Introduction
Released last May 2025 on Steam, Projected Dreams is a puzzle game intended for people looking for a cozy game to play by themselves but most definitely will strike a chord with parents. Its premise is simple: line-up todays to create the shadow that our protagonist is reminiscing. Its simple during the start but gets quite challenging onwards as the difficulty and complexity ramps up. All of this told through the lens of our main character, recalling simpler times. A sentiment we can all share.
The game is developed and published by Flawberry Studio and is available now on Steam.
Read on for the full review.
Gameplay
I usually set aside the opening section for thoughts on the plot but this game has a simple one. The premise of the game is simple: our main character Senka and the narrative follows her as she goes through photo albums which brings back memories of Senka and her sister, their parents, and the games they played in their youth. Much of which are the simple shadow puppets her sister used to show her.
Anyone who’s had experience growing up where power used to flicker out for hours and with no electronics or internet to entertain us, we turned to what we had. I had a very playful dad and he used to do shadow puppets from a candle light during power outages back in the mid-90s. There’s a certain family aspect here, and that’s a strong connecting thread that Projected Dream exudes allthroughout the game.
Dialing back to the core gameplay is the simple loop of solving puzzles. The game will put memories as puzzles and its up to you how to stack objects found in the room to create the shadow. If you’re familiar with physics and how shadows work, this should be easy but the game holds your hands through the opening puzzles so you’ll have an idea how to progress to achieve the best results.
A star meter rating is presented in each puzzle and more complex puzzles get more stars but here’s the thing: you only need to get the sillhouette right so there’s no one perfect answer. The main challenge would be finding a way to balance the objects after figuring out what direction is the best way to project it and this is where the 3D element comes on. While the shadow is basically on a 2D plane, the objects are 3D and you need to flip them around and rotate them to find the best angle.
And it is vital to understand that a duck in reality is not always a duck in the shadow. Its bulbous body and neck, when oriented in a certain manner, will create a shape that more closely resembles a stubby light bulb, or in the photo above, the end of a bottle.
As you progress to the puzzles, some new challenges will be presented. The most immediate one is two light sources. This presents a new dimension to the problem as the shadows being cast are not just from a single ray but also opens a lot of possibilities.
The game doesn’t really pace you on how to proceed but given the atmosphere, you’d want to take it nice and slow. Me being the competitive puzzle solver tried to charge through the first 2 levels and managed to do so in under an hour, with only 2 puzzles proving a challenge along the way.
After this, depending on how you pace your progress, a full run would be in the solid 3 to 4 hours which is short but satisfying. For kids though, I had my 7 year old niece and her gang of cousins try it out and while I conservatively coached them, its definitely going to take more than 4 hours and even longer to keep them sane enough before their frustration gets the best them.
Its simplicity though, means people who have a tendency to love puzzles will easily and quickly beat it and have no challenge afterwards. While there is some room to optimize the shadows for the best solution, there is no changing the output. This leaves potential room for the developer to maybe switch things up in a new game+ or a challenge mode which introduces newer objects or to scale up different sets of solutions.
Other than that, its simple and satisfying enough for the price but would benefit plenty from repeat challenges for those just after the puzzle aspect.
Presentation (Visual/Audio)
I have the commend Flawberry Studio for keeping a very coherent atmosphere and visuals. If you’ve ever played Scribblenauts, there’s an air of similarity in there with the child-oriented artstyle and the unpolished edges that end up giving a very youthful appeal to the overall game. Progressing through the game changes the gameplay area but still maintains that vintage appeal that the game has.
Simple yet in-character, the in-game audio and music is fitting and well-chosen for this game and doesn’t distract much from what’s happening. And while its not a big part of the presentation, as a game without words, it highlights the scenes and experiences at just the right notes to compliment the scene. And yes, I got all those cassette tapes.
Some extra points as well for the sound design and audio details that the developer put to just give feedback on action within the game.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Projected Dreams is a decent puzzle challenge, enough for those looking for a new fix and is also priced just right for those that just want a new experience. Its overall short length does weigh it down and lack of replayability could be fixed in future updates.
I cannot quantify how strong the game connects to me with its family narrative and as someone who is big on Bloodline matters ☝️☝️☝️, this Tribal Chief appreciates how Projected Dreams speaks to those who’s had the same experience whether your the elder or the baby sibling, its nice to look back at these kinds of stories.
But just like how the game presents it, my mom is the same and as she goes through our photobook, the book remains closed for years on end. Much like this game if it doesn’t have strong post-game content in future updates.
Overall though, I recommend Projected Dreams for puzzle lovers like me but if you’re also a parents who want a physics game to get your kids into some basic science concepts without being too technical, I can see this game serving that role as well.
Projected Dreams (PC) Review — Simple and Cozy Puzzle Game with Strong Family Theme – Back2Gaming https://b2g.to/1nevy
Projected Dream offers a charming puzzle experience. The gameplay focuses on manipulating 3D objects to create specific shadows, a concept reminiscent of classic shadow puppet shows. It’s a relaxing game, unlike the adrenaline-pumping action of Snow Rider 3D. The visuals and audio create a cohesive, nostalgic atmosphere. Solving the puzzles is satisfying, but replayability could be improved.