Critical Play: A Sailor’s Dream

For this critical play, I chose to play and analyze the walking sim “The Sailor’s Dream” by Simogo. This game is a serene and exploratory game where you explore seven different locations at sea. The Sailor’s dream creates an intriguing story with fragments of the story becoming more evident as the game progresses.

The game is rich with clues, interactions, and exciting puzzles. You’re presented with a variety of different locations, each floating on a calm, quiet sea, and you can explore any of them, ranging from a lighthouse to mystical ruins to a sanctuary. You can enter these buildings in any order and explore them as you wish. Some rooms contain musical toys while others include objects that you can read about through short stories. While these embedded narratives within the game are poetic, it can be frustrating to learn about the sailor’s life without enough pieces of information to fully understand the full story.

Songs and audio are a very important part of the game. They further the narrative and help unlock spaces within the game. One of the biggest strengths of the game is the atmosphere, which is comprised of the beautiful audios and visuals.

Initially, when playing the game, it seems disconnected and confusing. But, as you continue playing, there are recurring themes, characters and memories that you begin to pick up on and the puzzle begins to piece together. There are numerous embedded narratives that seem to weave together within this game and I wish I had more time to explore further. For those who like exploring, unraveling mysteries, and breathtaking settings, A Sailor’s dream is perfect for you.