Dream TV | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Bits Studios |
Publisher(s) | Triffix |
Designer(s) | Paul Hellier
[2] Alex Martin [2] |
Composer(s) | David Whittaker [3] |
Platform(s) | Super NES |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Action |
Mode(s) |
Single-player Co-op |
Dream TV is an action video game for the Super NES where the player has to guide two youngsters through a nightmarish land of evil television shows (using a similar plot to the campy movie Stay Tuned and Crystal Dynamics' video game Gex). The player has to escape by defeating stereotypical television villains and finding pieces of a puzzle. The game features complex labyrinths.
National video gamers Charlie and Jimmy are given a strange-looking game cartridge game in the mail. When loading it in, the boys find themselves transported into the game. [4] They are sucked in by an evil being known as the Critic. [4] Now Jimmy and Charlie must fight for their lives through four Dream Worlds (Medieval, Egyptian, Prehistoric, and Future) if they hope to return home safely. [4] Dream TV is an action-adventure puzzle video game with elements of ToeJam & Earl (1991), World of Illusion (1992), and The Lost Vikings (1993). [5] [6] It incorporates a split screen for both its single-player and two-player modes. Similar to The Lost Vikings, the game involves the player controlling two characters, one of which moves via the L and R buttons. [6] [7] Collecting nine hidden puzzle pieces from each level will take the guys to the final showdown with the Critic and hopefully back to reality. [4]
GamePro first announced Dream TV in its October 1992, revealing its premise of kids getting sucked into a television and reporting a planned release of fall 1992. [8]
Publication | Score |
---|---|
AllGame | [7] |
GameFan | 166/400 [9] |
Nintendo Power | 11.2/20 [5] |
Video Games (DE) | 49% [10] |
VideoGames & Computer Entertainment | 8/10 [11] |
Reviews from Nintendo Power and VideoGames: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine praised its distinct utilization of the split-screen method, but felt it could've been better. [5] [11] Nintendo Power reported situations where two different areas of a level that looked the same time could confuse players, and that a player character could still get hit even if offscreen. [5] The review also criticized the items' lack of clear purpose. [5]
Other critics, although acknowledging the unique split-screen, were not as favorable and felt the experience was worsened by other factors. [7] [9] Critics found the character-switch mechanic aggravating to deal with, arguing it was easier to play the game in two-player mode. [9] [7] [10] Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame noted other several issues, such as the awkward controls, bland items, "poorly drawn and unimaginative" graphics that look like they're from a Master System title, uninteresting-to-fight enemies, and "mind-numbingly repetitive" music. [7] Critics from GameFan criticized its "ugly" and "tiny 8-bit" graphics, and "move to the left, move to the right action that goes nowhere", [9] and the German magazine Video Games called out its "pathetic" sprite animations, music and scarce sound effects. [10]