Media Molecule’sDreamsis a wildly ambitious game that takes the philosophy of “Play, Create, Share” fromLittleBigPlanetand elevates it to the next level. AlthoughDreamsmight have much more potential and offer many more possibilities for both players and creators,LittleBigPlanetstill has some things that it does better.
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For some things, the simplicity ofLittleBigPlanetis better, but other things require the complexity ofDreams. Just because something is more complicated doesn’t make it inherently better.Dreamsdoes a lot of things better than theLittleBigPlanetgames, but there are also a few things it does worse than its predecessors.
10Better - Creation Tools
To put it simply,Dreamshas far more potential thanLittleBigPlanetever did. That’s not to dismiss the amazing things theLittleBigPlanetcommunity accomplished over the course of the trilogy, but the creation suite inDreamsallows for far morecomplex creations.
WhileLittleBigPlanetprimarily provided players with the tools to build platformers,Dreamsprovides the tools to build whatever you’re able to think of. Even in the early stages ofDreams, thecreationsthat have been made by the community areincredibly impressive,and things can only go uphill from here.
9Worse - Character Customization
Dreamsdoes have the Imps that players are able to customize and make their own, but they don’t allow for character customization to the extent that Sackboy did inLittleBigPlanet. The Imps are essentially just cursors, while Sackboy was a character, the entity that you controlled throughout each level.
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There were so many clothing options and outfits available inLittleBigPlanet, and those could be complemented with numerous stickers and decorations to create a truly unique getup. Everyone’sLittleBigPlanetcharacter was their own, and that level of personality unfortunately doesn’t transfer toDreams.
8Better - Music Creation
LittleBigPlanetdid have the tools to create original music, but that game’s music sequencer pales in comparison to the music creation kit provided inDreams. The musical tools inDreamsare so powerful that many people are composing original music for their games and animations, and some ambitious creators have even made short albums featuring multiple songs made inDreams.
The wealth of instruments and the flexibility of the software inDreamsallow for some fantastic music creations, creations far more complex than those inLittleBigPlanet. As it currently stands, music is an overlooked portion ofDreams, but in the future, there will be plenty of great things to listen to in the Dreamiverse.
7Worse - Platformers
Dreamsmight allow players to create whatever they want, but sometimes restrictions can be beneficial.LittleBigPlanetonly provided the tools to create side-scrolling platformers, and while some creative community members were able to bend the rules and make other things, that was mostly what everyone played and created.
Because of this, Media Molecule was able to fine-tune the physics and controls to feel just right for a platformer, making even the most amateur creations feel somewhat satisfying to play. The default puppet inDreams,on the other hand,is a one size fits all creation, and it’ll take some tweaking to make a platforming character handle well.
6Better - Story
TheLittleBigPlanetgames had a plot, yes, but it mostly served as a vehicle to take players through each of the game’s world and allow them to collect new items before they dive into community creations. The story mode inDreamsmight not last as long, but it’s absolutely worth playing.
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Art’s Dream, theDreamsstory mode, is fantastic, and it actually tells a fairly compelling story that is sure to keep people engaged throughout its relatively short runtime. Art’s Dream only lasts a few hours, just a tad longer than a feature-length film, so it’s not a huge time commitment either.
5Worse - Multiplayer
Despite placing a heavy emphasis on sharing and collaborating with the community,Dreamscurrently has a paltry multiplayer offering. More multiplayer functionality is planned for the game later down the line, but as it currently stands,LittleBigPlanetdid multiplayer much better.
Not only could four players play through the entirety ofLittleBigPlanet’s story mode together, but they could also play the majority of online creations together as well. On top of that, multiple players could collaborate on the same creation in real-time, something thatDreamsdoesn’t currently support at the moment.
4Better - Community
Although its multiplayer offerings may be a bit disappointing at the moment,Dreamshas already fostered an incredibly supportive community that loves to share things with one another. Everything inDreamsis able to be remixed by others, meaning even those without any knowledge of the game’s creation suite can create whatever they like just by dragging and dropping others' creations.
MultipleDreamsplayers have already started to collaborate with each other on ambitious projects, and distributing the workload to multiple people who specialize in certain areas can only result in better creations.
3Worse - Simplicity
Endless possibilities tend to come withendless complexity, andDreamsis no exception to this rule.LittleBigPlanetmay have only allowed for simple creations in comparison, but its simple concept was easy for anyone to grasp.
Dreamsallows players to make whatever they want, and they can even make individual assets for others to use rather than full levels or games if they want. Having this many options available can lead to choice paralysis, and many people won’t even bother creating inDreamsbecause of how daunting the task can seem at first. The tools are simple once you get the hang of them, but getting past the game’s control scheme and learning the many inputs can be a challenging task.
2Better - Collaboration
Dreamsallows creators to collaborate in ways they never could inLittleBigPlanet. Everything inDreamsis remixable, so if you like something from another creation, you can use it in yours. Player-created assets also show up next to official creations from Media Molecule when searching for items while creating, too, meaning it’s perfectly valid to only use other players' things in your levels.
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Most things inDreamsare a collaborative effort, even if they might not seem that way initially. So many players are sharing not just creations, but tips and techniques to get the most out of the creation tools, and everyone is way more connected than they were inLittleBigPlanet.
1Worse - Homespaces
EveryDreamsplayer has their own Homespace, which they can decorate and make their own.LittleBigPlanethad something similar in the form of Pods, and Pods are way better than Homespaces in their current state.
Theoretically, aDreamsHomespace could be decorated in several different ways that a Pod couldn’t, but there’s little to no point considering almost nobody will see it. Pods served as a hub that players returned to between levels as well as a gathering place for friends, meaning they occupied a good chunk of screentime inLittleBigPlanet. Right now, Homespaces fall to the wayside in favor of everything elseDreamshas to offer, but hopefully things will change once multiplayer is introduced.
