dream:scape

There is a minimal amount of combat in this game; the player's involvement simply includes pushing buttons that appear on the screen, and none of the combat sequences are particularly graphic. However, the overarching theme of this game may be more unsettling for some. Players take on the role of Wilson, a character who is in some sort of limbo between life and death. Wilson revisits his memories in a parallel world called the "dream:scape." Instead of a human, Wilson's interstitial form is a somewhat scary-looking scarecrow. There is voice-over narration throughout the game that sometimes includes chilling dialogue like, "You probably think you're dead," and, "Memories can hide terrible secrets."

Most of the lines of dialogue are intentionally vague and mysterious, though some hint at suggestive behavior (e.g, "Remember what we used to do in our secret hiding spot?")

Throughout the game, players hear voices that are from the main character Wilson's past. Many of these lines of dialogue are not explicitly violent or profane, but are spoken with an eerie timbre that exacerbates the tone of the game.

Parents need to know that dream:scape is a unique game that has a confusing and mysterious story. Players will need to delve deep into the game before the story starts to make sense. Additionally, many factors in the game -- sparse use of sound effects; old, abandoned environments; first-person perspective; etc -- make it feel like the setting of a horror movie. However, the actual content is not as intense as the setting would suggest, as there are very infrequent depictions of violence or explicit violent dialogue. Nevertheless, it exudes an eerie kind of tone that some will find unnerving.