An entertaining look into the dreams of a dog called Mimpi
Price: $2.99 / £1.99
Version: 1.85
Size: 93.0 MB
Developer: Silicon Jelly
Platform: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Mimpi Dreams is not one for serious gamers. Premise aside (a dog falls asleep, dreams, the game is that dream), this new platform/puzzle mash-up is simplistic, and easy to play. Is that a bad thing? In Mimpi’s case, it’s not; instead, we’ve been given a charming, well-designed, dare we say relaxing experience to wile away a weekend.
There’s plenty of simple solutions to problems. Ledge too high? Use a cloud!
So, who’s Mimpi? Mimpi is a cute little black and white dog that likes to go on adventures in his mind when he takes a nap. Now, this might sound like a kids title, but it really is one of those ‘family’ situations. Like a Pixar film, Mimpi Dreams has appeal for both adults and children. The puzzles are easy enough for kids to get their head around, often simply moving blocks around or a cloud for Mimpi to jump on, while for adults, they can simply relax and enjoy the colorful experience of a game on their iOS device without stressing out about building up skills and learning how to play again. It really is enjoyable through its simplicity, and the perfect title for a casual gamer.
Mimpi likes to change outfits fairly often
Players control Mimpi via on-screen arrows. This helps Mimpie move around the touch screen landscape, and jump up and on objects – the difference is that users can touch items on the screen to move them around to help Mimpi progress – this is where the platform/puzzle mash up comes in. This is generally fairly simple and just requires some good timing or a few goes to get right. Mimpie can ‘die’ in the game, perhaps falling into some water, or getting squashed by a nefarious character, but he respawns generally nearby. This is partially what makes the game so easy – Mimpi reaches a number of checkpoints frequently so you never really have to redo large sections of a level. There are also ample clues for puzzles; players can pick up light bulb icons that provide the clues. However, we only used one across all five worlds – it’s that simple. Is that too easy for a game? We were able to relax into the experience and enjoy the game for what it was, but that might not be how everyone wants to play their iOS games.
Mimpi faces plenty of danger, but considering it’s all in a dream, none of it’s too troubling for our canine hero
The world’s Mimpi finds himself in are varied and well-designed. It’s not the same level structure with a new skin each time. We’ve got the Stoneface Forest, Tesla Landscape, Bottle Seaside, Fairytale and Medieval Castle. In each one Mimpi also picks up a new outfit.
Mimpi meets some interesting folk along the way
While playing the game you might be torn between whether you’re really getting a valuable experience or if it’s just too easy to really feel like you’ve ‘played’ the game. However, based on the game’s response, most players have simply thrown up their hands and surrendered to Mimpi’s delightful cuteness. Mimpi Dreams is a wonderfully-designed (if a little short) game that will appeal to many, if not all.