The 90s were a decade filled with some truly fantastic Point and Click games. Many of which are still fondly remembered to this day. Unfortunately, the genre seems to be more of a rarity in today’s gaming landscape! So, when developer Tall Story Games announced Lucy Dreaming was coming to consoles, I just had to review it!
Lucy Dreaming was originally released on Steam in 2022, with a “Very Positive” review rating from players. At a glance, this looks like a wonderfully British-themed adventure full of witty writing and clever puzzles. But, is that truly the case?
Lucy In the Sky With… Nightmares?
From Day of the Tentacle to the Deponia series, I’ve played a bunch of point-and-click games over the years. That said, I’d love to hear some of your recommendations! Let me know in the comments if there’s a game in the genre I should check out!
Story
In the quaint little town of Figgington, our protagonist, Lucy, is suffering from a recurring nightmare. In order to rid herself of this ailment, Lucy decides it’s time to discover the root of the problem. How is she going to do this? Well, like every good point-and-click game, Lucy will be talking to a weird and wonderful cast of characters, picking up anything not nailed down, and solving some tricky puzzles!
The narrative is divided into two main story beats. The first is Lucy diving into her dreams to try to unravel just what is causing these nightmares. The second is resolving a murder in the real world and uncovering the dark past of Figgington. As you progress, you’ll begin to notice similarities between the events in the real world and Lucy’s dreams. It all ties together nicely, with the overarching plot paced really well.
On top of that, it’s genuinely one of the funniest games I’ve played in years! Characters are excellently written, and the sense of humour is spot on. Though, admittedly, those of you who aren’t British may not quite get all the references. I liked the blend of often outlandish humour from the strange creatures in the dream world and the more dry, witty jokes from the waking world. All in all, a really enjoyable tale and one that had me laughing constantly!
Gameplay
My first thought upon starting Lucy Dreaming was that it felt like I was playing a classic LucasArts title. For example, you’ll move Lucy or select things to interact with in the environment by moving a crosshair around and selecting them with the X button. The bottom of the screen shows Lucy’s inventory, as well as the four types of actions she can perform: Look At, Pick Up, Talk To, and Use. These can be selected either with the crosshair or by using L1 and R1 to cycle between them. You’ll use these four options as you explore Figgington and Lucy’s surreal dreamscapes in order to progress through the story.
Speaking of Lucy’s dreams, she has a “dream box” that allows her to place items inside it that then affect her environment whilst she’s asleep. Thus, you’ll need to collect a wide range of items in order to discover new dream worlds to visit. It’s very simple mechanically, but the puzzles and finding the right combinations of items can be challenging. Thankfully, there is a hint system for when you’re well and truly perplexed!
Puzzles themselves are often logical, yet still rewarding when you figure them out. Naturally, things get a bit weirder in the dream worlds, with solutions occasionally being a bit more convoluted. But I liked that the game gave players a good range of puzzles. Having strange, nonsensical things happening within Lucy’s dreams feels appropriate since, well, it’s a dream… That said, it did get a little tedious to find I’d missed something in the real world and had to wake up, find it, then go back into the dream world in the hope I’d been successful. A minor gripe, all things considered, as the game overall is incredibly well-crafted!
Graphics & Audio
2D pixel art is such a timeless style, and that’s no exception here. Each area is full of things to interact with and look at, with Lucy always having something to say about it. It may be reminiscent of games of the ’90s, but there’s more of a modern touch to the art here. It’s clear that the developer has a lot of love for the classic Point and Click titles, but have given Lucy Dreaming its own identity aesthetically.
As for the audio, the game is fully voiced and features some stellar performances. Lucy herself is a quick-witted, Northern lass whose voice actor makes her feel like a mischievous, lively character. The rest of the cast are equally impressive, and it’s always nice to hear English characters that don’t sound like they’re all from London. As for the music, it’s serviceable, although none of the tracks particularly stood out to me. With so much dialogue, though, it’s not something I took too much notice of, regardless.
Longevity
Lucy Dreaming took me around nine hours to finish, which makes this pretty lengthy for a point-and-click title! I am the sort of person who exhausts every dialogue option and interacts with everything, though. Some puzzles had me stumped for a while, but none of them ever became frustratingly convoluted (looking at you, rubber duck from The Longest Journey!).
Final Thoughts
In closing, I firmly believe that Lucy Dreaming is one of the best point-and-click games of the modern era. The game is utterly charming and packed to the brim with hilarious jokes and easter eggs. Its brilliant plot, cast of weirdly wonderful characters, and plenty of engaging puzzles make this an easy recommendation! If you’re a fan of the genre, you need to play Lucy Dreaming!
For that reason, I’m giving Lucy Dreaming a Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
In the mood for a point-and-click game with a more serious tone? Then check out Alex’s review of The Drifter!
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