Overcome a personal nightmare world in She Dreams Elsewhere
Sleepy Sundays
Strange monsters and more adult fears blend together in She Dreams Elsewhere, an upcoming “surreal adventure JRPG.” A young woman named Thalia must navigate her nightmares in an attempt to wake up from the subconscious maze she’s stuck in, facing all kinds of foes both supernatural and everyday. Here’s a trailer to get lost in.
That appropriately dreamy soundtrack comes from Michaela, though according to the website most of the game’s music will be by Mimi Page, whose work seems equally ethereal.
There’s also a demo available, in which Thalia wakes up in an underwater-y building that seems part block of flats, part temple to an ancient god. Things get weirder from there, as she’s given a magic sword by a voiceless, bodyless entity; fights vaguely humanoid shapes with exploded chests; and meets an enigmatic, seemingly indestructible enemy. Also, a cute dog!
That’s all in the first five minutes of the hour-long slice of the game, but it’s not all supernatural surrealism, either. After the chaotic opening, it slows down. Thalia wonders what she should wear to visit a friend, and complains that she forgot to put the leftover pizza in the fridge.
It’s not surprising, then, that developers Studio Zevere describes the game as “a deeply personal narrative with a thematic focus on emotions, mental illness, and self-identity.”
It sounds like Thalia’s got some demons to confront, and she’ll do so with the help of her sword and some friends to help her along the way. The JRPG battle system will allow them to team up, and they’ll also have their own stories to tell.