VN - Ren'Py - Abandoned - Dreamland Wanderer [Ch.4] [Shli]

I'll be honest, I didn't make it very far in this one. But I don't believe it's worth the time either. While the renders are quaint and the environments interesting, the story and characters are dogshit.

The premise is simple, that there are people that can access a second world while dreaming. However, the story is completely uninterested in the real world, to the point where the only events that ever happened there in the hour I played was the MC going to sleep. This is clearly just an isekai, but with the "twist" of it being a dreamland instead.

Speaking of twists, they're handled poorly. There's a character with a secret she's keeping from you, but rather than build up to it, the author just blew his load and spills it the first chance he gets. I shouldn't have to explain why that's narratively unsatisfying, and it was at this point I stopped playing. It was clear this was an amateur author with no long term plan on how to execute the story they were envisioning.

Seeing how this project is abandoned now, you have even less reason to check this out, as you can't even hope that it will somehow get better once the story is concluded.

Don't waste your time.

Version : Ch3
I have played quite a few games in this site, but over the period only few has left an impression on me.
This game is one of them and I am really liking the story so far.
Post apocalyptic world is a commonly used topic in games, but it is told in a pretty good way and I like the characters too.
Having not too many LI's till now is good in a way in which the characters may have better development.
This game has left me with a sweet after taste after completing it till the latest update.
I am and will eagerly be waiting for future updates and wish a very successful journey and hope you enjoy the process as much as I enjoyed playing it.

This game is a real stand-out, I've genuinely really enjoyed playing it up to Ch 3 so far. There's poignant character arcs, cute interactions, and great design. It's a very cute game that harkens back to a bit of nostalgia about being with those you love with only adventures ahead of you.

It's extremely tropey and extremely anime, but it honestly ends up being pretty funny and enjoyable for it.

Dreamland Wanderer
Version: 0.3.7
Type: VN
Content: Short
Pacing: Steady
Plot line: Main Charm of the Game - Recovering Memories - Find Happiness - Beating Deepest Fears - Teamwork
Setting: Dream/Real World - Apocalypse Aftermath - Dream Abilities + Adventures

Character Models: Good
Personalities: not many facets to each character but there seems to be backstory

Music: Good
Animation: Really good

Note: Genshin + other universes are side H-scenes !!!
Thoughts: Surprised how you got them so well made.

English: 6
User Interface: 3
User Experience: 6
Art: 7
Dialogue: 4
Story: 7
Opinion: 5
____________________
Avg. 5.43

I'm gonna review this as if it's not a sandbox, because it's really not. The "sandbox" sections are literally "Click on this button and do the same nothing event until the arbitrary skills can't be increased anymore." That's boring. And the self insert of the dev, as usual being god, hinted at inventory and outfits, so I'm sure that will add loads of nothing interactions as well. I do want to say that I WANT to like this game. The story is interesting, the world is semi-interesting. But every time a character opens their mouth, I want them to close it. ALL of the humor, or at least 99% of it, is entirely referential. And having a character say a line from a movie or show isn't funny, it just gets you to chuckle and think "Hey, I like that too." It's worse than prop humor. Anyway, this uses default renpy UI aside from ONE custom screen, and all the girls, that aren't the main four, are REFERENCES TO OTHER MEDIA. Which just feels cheap. Especially after everything else.

The game opens up essentially saying covid brought everyone together but then bitcoin crashed and WW3 happened. Then cults emerged after nukes dropped? My only real issue is this is it's just glossed over. And I wouldn't critique the story so much if there wasn't a SFW version that is one of the first things you can branch off to. Which would indicate there's an emphasis on story. But the real joke is there's pretty much not. Anyway, MC monologues about his life up to the beginning of the game and makes a 4th wall joke about said act. He's some rich guy with dead parents, and in the apocalypse, is an indie game developer? Wow. And immediately, MC sleeps and meets his younger sister April. The one that gives me a headache. So for whatever reason, that to this point is still unexplained, she erased the memories of her brother and sister and broke up the family because MC and May were fighting. Why? Who knows. But somehow he ended up weeks away from them and lives alone and she's been following him in his dreams all along. Being a wanderer.

She turns MC into a wanderer as well and really, not much happens outside of getting May, Zoe and Lulu to join the group. You meet Zoe fighting just to fight. You find May repeating her nightmare that you couldn't help her with but the MC's hand was held step by step to become a wanderer? After meeting you all again, she was told by April that MC and her were constantly fighting. So instead of becoming reacquainted, she says "We were fighting before we lost our memories, so I'm gonna hate you." Which is the DUMBEST thing... And finally Lulu, a girl that just shows up and MC supposedly knew for years but you as the player have no previous knowledge of so her existence blindsides you. Either way, MC's ex was a wanderer and probably knows the "Legendary Wanderer" you're eventually looking for if not actually being that person.

My complaints are as follows: The day to day events, that aren't just for stat-ups that you don't even use, are decently written and personable. But you still deal with a reference, a character calling MC a perv (which they do even without him doing anything), or someone avoiding a question that would advance the story or tell you the reader anything while the dev figures out the story. At the beginning I thought the person that wrote this speaks english, but the a lot of the phrasing and such gets worse over time. Like I said the UI is default outside of the map screen, menu font, and main menu that is just an hbox instead of a vbox. The jokes and references are tiring. The story needs to be explored more, or at least fleshed out. But overall, it's inoffensive and an okay read. I hope some of this can be improved in the future.

A hybrid isekai adventure, where characters switch between dealing with the apocalyptic reality of their real world, and exploration of a persistent fantasy universe in their dreams.

The character writing is strong, and the plot is interesting despite not being particularly grandiose (ie. the goals are oriented around survival and learning, rather than saving the world or defeating some big bad). This leads it to it feeling more like a slice-of-life story, but within a more interesting setting than most. That said, there hasn't been enough content yet for the story to really spread its wings, and this could change in the future.

The Koikatsu models are done very well - unique and with no aliasing issues. The game shows characters in different outfits quite frequently, and they are all well designed and always quite cute. The backgrounds are generally of good quality, but with quite a few commonly-used ones without much customization to make them unique (eg. the Koi Cafe, school with the hallway/empty classrom/roof/infirmary, etc.).

The music is generally well selected, matching the mood to the scenes consistently. Subjectively speaking, I like most of the music choices, but it does fall back on some very commonly used royalty-free tracks at times (eg. the tracks in the apartment post-move, and repeatable hot spring scenes).

Overall, this game has a lot of potential, and is already in my top-list of games I'm keeping an eye on for new updates. Keep up the great work!

Good writing, interesting premise, well done renders from Koikatsu, nice references and easter eggs, and a cool dev who gives off chill vibes.

ZERO reason not to be following this one as it develops, if you enjoy this style of game.

Just be warned, it's a slow burn/romance type of situation, so if you're looking to knock one out immediately, probably not.

I've only played for an hour because that's all I could stomach. The premise is straight ripped from a french comic/manga by the almost exact same name (dreamland). The gameplay itself is repetitive and there are massive logic holes in the story.


I'd have loved to get further into the game in hopes it got better, as many people here seem to like it, but I just couldn't get past the 3 big issues I had with it, repetitive, cliche and not well thought out.

Maybe I'm giving this an overly harsh review because there are many aspects that are actually above average here. The renders are good. The writing, while juvenile, reads well. The idea is fun... It just all falls apart for me. If I spend more time skipping through the game than playing it, I'll look for a different game.

Edit: If the dev reads this, please don't take it too negatively. You can't please everyone and this one isn't for me. Props for making something and putting it out there though. Also if you like the premise of this story, go read the comic/manga it's stolen from. Dreamland is awesome!

Sexy girls, great characters with dialogue that conveys personality and emotion consistently, interesting story; checks all the boxes for me, even better that none of the tones are strong enough to overwhelm the others. Light-hearted here, tragic there, and it never feels like one is simply taped to the side of the other. Hearty recommendation, looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

Reviewed as of Chapter 2

Pretty early on as of this review, so things are undoubtedly subject to change.

Overall all, I'd say it's a nice slow burn story that's taking the time to build up on the interactions between the characters without rushing things to get to scenes. I can definitely appreciate that, and I honestly wish more games here were that way, but it probably won't appeal to people looking to get off real quick.

I like the characters, the designs, and the whole dream theme. Not sure if it's been done here before, but I haven't seen anything similar. I also appreciate that the cast is pretty small right now. I much prefer expanding on a small roster of characters than being swamped with dozens that are paper thin.

Enjoying things so far, and looking forward to see where the game goes!

I can't find anything to really complain about. Just some grammar issues but I really enjoyed the game so far. I have no complaints at all. Even the sandbox events are used well. They give a sense of progress to the game rather then being used as a massive time sink to make the game seem longer.

I found story progression and character development happened at a great pace and the story itself was good. I like all the characters so far as well.

Really just fix the grammar. Great work! I am looking forward to the next release.

A fairly new game but it is great so far.

• The story and setting are very interesting and the characters are super cute. I actually want to know what happens next rather than skipping through some scenes like in other games.
• In terms of both characters and scenery, the visuals are great. Really makes good use of the koikatsu system.
• Progression is virtually grind free, and the guide/replay system makes it easy to know what you have left to do and how far along each character is.
• The writing strikes a good balance between drama, comedy, and touching character interactions. I found myself enjoying myself while reading through the story so far.

Great game so far, I hope to see more!

Version 0.2.0

This is a nice little game. The characters are cute, and with decent enough personality. The world building is interesting enough without over complicating stuff too much.

Animations were a bit clunky, that's mostly the reason why I don't give it 5 stars. Also, sometimes the English is slightly weak.

It shows potential, especially considering the amount of content for a 0.2.0, so let's hope the creator can keep delivering.

As of chapter 2:
This is a game with adorable characters, especially the little sister. Renders look really good and there's a decent amount of content for a 2nd release, as well. The game is a semi-sandbox with menus that will look pretty familiar, but this one is fortunately simple and streamlined.

The sex scenes could be a little longer, but that's just minor nitpicking. Can't wait to see these cuties in the next chapter!