The Smurfs – Dreams Review (PS5) – It’s Smurfin’ Time

Ah, The Smurfs. There’s something fairly Marmite about these adorable blue dudes and dudettes that outdate even this old video game writer. I’ve never been a huge fan, though my nieces and nephews have certainly enjoyed their antics in the movies over the years. In terms of video games they haven’t caught my interest – going way back to the 1900’s for NES, SNES and Mega Drive iterations – and have never caught alight the fire to compete with the likes of Mario and Sonic in the platforming world, despite the popularity of the IP.

That is, perhaps, until now. 

The Smurfs – Dreams is a barnstorming piece of work, and I don’t say this lightly. I have been accused over the years of my reviewing to overscore certain games due to my excitement about them and wanting them to get in the hands of as many players as possible, but here I had no expectations. Zero, in fact. I certainly enjoyed the trailers I saw and thought it was a nice looking platformer, ala Mario 3D World with a royal blue tint and yet it wasn’t until I got my hands on the game fully that it truly clicked. There is quite a magic to this game which I wasn’t expecting and I’m absolutely delighted with how it turned out. 

There’s a bit of a story here which keeps everything together. The Smurfs have been smurfin’ stolen and locked away in their dreams and it’s up to you to get them back to Smurf Village to ensure they continue to have a Smurfin’ brilliant existence with you and all your buddies, which will help you along the way once they’re awoken. It’s light in narrative but the golden goose here isn’t the story, it’s quite literally everything else. 

One word that comes to mind when thinking about Dreams is ‘rewards’. The levels are structured in such a way that if you dare go off the beaten path, you’re more than likely going to find something you’re looking for. There’s a bunch of collectibles to pick up in Dreams so you’re going to want to turn over every rock and ensure you’re looking in every corner. There are platforms which are hidden until you tilt down a little bit with your POV, so if you’re stuck the chances are the answer is out of your natural peripheral and just a little bit to the left. 

Hidden paths are sacred in Dreams, though the beauty of the game as a whole is not to feel overwhelmed. Yes each level has a certain number of collectibles which will get you to that 100% completion but the game doesn’t make you feel bad for missing something. If you’re a completionist though and want to get all those brand new outfits and the like you’re going to want to explore as much as you can because they’re something golden hidden away more or less everywhere. 

And what brings Dreams up to the level of a Mario 3D World (or dare I say, an Astro Bot) is the level of strategy involved which, well, it’s a Smurfs game. I didn’t expect much and more fool me, because each level has mechanics that are simply brilliant. Yes, at its core it’s a platformer with lots of things to jump on and over, but the core of the game is the limited time additions such as the pop gun to take down the cutest of enemies or seeds you can throw as projectiles. 

It remains thrilling throughout as you’re not entirely sure what little bonus you’re going to get next. As you progress through the game in the back of my mind I was thinking ‘man I could really do with the pop gun right about now’, and instead I end up with a hammer that can take down most enemies and solve a variety of puzzles. It’s somewhat OP in that regard but younger players will eat it up. It’s simply too much fun to play to really dismiss as a mechanic.

Talking of the kiddos, if you want to make Dreams a lighter Smurfin’ experience for them there’s a decent set of customisation and accessibility options which allows for Dreams to not be so punishing as you progress. Not that it’s Dark Souls in its difficulty but even without making it super easy, barely an inconvenience, it’s neat that there’s a variety of editing you can do to lighten the load. The stages have a delightful amount of variety in them, with each level offering up something new and providing a ton of replayability, even if you’re not looking out for the collectibles. I have no doubt Dreams will become a Smurfin’ staple in many a family household this year, and so it should. 

From a visual standpoint then Dreams is a delight. I’ve been playing the game on a PS5 Slim and the colours absolutely pop off the screen (also looks great on a Portal, just FYI). It’s hardly a surprise to say that this is obviously a hugely colourful world, with gorgeous environments offering up plenty of visual delights, particularly in the lighter levels that really bring Dreams to life. The harp riding sections – which connects levels to each other and are one of the visual highlights of the game – will make you feel incredibly giddy as you can appreciate the details in the backgrounds along with the soaring orchestral score which just accelerates the wonder of these levels. The lighting in the darker segments is also gorgeous, bringing to mind Luigi’s Mansion in its execution. Smurfin’ delightful.

I think it’s fair to say that you don’t really need to be a fan of The Smurfs to enjoy Dreams. I don’t think I’ve been more surprised by a game in a long time, particularly this generation. The amount of care and attention paid to make a genuinely great platformer is present and correct, and the love for the IP seeps through in every pixel. 

From the gorgeous visuals to the intricate, terrific level design, I can’t recommend The Smurfs – Dreams enough to platformer fans. Hell, if you’re a fan of video game in general, you should have this one on your radar. It has no right to be as fantastic as it is, and I sincerely hope it finds an audience. Developer Ocellus deserve their flowers, because this game is an absolute dream. 

The Smurfs- Dreams is available now on PS5 (review platform), PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Developer: Ocellus Studio
Publisher: Microids

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy from the publisher.

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