#11 DevBlog: Five years of development and the era of artificial intelligence

DreamScript belongs to the genre of experimental puzzle games. This genre is an excellent choice for a small development team struggling to compete for players' time and attention against larger studios. Since we can't outdo others, we try to approach things differently.

In DreamScript, the player both plays and programs the game at the same time. This game mechanic enables a wide variety of puzzles, creates humorous chaos, and also teaches programming. While this puzzle game concept isn’t entirely unique, we haven't come across other games that do the same from a first-person perspective.

Now, as DreamScript enters its sixth year of development, it seems wise to reassess the game’s position in the market. When we started this project back in 2020, we had no idea that development would stretch this long. Over the past five years, both the world and the gaming industry have changed significantly.

A key question now is whether DreamScript still has a place in this AI-saturated world. When we first began, the idea of changing the game world by programming felt almost magical. Now that anyone can generate anything using AI, the "wow effect" of the game has significantly diminished.

However, while DreamScript’s concept and technical execution may no longer be as astonishing, the core gameplay hasn't suffered in the same way. DreamScript’s focus remains on its dreamlike world and the “aha” moments it delivers through puzzles. Just as Super Mario's jumping mechanic hasn’t become outdated in 45 years, people will continue to enjoy challenging themselves with puzzles.

In short, we are still focusing on our strengths and believe that DreamScript will continue to entertain people for years to come. Time will tell how the game is received and whether the enormous time invested in the project will make any sense at all. One thing we can say for certain is that DreamScript's journey is far from over.