait for a sale, just get it. The devs deserve it. Its probably grossly underpriced anyways considering how much time has gone into it. A serious labor of love.

Thanks for reading, and THANK YOU DEVS for the awesome experience. Wonderful game!!

EDIT: I nominate for Labor of Love reward every chance I get! x4