A Roguelite Worth Getting Lost In
With all of the big events in the gaming calendar, it’s sometimes easy to forget moments like the Tokyo Game Show. Despite it not being the place for all of the biggest news and reveals, there are usually plenty of updates on upcoming games. However, if you weren’t following the action this year, you may have missed Shape of Dreams getting announced for Xbox.
Released on PC previously, Shape of Dreams is an action roguelite where the otherworldly realms of dreams and reality collide. A group of travelers fight back against the chaos, pursued through the realms by a corrupt god and his army of minions.
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the genre by now, but as a quick reminder, a roguelite game consists of runs which offer a way of earning permanent upgrades for your character. As the gameplay hours topple, you should progress deeper and more easily into the game.
Randomised Runs Keep The Adventure Fresh
In Shape of Dreams runs consist of several levels, represented by a constellation map, each with a network of arenas (or rooms) leaving the player to choose their path carefully. Some rooms carry increased danger, and others hold rewards and items to buff the traveler. The structure of these are randomised on each run, and despite some repetition in the room designs, there is enough variation in the gameplay to prevent it turning into an issue.
To keep up the pressure, hunters are only a few steps behind and if they catch up, a much tougher battle lies ahead which will likely end in defeat. However, with risk comes reward and doing so can actually make future runs easier, if you survive. The final room of each realm is a boss fight which must be cleared before you can progress. These encounters vary to a degree, but are also where Shape of Dreams feels its most repetitive.
Shape of Dreams has all sorts of room modifiers such as more powerful enemies, corpses dropping dream dust or gold and constant healing for all units to name but a few. There are also side goals to tackle such as tracking lost spirits or getting the lowdown on mysterious artifacts. However, heading off route comes with a greater danger of getting wiped out and ending the run.
Something I noticed was that after over 15 runs I was still coming across brand new things which was really cool. Given the amount of opportunities to improve my traveler build and the amount of variables I had, no two runs which felt anywhere near the same. I can see myself spending many, many more hours with this game going forward.
Distinct Travellers And A Deep Combat System
In Shape of Dreams, each traveler has their own combat style. Some are equipped with weapons that allow for ranged attacks, such as Lacerta the lizard, which makes the combat significantly easier. Others, who specialise in close-quarters combat, make things much, much more difficult.
Despite the class of traveler you play as, fundamentally combat in Shape of Dreams works in the same way. Each character has four memories they can cast during battle, as well as one which works passively in the background. Controlling your traveller is slick and feels comfortable, with the option to tap X to attack with your regular weapon, or simply direct the right thumbstick to do so. I found the classic twin-stick shooter setup to be the best option.
There are loads of memories to find during your run, but each traveler starts with two unique to them to get you going, along with their passive memory. During your run, shrines offer the chance to add, swap out or upgrade memories. Not only this, but each active memory has three essence slots, which allows you to enhance it further. For example, you can use essences to add healing effects, boost attack speed or even completely change the type of damage dealt. Because of this layering effect, there’s so many combinations available, adding a real depth of strategy to creating your perfect traveler build.
Permanent Upgrades And Plenty Of Customisation
There are also plenty of other ways to boost your traveler both during and after each run. First off, gold dropped by enemies can be used at merchants and certain sacrificial altars to obtain new memories, essences and all sorts of other items. Dream dust is an important resource which is used to upgrade memories and essences, improving their stats such as cooldown time. Finally, stardust is the most scarce of these resources but is used to permanently upgrade stats post run, as well as boost traveler memories. Special souvenirs can also be purchased from certain merchants.
There are also four difficulty levels and a bundle of “lucid dream” modifiers which you can activate before your run. These can help or hinder, or just cause general chaos and prove unpredictable in terms of how they will affect the combat. You can also “obliterate” items to exclude them from your run, although this feature is unlocked only when you reach a certain level.
As previously mentioned, post-run stardust is used to permanently upgrade travelers to increase future run success. There’s a constellation upgrade tree with which to tweak your traveler build, complete with five save slots to quickly switch between. For example, you could max out your traveler on attack and damage stats, or instead choose more of a support role through healing and barriers for you and your party.
The Xbox version of Shape of Dreams comes with the “Starless Path” update to celebrate the first anniversary. This brings various content additions, such as new costumes, memories and even a new ending. There’s also a new traveler to play as, Cetus, a well rounded ranged warrior type.
Gorgeous Visuals And Slick Co-Op
Shape of Dreams’s cel shaded visuals look gorgeous, playing out across a variety of vibrant biomes that pop with colour. Be it a world overflowing with molten lava, buried in deep snowdrifts, or styled like the era of feudal Japan, clearly a lot of effort has gone into each arena as you battle your way through waves of enemies. There’s some wonderfully enjoyable funky tunes which soundtracks the action too.
Shape of Dreams also boasts four player crossplay co-op, set up in an easy to use lobby system. It’s drop-in and out too, which helps matchmaking feel like a breeze. If you do join mid-run, achievements are disabled to keep things fair. Co-op is great fun and remains as slick as single player, thanks to a quick voting system on where to move next, a quickfire emote wheel for communication and rewards split fairly between the party, with the option to share items. The enemy levels scale depending on the players, but the difficulty options are still available as before.
A Compelling Roguelite Experience
I’ve played many roguelites in my time, but I can honestly say Shape of Dreams is up there with the best. Not only does it ooze style, but the gameplay is tight and well balanced. There are loads of different build combinations and progression options which incentivised me to keep coming back. I had a lot of fun with it, and I’m confident I’ll be returning to Shape of Dreams for a long time to come.
Shape of Dreams is a compelling, satisfying roguelite which has a thoughtful progression system backed up by oodles of variables, keeping each run feeling fresh and impactful.
Important Links
Shape Of Dreams Makes A Surprise Day One Drop On Game Pass And More – https://www.thexboxhub.com/shape-of-dreams-makes-a-surprise-day-one-drop-on-game-pass-and-more/
Download from the Xbox Store, via Game Pass if you like – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/shape-of-dreams/9pk0dz68lgc0
