At Sony’s February 2025 State of Play, Dreams of Another caught viewers’ eyes for its strange yet emotional concept. Game creator Baiyon explains that the adventure shooter follows one philosophy: “No creation without destruction.” How did this single phrase become the key to the game’s worldbuilding?
Trailer Analysis
Dreams of Another takes place in a dreamscape between two characters, a wandering soldier and a man in striped pajamas. Both of these characters use a machine gun for two different purposes. The soldier uses his machine to kill enemy soldiers in a Gameboy noire setting. Meanwhile, the pajama man is in a more colorful environment. Instead of using his rifle to destroy, he creates paths, buildings, and nature. These men will eventually meet, as shown in the previews on PlayStation.Blog.
Brought to Life with Point Cloud Technology
The game’s dreamscape was brought to life using point cloud technology. By having a 3D-processing program gather data on an object, the point cloud will recreate it. This process can be achieved through techniques like 3D scanning, LiDar, and photogrammetric software. Dreams of Another used it for the blocky particles and living painting animations.
Baiyon Brings in Soundscapes
Baiyon told PlayStation.Blog that he spent many years as a musician and DJ. He gives Dreams of Another’s soundtrack to a whimsical yet nostalgic soundscape. “I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with boundless medium of video games,” he exclaimed, “For projects I direct, I also compose the music, adding a unique touch to the gaming experience.” Baiyon revealed his music studio, filled with synthesizers and traditional instruments. He also brings live environmental sounds through field recordings.
Dreams of Another Theories
Dreams of Another has attracted an audience that enjoys artistic media. Because of its gun and exploration gameplay, Pixel Junk will release the shooter for both PS5 and PSVR2. The game’s two characters do leave room for speculation on what its story could be about.
The Soldier is The Pajama Man
In one of the previews, the pajama man finds a dead soldier lying across a vending machine. This shows a possible sign that the soldier was him when he fought in a war. They both know how to wield different military weapons. The pajama man can also be seen using a rocket launcher and a rifle in the trailer. These dreamscapes that he builds could represent PTSD vs. his current life.
The Soldier is The Pajama Man’s Relative
Another plausible theory is the pajama man could be a relative of the soldier. There’s a scene where he speaks to a tree. It talks about children planting their roots. Trees are always associated with family connections. He can be assumed to be the soldier’s father or uncle.
The relations can also be seen in reverse to a son struggling to find his own career path. The pajama man does not use his weapons to kill but to create what he sees. The trailer shows a clown getting punched by a scientist in a colorful setting. He tried to be an entertainer and was seen as a failure. His weapons are his paintbrushes, while the world is his easel. Peer pressure could have influenced the pajama man to join the military.
