D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 86
  3. Negative: 10 out of 86

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  1. grenouille
    Jun 25, 2015
    8
    To start with a side note, the whole time I played this game I kept remembering a novel I read in high school called The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle so for those familiar with that novel this game feels like that but less sexual and in game form.

    Otherwise, take Swery's distinct style and mash it together with a Tellale game and this is what you get. I thought some of the unconventional    To start with a side note, the whole time I played this game I kept remembering a novel I read in high school called The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle so for those familiar with that novel this game feels like that but less sexual and in game form.

    Otherwise, take Swery's distinct style and mash it together with a Tellale game and this is what you get. I thought some of the unconventional pieces of the game worked really well in shaking up the traditional adventure game format. Your character can switch between a past scenario and the present, meaning that for some of the optional side quests you will need to use objects found in the present to solve the mystery in the past. While navigating the world, you use up action points which are refilled by eating food. I thought this system worked well since it incentivizes exploration because you'd want to find the food to be able to use more action points to be able to explore more.

    Tonally the game has some set themes that it likes to throw in the player's face at every opportunity. Hockey, food, anthropomorphism, and plane tech are regular themes that constantly appear throughout these two episodes. The eerie strangeness may be off-putting for many the way more surreal works can be.

    Unfortunately, there is no real plot resolution and the second/last episode released ends on a cliffhanger at the height of the story's conflict so buyer beware if Swery does not get funding for a third+episodes. Nonetheless, I would recommend this for those who like Swery/telltale games even if the story never gets resolved since it does some interesting things on the way there.    … Expand
  2. qton
    Oct 8, 2015
    8
    I don't like a cell-shader games, but this one made me forget about it. Intriguing story, nice characters, especially i like how 3d artists making PeggyOlivia, just like Emily Wyatt from Deadly Premonition and both of them are very beautiful. Game play is very simple and it's not boring or annoying, but i think it's much more fun on kinekt than mouse. I like the challenge with PhillipI don't like a cell-shader games, but this one made me forget about it. Intriguing story, nice characters, especially i like how 3d artists making PeggyOlivia, just like Emily Wyatt from Deadly Premonition and both of them are very beautiful. Game play is very simple and it's not boring or annoying, but i think it's much more fun on kinekt than mouse. I like the challenge with Phillip Cheney's questions, some of it very easy and some o of it i didn't realize. Nice sound and music, especially that famous theme from DP when the situation is heating up or the character shows true himself, i guess it's a bit modified but not sure. Hope for the second season!… Expand
  3. punishing
    Jan 1, 2016
    9
    D4 is a strange adventure game about a detective, David Young, who has lost some of his memories and is trying to uncover the mystery of his past using his new found power to travel through time and place using mementos. Through his journey he meets some of the most eccentric characters imaginable and must interact with them to uncover clues. The interface is point and click with variousD4 is a strange adventure game about a detective, David Young, who has lost some of his memories and is trying to uncover the mystery of his past using his new found power to travel through time and place using mementos. Through his journey he meets some of the most eccentric characters imaginable and must interact with them to uncover clues. The interface is point and click with various action sequences mixed in each of the 2 episodes. The game can be played entirely with the mouse which is great because you need a free arm to constantly wail in the air as things get more and more bizarre.

    Pros:
    Amazing and memorable characters.
    Interesting story and setting that kept me immersed.
    Action sequences have style and add well to the mix.
    Interface is stylish and simple.
    Music fits the mood and it's really good.
    Vision system to help uncover clues.

    Cons:
    Only 2 episodes in Season 1, but they are both fantastic.
    If you're familiar with adventure games, you won't find a challenge here.
    It is a linear story.

    I was really surprised by this game, the story, setting, characters, mood, and style are all amazing. I had far more fun with this game than the Tell Tale games. I'm strongly looking forward to a Season 2.    … Expand
  4. flashmozzg
    Jun 27, 2015
    10
    This was a blast. In the best tradition of SWERY. It gives much more refined feel of mystery and craziness than Deadly Premonition (another SWERY game) and at the same time - this is almost perfect port. Don't believe somewhat high minimum requirements. Try the free available demo and see for yourself. Most modern notebooks can run it!
    The only "bad" thing I can say about this game is    This was a blast. In the best tradition of SWERY. It gives much more refined feel of mystery and craziness than Deadly Premonition (another SWERY game) and at the same time - this is almost perfect port. Don't believe somewhat high minimum requirements. Try the free available demo and see for yourself. Most modern notebooks can run it!
    The only "bad" thing I can say about this game is that it's too short (only 1st season consisting of 2 eps released right now and it ends on cliffhanger). But it's more about sales the game had/will have.    … Expand
  5. Dunge
    Jun 20, 2015
    5
    You basically take the concept of Telltale games and remove the portion that make it good (the scenario), and add completely random characters and events that are just out of context in the situation and you get this game. The game keep oscillating between a serious genre, a emotional genre and stoned nonsense humor so you aren't quite sure what's it is trying to aim for. The graphics areYou basically take the concept of Telltale games and remove the portion that make it good (the scenario), and add completely random characters and events that are just out of context in the situation and you get this game. The game keep oscillating between a serious genre, a emotional genre and stoned nonsense humor so you aren't quite sure what's it is trying to aim for. The graphics are not so bad, but the thick black outline around the edges is really not helping it. The fight scenes and animations are great, the dialogues and minigames are just okay and the item collecting is just bad. The resource bars that limit the number of actions you can do is completely useless and just annoying, and the article clipping you collect are completely uninteresting. Combined with the fact that you can't choose resolutions over the preset ones, that the framerate is locked, it makes a poor game for this genre.… Expand
  6. adff500
    Jun 24, 2015
    6
    + + + Pros + + +
    1. Crazy characters and story.
    2. Good music and voice acting,decent graphics style. - - - Cons - - - 1. Very short (prolog + 2 episodes). 2. No free movement (same as in pre-rendered adventure games Myst and Lost Eden). If you like interactive movies/quick-time events adventures like Tales from Borderlands, Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead,you might enjoy    + + + Pros + + +
    1. Crazy characters and story.
    2. Good music and voice acting,decent graphics style.

    - - - Cons - - -
    1. Very short (prolog + 2 episodes).
    2. No free movement (same as in pre-rendered adventure games Myst and Lost Eden).

    If you like interactive movies/quick-time events adventures like Tales from Borderlands, Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead,you might enjoy this as well. Just prepare yourself,this season ends with cliffhanger.    … Expand
  7. alllifeinfate
    Sep 6, 2015
    7
    "Be ready to have a dose of Japanese eccentricity on the supernatural detective genre sets in Brooklyn... the gameplay certainly as bizarre as the setting as much as the characters themselves."
    + Stylistic and sometimes beautiful cel-shaded graphics but showing its limitations, mirroring the game's broad entertaining subjects that are far from perfect under scrutiny
    +/- Unorthodox or    "Be ready to have a dose of Japanese eccentricity on the supernatural detective genre sets in Brooklyn... the gameplay certainly as bizarre as the setting as much as the characters themselves."
    + Stylistic and sometimes beautiful cel-shaded graphics but showing its limitations, mirroring the game's broad entertaining subjects that are far from perfect under scrutiny
    +/- Unorthodox or rather really particularly unique Japanese take on the game's genre and detective tropes that need a particular mindset to go through, with out-of-this-world characters with quirks that are borderline obnoxious
    +/- Almost perfect conversion of the original gameplay but less hands-on story-wise but more on on-screen display interaction and quick time events    … Expand
  8. Billy90
    Oct 21, 2016
    7
    Nice exciting story and has everything in it; Romance, Action, Comedy....etc

    Hope we can see Season Two soon. .
  9. marcelus
    Mar 17, 2017
    7
    Pros:
    - Swery's humor and tastes projected in the content within the world of D4.
    - Nice art style, better cel shading than many other games with similar style combining also exaggerated clamped shaders. It works great on PC and XBO. - Frame rate not locked ;) - The phase and the clues from the plot keeps you interested. Some are not expected for such short duration. That was nice. -    Pros:
    - Swery's humor and tastes projected in the content within the world of D4.
    - Nice art style, better cel shading than many other games with similar style combining also exaggerated clamped shaders. It works great on PC and XBO.
    - Frame rate not locked ;)
    - The phase and the clues from the plot keeps you interested. Some are not expected for such short duration. That was nice.
    - Mini games, collectibles, outfits, amazing BGM selection again all because of Suehiro San.
    - If you liked the little details and item descriptions from games like Shenmue (+QTE) or L.A. Noire (beign veeery different kids of games). If you like silly humor as mentioned like in the past Swery did with Deadly Premonition...this is a good game.
    - Many references to western culture and also Japanese culture even references to movies and series (yes, once again haha!).
    - The adaption to mice is good, confortable. Maybe with Kinect it was a very different experience I'm curious... (don't ever EVER use a joystick).
    - You like cliffhangers? You like unanswered questions? weeeell!!... ;) AVAAAAAAANT-GAAAAARDEEEE!!

    Cons:
    - It looks great but the anti-aliasing could be better for PC. A lot better!
    - This is a game / interactive experience. So if you're not a fan of this "genre" think twice.
    - Can be a bit short for it's price. The length depends on how much completionist you are.
    - Not the best replayability if you don't miss some extras investigations (wich are nice).
    - The wait for Season 2 :)    … Expand
  10. Dariya
    Jul 1, 2021
    5
    Summary:
    Funny, yet unfinished game. Unfortunately, it is not for my taste.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. Gaming Age
    Aug 12, 2015
    42
    D4 plays quite well with a mouse, and is a much more accessible experience than its Kinect version, making this the most enjoyable way to play the adventure game. It also sucks for those expecting a PC port that will allow them to change essential settings, and in no way accommodates more than the Xbox One version would have offered.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Jul 27, 2015
    80
    Avant-garde at its best. Not all elements of this hugely unique game merge perfectly, but I haven’t had so much fun with time travel since Chrono Trigger. [08/2015, p.62]
  3. Riot Pixels
    Jul 16, 2015
    15
    This Frankenstein’s monster disguised as an adventure game is a clear example of how its creators do not understand what humor, storytelling or gameplay is. At first, you blame the cultural barrier between Japan and the Western world. Then you think that Access Games is trolling us. Finally, you realize that this is just interactive gibberish created by talentless hacks.
    Read full review
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