Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet has been lauded for the ridiculous amount of customization options it gives to players to create their own levels, but the studio’s upcoming game Dreams takes things a step further by actually allowing players to create entire games with its tools. Dreams will be getting a beta very soon, and you can sign up to try this ambitious PlayStation 4 exclusive.
Beginning today, December 19, those who had signed up to receive Media Molecule’s newsletter will be given early invitations for the Dreams beta, with public sign-ups beginning on January 4. The public beta will begin on January 8, with invitations going out in waves, and it will run until January 21.
If you just signed up for the newsletter today, you’re out of luck, as the cutoff for doing so was December 7. However, if you’re allowed into the public beta, you do not need a PlayStation Plus subscription to access it.
During the beta, most of the game’s creation tools will be available to try, as will some of the game’s tutorials and mini-games. Access will also be granted to the game’s companion site. The story mode content will not be available in the beta, which will not support PlayStation VR, unlike the full release. While creations you make during the beta will carry over to the full game, the progress you make on quests will not.
What’s perhaps most impressive about Dreams is that the included content developed by Media Molecule was created using the game’s own tools. Speaking to Game Informer, creative director Mark Healey said that his team even used DualShock 4 and Move controllers when creating the game, meaning that the “campaign” is just one of many that players could add to in the future.
We were very impressed with Dreams when we got to play the game earlier this year, particularly with how easy it is to create your own content. Simple animation and artificial intelligence tools allow you to quickly move things into position and have them act appropriately, and you can add your own music on top of the action using in-game instruments. We can’t wait to see what the community creates when the game launches for PlayStation 4 at a still-unannounced date.
