Review: Neko Can Dream Delivers a Bittersweet Nostalgic Treat

by Kathryn Hemmann | May 27, 2024 | Mobile Games, Reviews, Video Games

Neko Can Dream is a nonviolent, narrative-focused Game Boy-style adventure game available on both mobile platforms and in a physical cartridge for the Game Boy itself. Players take on the role of a cat-eared young woman who wakes to find herself in a strange city. An avian yakitori restaurant owner offers her a job, asking her to capture and can the dreams of the city’s sleeping residents. In order to secure these cans, the young woman must enter three dreams, each of which contains a complete story. While referencing classic games through original scenarios, Neko Can Dream expertly guides the player from one scene to the next as it reflects on the refuge that the fantasy world of dreams offers people who find themselves alienated from the real world. (more…)

Kathryn Hemmann

Kathryn is a writer and comic artist who lurks at the center of a digital labyrinth in Philadelphia. They post about books, plants, and video game villains as @kathrynthehuman on Bluesky.

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