Do you yearn? Do you love? We have asked these questions for millennia, but more recently a series of point-and-click games designed by Silver Stitch have asked these and more. Now, the third game, Colour My Dreams, asks a deeper question: Of what do you dream?
Nominally a point-and-click adventure, Colour My Dreams and its predecessors, Colour My Heart and Colour My World, are more of a meditation. While the first two explored the human heart and the coldness of society, Colour My Dreams ventures into territory much more ambiguous: the depths of the human psyche. And what dark, confusing depths they are.
Navigation through the black and white world of Colour My Dreams is accomplished with the [WASD] keys and items are manipulated with the mouse. Simply click on any area that sparkles to perform tasks from adding color to the drab scene to moving bits of the scenery around. If you find it difficult to find sparkles in the stark atmosphere, the mouse pointer changes to a hand when it passes something that can be manipulated.
Analysis: With its stylish black and white art and haunting music by Coin, Colour My Heart continues to blur the line between play and experience, between game and art. Using a less linear structure than the first two games allows the player to wander back and forth through the stark, cold landscapes. Although there is a conclusion this is more (much more) about the journey.
A nice difference in this, the third game, is the change of the movement keys from the arrow keys to the WASD, which makes for much smoother gameplay and exploration. Although Colour My Heart and Colour My World were fun places to visit, there was still the difficulty of using the arrow keys with the left hand while manipulating the mouse with your right. But navigation concerns are a small thing compared to the overall picture painted by these wonderful... well, let's call them experiences, shall we? Short but profound experiences perfect for casual gameplay.
Warning: as with any trip through the human mind beware becoming lost in the endless and disheartening ambiguity of the subconscious. As anyone who has suffered the repeating spiral of deep depression can tell you, it is not a fun place to visit and is difficult to leave. But if you are willing to take that risk, then jump in and explore. Just remember:
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
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November 2, 2009 3:41 PM
Walkthrough Guide
Colour My Dreams Walkthrough
General Information
Move using the "WASD" keys, click on active areas with the mouse.
This game is rather non-linear, so there is no absolute correct order in which to do things, except the final task.
There's going to be a lot of moving back and forth.
Be careful when heading to the right of the screen, there's a lot of sudden drops on the next screen. Move slowly.
"To sleep, perchance, to dream..."
Opening screen
There are several sparkly areas here to click on.
Click on any sparkly area on the ground to get green grass.
Click on the top of the bare tree to get a weeping willow.
Click on the hole in the wall to the right to get rushing water.
Click on the switch on the left wall to open the box.
Let's jump into the open box, shall we?
Underground
A ringing phone in the dead of night. Is there a scarier sound?
Go right (through the open mouth).
In the next room is the phone. When you try to answer it a startling question appears. How far would you go?
From now on, if you fall and die, you will end up back here.
Go right, but slowly.
Broken City
I told you to go slowly.
In the first scene you can click on the satellite dish to make it...bleed?
Otherwise, jump your way across the rooftops and proceed right to the next scene. Slowly.
What was that?!
Below the shattered building is a sparkly area. Click on it to see two pieces of a broken heart reform.
Click on the Moon. It says you need more colour...
Proceed carefully to the right.
Pipes
Below the large pipe in front of you is a sparkly area. Click on it to make the pipe...bleed?
Jump the gap between the building and the pipe carefully.
In front of you is a switch. Click on it to bring the platform down, which will allow you to proceed to the right.
Proceed to the right.
Be mindful of the gap between the pipes and the suspended hook platform.
Underneath the hook platform is a sparkly area, click on it.
Look, a compass-looking thing!
It might be important to note the cardinal points on the compass: top - yellow, right - green, bottom - blue, left - red.
Close the compass and click on the pipe sticking out of the house on the right.
Urgh!
Jump the gap to the platform and proceed to the right. Ignore the creepy blue eye that is following your every move.
If you continue to proceed to the right you will be caught in a never ending spiral of darkness. Once the messages start repeating themselves, perhaps it is time to try and escape.
Go left and leave the house.
Continue to go left (don't forget to jump the gap) until you reach the bleeding pipe scene.
Stop when you are standing on the platform that you lowered to be able to proceed. Click on the switch to raise the platform while you are standing on it.
What the heck was that?!?!
Jump into the open pipe to your left.
Arrows
If you turn the bottom most arrow upwards and pull the switch right by it, you will notice that it shoots out a stream of red. Hmmm, I wonder if the other arrows will do the same?
Turn the second from the bottom arrow upwards and pull the switch again. Pretty, blue!
Turn the third from the bottom arrow upwards and pull the switch. Green! I think we're getting somewhere.
Gee, the top arrow has nothing above it to shoot into. Perhaps if we turned the top arrow to the left so it could shoot into the crate?
Position the arrows from top to bottom: left, up, up, up.
Once the arrows are in position, pull the switch.
Great! You should now have that "thing above my head".
But before we go, maybe there's something else that can be done with the arrows?
Where else did we see colors and directions together?
Remember the compass?
If every arrow represents a color, then from top to bottom we have yellow, green, blue, and red.
Maybe if we put them in the direction that their color was on the compass?
Position the arrows, from top to bottom, in these directions: up (yellow), right (green), down (blue), and left (red).
Pull the switch on the left to lower the platform.
Jump up on the platform and pull the switch again to go up.
Jump into the open vat on your right to return to the bleeding pipe scene.
Lower the platform and continue to the right until you are back at the platform/compass.
Examine the compass. Look, it's open! And there's a letter!
Okay, now what?
Always follow the colour and your heart, hmmm?
Where have we seen the mention of both colour and a heart?
Proceed to the left until you reach the scene with the moon and the broken heart.
Click on the moon.
Cool! Lots of color!
Endgame
Well, now we have followed the colour. Perhaps it's time to risk the maze again?
Proceed to the right and enter the house.
Look! You can see the colors of the moon through the window!
Let's follow the colour, shall we?
Proceed to the right for the end game.
Posted by: grinnyp
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November 2, 2009 5:32 PM