Free exploration game

Dream World is a free exploration experience for Roblox created by ROSKAA123. The game seems like a take on pop culture phenomena such as the backrooms. The creator corroborates this by stating that 99% of the rooms are based on photographic examples of liminal spaces. The game was created in 2020 and has never really reached the heights of popularity that other experiences have. In total, over 3.4 million people have played the game. 

Wierdcore, Oddcore, and Dreamcore are digital sub-cultures that have taken center corners of the internet by storm. If you enjoy this kind of gameplay, Roblox has numerous alternative experiences that you might enjoy as well. The first of these is House Dreamcore Weirdcore – the title makes it quite clear that you’re not dealing with conventionality of any sort. The second experience is based on The Backrooms.

Gameplay

As hinted at above, the game is heavily inspired by the idea of liminal spaces. This is essentially the idea of experiencing spaces that are usually used as transitional or ‘spaces between functional spaces.’ The source of anxiety or discontent is often that we don’t acknowledge these spaces as physical spaces, more a way to get from place to place within an environment. 

The other factor is that liminal spaces in the sense of how they’re portrayed by the entertainment industry are predicated on the idea that spaces need to be overtly unsettling to be unsettling. This means upside down doorways, hallways that go nowhere, and walls that don’t quite meet at the corner of a room. In this game, you’ll need to navigate through countless doors that lead to unexpected places and true liminal spaces. 

Peak Realism

This is another one of the few experiences on Roblox that looks and feels like a AAA-title release. Dream World is incredibly beautiful – what younger generations might call aesthetic. The Dreamcore concept flows all the way through every inch of the game. While some areas feel hyper-realistic, they still carry the dreamcore aesthetic really well. 

Retro nostalgia

Anyone who’s ever seen any examples of liminal spaces knows that the majority of them feature retro architecture and design trends quit heavily. The same can be said for Dram World. MOst of the environments you interact with look to be inspired by design trends popular in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.  This is clear not only from the general design choices and architectural styles in the various environments, but also in the use of interior colors and textiles. 

Incredibly compelling

Dream World is one of the most compelling digital explorations of the liminal space phenomena – a subculture that was born out of the inefficient usage of space in past architectural eras. 

The game contains assets and set pieces that are overtly disturbing, but it also venerates the actual liminal space phenomenon without too much architectural inaccuracies or oddities.