Steam hidden gem rockets to popularity in launch week: Fast-paced co-op hack-and-slash game attracts 45,000 players, 4,000+ positive reviews in 1 week
Shape of Dreams launched on Steam on September 10, 2025, and it has since racked up a peak player count of over 45,000 players, with the game regularly seeing over 40,000 players daily. The new co-op roguelite blends fast-paced action, responsive skill-based gameplay, and uniquely stylised graphics to deliver a unique experience.
As part of the launch discount, Shape of Dreams is discounted by 20% to just $19.99, and, by all accounts, it delivers a rewarding, punchy experience that's loaded with progression and replayability. It also pairs well with the Valve Steam Deck and other handheld systems running SteamOS, like the Lenovo Legion Go S (curr. $649.99 on Amazon), thanks to forgiving minimum hardware requirements and a Platinum ProtonDB rating.
Shape of Dream gameplay and review highlights
Shape of Dreams comes from the same publisher behind Lies of P, so there's a strong history of responsive, skill-based combat right from the outset. What sets Shape of Dreams apart from other similar roguelite games is the way it blends MOBA gameplay into a co-op PvE framework. In Shape of Dreams, you choose a champion to enter the dream world and take on set challenges. Each game run is procedurally generated, so no run is the same, and throughout each run, you'll unlock new memories for your character that you can use to shape their play style to your liking with on-the-go customisation and progression.
The graphics are another unique aspect of Shape of Dreams. Despite the moderate minimum specifications, Shape of Dreams has a highly stylised, surrealist aesthetic that helps make it feel like your character is actually in a dream world.
At the time of writing, The Shape of Dreams features:
- 8 playable Travelers with unique combat mechanics and upgrade paths
- 150+ Memories and Essences to customize builds and transform abilities
- 9 Lucid Dreams to twist difficulty in unique ways
- 50+ emotes & emblems to personalize your Traveler
- 8 worlds with handcrafted bosses, monsters, and secrets
At the time of writing, Shape of Dreams has a "Very Positive" Steam review rating, with 81% of the game's over 5,000 reviews rating it positively. The Steam reviews for Shape of Dreams praise the game for its responsive combat, unique progression system, and challenging, but rewarding gameplay and boss fights. There is also a lot of praise for Shape of Dreams's customisation and in-depth skill trees.
Obviously, if top-down MOBA-style games are not your things, Shape of Dreams might not be for you, but for fans of the roguelite genre and those who are up for something different, Shape of Dreams seems like an ideal jaunt to get into.
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.
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