DREAMOUT News

[h3]Time to bring out the drinks from the cellar[/h3]

Tomorrow, Dreamout is finally launching!
Adventure, puzzles, and a touch of booze - everything you need for a perfect evening.

Just 2 days left until the launch of Dreamout!

To celebrate the release, we’ve prepared a special 15% launch discount, available during the entire first week after release.

Base launch price (before discount): $9.99.

When we were developing Dreamout, we didn’t really set any limits for ourselves.
If an idea popped up - no matter how weird - we didn’t try to justify it or fit it into the concept. We just made it.

Both of us were huge Evangelion fans, so at some point we decided: we’re not just going to reference it - we’re going to recreate an entire scene from the ending.
In the game, it’s just a tiny side quest that lasts maybe two minutes.
But it took us more than two weeks to make it happen: we had to draw unique assets, design the setting, code the whole sequence, and somehow explain why the player suddenly ends up standing in front of a giant head staring right at them.

That Evangelion-inspired scene wasn’t the only one that got out of hand.
There’s also a mini shoot ’em up section - another small, two-minute quest that took us weeks to finish.
We basically had to make a game inside the game: custom controls, enemies, scripts, effects... the whole deal.



Was it worth it? I’m not sure.
But it’s definitely weird and funny - and that’s exactly what we were aiming for.

Another “why not” moment was the shooter section at the cemetery.



Honestly, I don’t even remember how we came up with it (probably someone played too much DOOM), but we never doubted for a second that it had to be there.

And I’m curious - how do you usually react to moments like that in games?

Hi everyone!
[h3]Are you ready for an adventure with the most unpredictable alpaca out there?[/h3]

The full release of Dreamout is coming on October 20 at 11:00 AM PDT!
In just three days, you’ll be able to dive into an atmospheric and funny adventure with a slightly tipsy but utterly charming alpaca.

If you haven’t added Dreamout to your wishlist yet - now’s the perfect time!
Add it to your wishlist and be among the first to play Dreamout on release day.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1820100/DREAMOUT/

[h2]Midway Results of the Playtest Challenge[/h2]

The playtest is nearing its end, and we’ve already received a lot of great feedback!
So far, over half of all participants have successfully completed the challenge - finishing the game in under 20 minutes and unlocking the achievement "Play very well tested!".

If you haven’t made it yet - there’s still time! The challenge will remain open until the full release on October 20 at 11:00 AM PDT. Everyone who completes it before then will receive their well-earned reward.

We plan to distribute reward keys for our previous Game Dynasty titles on October 19,
to make the final days of waiting a bit more exciting.

Keys will be available automatically by launching the playtest.
We’ll share more details in a separate announcement.

See you soon!

Let me start from the end.
Dreamout was born during Ludum Dare 48 - a tiny jam game with barely any mechanics, clumsy controls, and a rather boring gameplay loop.
And yet, even in that rough little prototype, there was already something - a mix of awkward charm, warmth, and a dreamy melancholy that would later become the heart of the project.
That’s what it looked like back then.



I used to take part in many jams, but right before Ludum Dare 47 I met an artist - not only talented, but someone I could work with almost wordlessly.
We instantly clicked, made our first jam project together, and realized: we want to make games together - not just for jams, but for real.

Here’s what that first project looked like.


When Ludum Dare 48 came around, we already had some experience and knew what to expect.
That’s how Dreamout came to life - a story about a drunk but adorable alpaca wandering through a surreal world where everything feels just a little off.

The game turned out simple and a bit strange - but that was its charm.
It felt like one of those dreams that seem meaningless at first, but when you wake up, you can’t shake the feeling that you understood something about yourself.

We were happy with the result and decided not to stop there.
We wanted to expand the idea, give it meaning, music, atmosphere - make it whole.
That’s how the long road toward a full release began.

Development started in 2020 and moved at a glacial pace.
We both had our own things going on - the artist had a full-time job, and I was busy with other projects.
During that time, Dreamout was like a plant in hibernation - alive, but not really growing.

Every now and then, the artist sent me new backgrounds, characters, and sketches.
I added them to the build, tested some level ideas, and thought:
"Someday we’ll finish this. Just… not yet."



Then came the turning point - the artist decided to quit his job and become a full-time indie developer.
That’s when Dreamout truly began to take shape.

In January 2024, I finished one of my previous projects and finally switched to Dreamout full-time.
From that moment, everything started to move fast - almost too fast.

In just one year, we:
- finished all the remaining art,
- wrote the story,
- assembled the levels,
- implemented every core mechanic

And most importantly, finally understood what this game is really about.

It’s probably an odd path - spending three years making 20% of the game, and then the remaining 80% in just one.But that’s our story.
And honestly, I think it helped. Those three “quiet” years gave me time to grow, learn, and return to the project with a clearer vision.

If we had finished Dreamout back in 2020, it wouldn’t have been the same game.
Now it’s something we truly believe in - a small, strange adventure that we hope will make you smile, maybe think, and definitely dream a little.