The Sailor’s Dream Review

Simogo has never been afraid to deviate from the crowd, and that's precisely what's happened with experimental release, The Sailor's Dream. Previous Simogo titles have always been heavy on storyline but that's been taken to extremes in the case of The Sailor's Dream. It's a tale about exploration and discovery. One that invokes all those cliched words about being an experience rather than a game and, of course, being experimental.

That's quite accurate when it comes to describing this title, though. There are no traditional game elements or challenges to speak of. Instead, you wander from location to location, kind of like in an adventure game book title, unlocking messages and sometimes songs as you go along. It's far from a linear experience, with plenty to explore. Indeed, while it doesn't take long to reach the actual end, it's the journey and other routes that will give you reason to play for longer.

For the most part, exploration is quite intriguing if vague and lacking a strong sense of purpose. There are notes to be found, changing the perspective of the game and allowing you to print them out, with each area feeling like a maze of options as to where to go next. It's tricky to explain the story without spoiling things but it is tempting. Consistently looking and sounding great helps, too.

However, by being so open and relatively vague, The Sailor's Dream depends a lot on your curiosity levels. If you're out for a title with a strong purpose, this isn't going to do it for you. It's intriguing for sure, but it does lack that compelling drive that worked so well for Simogo's other titles. This is very much an interactive story (and a short one at that) more than anything quite as gripping as Year Walk or Device 6.