The Smurfs have had little luck with interactive adaptations; they have mostly appeared in shovelware rather than anything that has any chance of being successful. However, Ocellus, the company behind the incredibly entertaining Marsupilami: Hoobadventure, intends to alter that. As of right now, The Smurfs – Dreams certainly has potential, offering a visually appealing 3D platformer that will make you think of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. This could be the first real blue hit for Peyo’s well-known characters if the developers can lessen the monotony that persists in some places.
Dreams currently leaves players off in Smurf Village, where pathways meander through verdant forests, linking the mushroom-shaped homes there. You can explore the community after giving your character (in the current build) one of three skins.
The idea of the game revolves around Gargamel cursing most of your fellow Smurfs, putting them to sleep, and laying the groundwork for a twelve-stage adventure. However, when most of your friends are sleeping, the hub world can seem a little dull. Positively, there are several magic orbs scattered over, which makes taking in the scenery more enjoyable.
Smurf-Class Management
Your Smurf will eventually come across a huge pillow, and leaping on it will instantly put you in a dream. This area consists of a series of smaller stages joined together by a 2.5D rail-riding sequence devoid of obstacles and rewards. However, it appears likely that Ocellus will add some tension to these boring transitional areas, given that your Smurf can spin around the top railing.
But when it comes to level design, the developers clearly show their skill. Your Smurf has a moveset that feels a lot like controlling Yoshi, since it can leap, hover at the peak of your jump, and generate a floating bubble. Every Smurf dream is interesting to explore, with the exception of the sporadic fall that seems like it wasn’t totally your fault. Certainly, the challenge is a little more challenging than Nintendo’s method, but it’s still manageable, especially if your goal is to locate every last magic ball. Fortunately, there is plenty of checkpointing and a feature that ignores a single enemy collision to prevent the game from seeming unfair.
Was Brainy Smurf a Contributor to Level Design?
With the current build, Ocellus showcases several inventive tricks, forcing your Smurf to look at a mirrored reflection in order to maneuver. It’s a little confusing to see platforms at the top of the screen when you’re running on unseen pathways at the bottom of the screen.
Thankfully, the creators take use of multiple occasions to move the trick in new directions, preventing navigation from growing monotonous. Hopefully, more dreams will display this same kind of imagination.
Hopeless Dreams
Though Dreams sometimes feels empty, the action feels substantial. The fact that the game’s characters are voiceless at the moment is one of the main problems. They rarely engage with you, except when you hit a trigger button to greet your fellow Smurfs with a few simple gestures. Ocellus is presumably aiming for a global release and may not have the funds for multilingual voice casting. As a result, Smurfonality is noticeably absent right now, as if the creators first created a strong 3D platformer before adding the licensing. Whether Dreams will provide specific hurdles when engaging in the cooperative aspect of the game is another unanswered question. There aren’t any really cooperative moments at the moment, which makes me feel like I missed something.
The Dreams powered by the Unreal Engine appear to be moving the Belgian blue folks in the right direction, as far as review builds go. Right now, exploring Dreams is really entertaining, with lots of navigational challenges and some interesting environmental tricks. Visually, the game frequently faces up against competitors like Super Mario Bros. and Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Marvel with its lively graphics and smooth motion. Dreams may become an interactive preview for Peyo’s adored characters when it launches on October 24th if the developer can add even more Smurfishness to the game.