Dare to Dream Part One: In a Darkened Room
Description
Dare to Dream is a first-person point and click adventure game that was released in three episodes. The main character is Tyler E. Norris, a ten year old boy who is caught in his dreams. Pieces of imagination and memory mix together, and beneath his happy thoughts an evil darkness looms.
The game is based around use-item-on-location puzzles, distinguishing itself with its surreal environments. The gameplay area is split into two sections. The top of the screen shows an image of current location and the point and click interface. The bottom of the screen features a status box that shows additional text descriptions of items, actions, and locations.
In Dare to Dream 1, Tyler finds himself in an bizarre city full of strange inhabitants.
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Credits (Windows 3.x version)
Author | |
Musician | |
President, Epic Megagames |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 56% (based on 1 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 6 ratings with 1 reviews)
Not your typical click and point adventure
The Good
Graphically the game isn't brilliant, but it makes some of the best use of bitmapped 16-colours you'll ever see. The backstory is pretty grim as it reveals the details of the troubled young boy. The music is fitting, though repetitive after a while. Very ironic that the "Go to sleep" lullaby plays in the title. You'll run into many interesting characters and encounters. With just the click of a button, it's easy to look at, pick up, talk to and interact throughout the game.
The Bad
The game feels kind of short even for a shareware episode. If there was some variation for the puzzles, it would have some replay value. Puzzles are made difficult by the fact that you have to pixel hunt for the magnifying glasses in every screen to find an item, which also requires double-clicking. It's also hard to find some of the exits, where you would expect some sort of doorway. The easy-mode doesn't do much to make it easier and ends up making the whole game twice as short and boring. It's a relief that you cannot die in this game.
The Bottom Line
I thought LucasArts games like Day of the Tentacle and Sam & Max were zany and wacky, but this title takes the subtle approach. If you're not a fan of the simplified GUI adventure games, you may still have the guilty pleasure of going through this vivid adventure. This game cannot decide if it's horror or comedy, so you have a generous dose of both genres. Let your imagination run wild as you play Dare to Dream.
Windows 3.x · by Kayburt (32252) · 2021
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Related Sites +
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Crapshoot
A short, humorous review on PC Gamer -
Dare to Dream Walkthrough
on The Computer Show -
Download Dare to Dream
Free, legal download of the shareware version of Dare to Dream -- look for $DARE.ZIP
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by lechuck13.
Additional contributors: Jeanne, Pseudo_Intellectual, Patrick Bregger.
Game added August 15, 2002. Last modified May 2, 2024.