The Smurfs: Dreamsis a platforming adventure featuring beautiful graphics and a lot of fun with the little blue characters known fondly as the Smurfs taking center stage. The story of the game is fittingly not very complex, leaving players with a feeling ofhaving just been immersed inside one ofThe Smurfscartoons based on its premise. It’s a game that can be enjoyed by all ages thanks to its straightforward gameplay, that brings to mind many other classic 3D platformer titles, in a delightfully colorful world.
The Smurfs – Dreams
As a3D platformer,The Smurfs: Dreamsis simply a fun adventure that evokes smiles from the player. It’s simple, with many of its puzzles not requiring much effort to solve, and even boss battles are pretty quick to master in comparison to many games on the market today.Anyone looking for a challenge, therefore, may want to move along to something else. However, the lightness of the game made it one that I enjoyed picking up at the end of the day when I just needed something to unwind with, and leave the worries of the world behind before entering my own dreams.
The Story Of The Smurfs: Dreams Leaves Smurfs Trapped In A Deep Sleep
Gargamel’s Latest Scheme Is Dreamy
The narrative behindThe Smurfs: Dreamsfeels as though it was pluckedstraight from the animated series itself. The game begins with Gargamel applying a sleeping potion of some kind to the Smurfberries before Chef Smurf collects them to make a meal for the community.As soon as the Smurfs take a bite of their tainted meal, they collapse into a deep, magical slumber. Papa Smurf witnesses the situation and jumps into action to figure out a solution.
Gargamel can see the sleeping Smurfs as lights on his magical dreamcatcher, and is making his way to collect his captives. Papa Smurf enlists the help of the player character to use a massive pillow to jump into an Astral Map where they can then float into constellations representing their lost friends. As each level is completed, the player can then pull the dreaming Smurf back out into the Smurf Village.
Platforming That Feels Smooth And Fun, If A Little Repetitive
Gameplay Is Enjoyable Although There Isn’t Much Variety
There are several worlds to explore inThe Smurfs: Dreams, each representing a nightmare of one of the Smurfs from the village. The levels are laid out as 3D platforming with a specific start and end point rather than an open world.Each area often has monsters to defeat and special items to collect, such as blue mushrooms, with side goals for finding all hidden objects. Some of these levels also include items that can be equipped and used, such as a hammer that can be used to break objects or build up blocks to jump on.
While there is some variety of features, overall the levels soon feel a bit repetitive. Other than a couple of notable exceptions (stealthing in Operation: Pants, and the imaginative use of mirrors in some levels), everything starts to feel too similar. The monsters remain the same and while solving puzzles does become slightly harder as the game goes on, it still continues a similar pattern throughout.
Surprisingly, I didn’t mind the repetition too much, as theentire game was adorable and simply a lot of funand is not intended to be the nextElden Ringby any means. However, with the Smurfs being the central focus, and many of these levels representing specific, named Smurf characters, it just would have been nice to see more of that reflected in the level. With the exception of Vanity Smurf,any of the levels could have been applied to any of the Smurfswith no personalization to set them apart.
Hidden Extras, Special Outfits, And More Add To The Experience
Also Available As Solo Or Co-Op Gameplay
Unfortunately, I was unable to try outThe Smurfs: Dreamsin co-op mode, although I was happy to see that this feature is offered. Particularly for families with children who might be playing,this game would be an excellent title for family members to play together. I played the entire game solo, and while it was a lot of fun, I can see how it could be more enjoyable to share with another person.
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One of my favorite features in the game came in the form of the little extras. While playing, I was able to slowly unlock different costumes for my Smurf to wear, which ranged from simple to ridiculous. Finding each of the blue mushrooms and a sneaky Smurf who would hide as a bouncing object for each levelgave an added challenge that required me to go back and replay sectionsto attempt to find what I’d missed.
Final Thoughts And Review Score
Screen Rant Gives The Smurfs: Dreams A 7 Out Of 10
The Smurfs: Dreamsis not a long game by any stretch of the imagination, andI was able to 100% the entire game in less than 12 hours. This included finding every collectible and doing every side quest level. The shortness of the game was a bit disappointing, as it truly feels like a beautiful and engaging game that could have had so much more done with it. The Smurfs could have been represented more, and more variety could have been applied to new levels to keep things going, andI would have been very happy to keep going for several more hours.
Overall, the game is incredibly fun and beautiful, and I found myself enjoying every moment I had in it. For anyone looking for a fairly light platformer with a cheerful atmosphere and puzzles, or who may be a fan ofThe Smurfs, this is an adventure worthy of embarking on. Just be aware that it is not very long or complex, butThe Smurfs: Dreamsis absolutely a game that will put a smile on my face every time I think of it.
Reviewed On PlayStation 5
A PlayStation 5 code was provided toScreen Rantfor the purposes of this review.
