Review for Enypnion Redreamed

Developer Sinking Sheep and publisher Dionous Games are dream team collaborators. They have presented the adventure game community with a great addition, Enypnion Redreamed: a reimagining of the original Enypnion (pronounced E-nip-nee-on). It’s not necessary to have played the first game in order to enjoy this one. Entrancing graphics, animation, music, and writing are the four pillars that support an ethereal world where a simple, relatable story unfolds. Players should be careful not to be lulled by the visual and aural beauty of this world. It comes with many puzzles and enigmas. The first being that the whole game takes place inside the protagonist’s subconscious mind and, understandably, the logic in this dreamworld is not always readily apparent. Players should be prepared for a challenge.

Fortunately, the straightforward interface makes it easy to control the narrative. A sleeping boy named Jonathan must explore his dream surroundings and solve puzzles in order to awaken. He’s guided on his journey by his spirit companion Ikelos, who will help Jonathan understand the environment and explain how his actions will affect it. 

The stylized, vibrant graphics are often mistily surreal but always alluring. They are filled with unexpected characters, foliage and objects that delight the senses. My favorite scene features a yellow moon with a giant eye, reading a book. A squirrel’s house contrasts with the exterior environments and is cozily lit with colorful paintings and other furnishings to admire. It’s almost comically large, even though it’s jammed inside a tree. Animation is sparingly used, occurring mostly in brief, fluid cutscenes. A particularly memorable animated sequence shows the protagonist hacking his way through a forest: I experienced his effort as if it were my own. 

View all screenshots »

Appropriately for a haunted dreamworld, the music ranges from exciting orchestral backgrounds to gentle string melodies to eerie chimes. At the squirrel’s house, the calming tune aided my concentration as I solved a puzzle involving abstract symbols. The absence of voice acting doesn’t detract from the gameplay.

The mouse-driven interface is so simple, players can interact with this dreamworld in their sleep. All players need to do is hover the cursor over objects of interest to reveal their descriptions. Left-clicking on the screen causes a context-sensitive interaction. For example, left-clicking on a character brings up conversational topics that you can select to learn more about the story. The inventory is easily accessible. Right-clicking on an area of interest allows players to use an active item. Holding down the space bar will reveal all hotspots.

View all screenshots »

Players make progress and frequently affect the environment by solving mind-twisting puzzles. The reasoning behind the solutions to these challenges isn’t always apparent, but then dreams have a logic of their own, which often isn’t appropriate in the waking world. The puzzles would have benefited from written instructions, particularly those involving strange symbols, where it is difficult to relate the symbols to nearby devices and surroundings. There is quite an expansive difficulty range, and perhaps the easiest puzzle required using an item to change the color of a giant chess piece in order to capture it. One challenge, which involved opening a jack-in-the-box, did have written instructions, though the directives could have been clearer. Perseverance will help players surmount these thought-provoking tasks.

Enypnion Redreamed is a wonderful adventure full of eerie graphics and sound along with tough puzzles that will give players a run for their money. Fortunately, the smooth interface encourages players to devote all their energies to conquering the mind-bending challenges they ultimately will face.