Deal | "Dreamlike hidden gem": Action roguelike available at its best price of $5 on Steam

In Dreamscaper, players step into the role of Cassidy, a young woman living between two worlds. By day, she navigates life in the quiet coastal town of Redhaven, building relationships, engaging in conversations and coping with emotional struggles. By night, she ventures into beautifully crafted dreamscapes where her fears and inner conflicts take on monstrous forms. As Cassidy grows emotionally stronger in her waking life, she unlocks new abilities within her dreams. Each night brings her one step closer to confronting and ultimately overcoming her inner demons.

Dreamscaper blends classic roguelike elements with fast-paced real-time combat. Each run is procedurally generated, introducing new enemies, weapons and level layouts every time. Combat encourages fluid switching between melee and ranged attacks, precise dodging and parrying, and creative use of skills. What truly sets the game apart, however, is the dynamic link between the dream world and real life. Relationships formed during the day unlock bonuses, abilities and passive effects that directly influence the next dream run. Progress is not limited to gear upgrades – it also stems from Cassidy’s emotional growth, giving the game a distinct and meaningful twist within the genre.

Visually, Dreamscaper employs an immersive low-poly art style enhanced by moody lighting. The dream worlds are vibrant and surreal, standing in contrast to the cooler and more subdued tones of the real world. This visual shift reinforces the title’s emotional themes. A haunting, atmospheric soundtrack ties everything together, capturing the game’s quiet sense of melancholy.

In its review, German gaming outlet ntower highlighted the blend of action and emotional storytelling – an uncommon mix in the genre – as Dreamscaper’s biggest strength. The site also praised the game’s atmospheric visuals and sound design, as well as the progression system, which is meaningfully tied to the narrative. The only downside noted was the lack of clear explanations for some mechanics, often leaving players to figure things out on their own. Still, the game earned a strong 9 out of 10. GameStar, also a German gaming magazine, went a step further, calling Dreamscaper a “dreamlike hidden gem.”

On Metacritic, Dreamscaper holds a Metascore of 82 and a User Score of 6.7. The response from the Steam community has been notably more positive, with 88% of more than 4,100 reviews rating the game favorably.

80% discount on Steam

Dreamscaper was developed by Afterburner Studios and released in August 2021 in collaboration with indie.io and Maple Whispering Limited. The game is normally priced at around $25 on Steam, but is currently available for around $5 thanks to an 80% discount running until January 19. According to SteamDB, this discounted price is common during sales, but the game has never been offered for less. As a bonus for handheld players, Dreamscaper is verified for the Steam Deck (available on Amazon for $480), meaning it runs smoothly without issues.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.