Dream Chronicles

In 2005, Miguel Tartaj, the CEO and lead game designer of KatGames, pitched his game concept to two potential partners. Subsequently, Tartaj met PlayFirst's Creative Director, Kenny Dinkin, and Director of Publishing, Craig Bocks, during Casual Connect Amsterdam in the following year.[2] Following negotiations, KatGames reached an agreement with PlayFirst, which resulted in the June 2007 release of Dream Chronicles.

After the success of the original Dream Chronicles, KatGames devoted its time to making the Dream Chronicles series, which PlayFirst and other third-party developers support third-party developers. KatGames team designed the concepts, artworks, and gameplay while partners worked on visual effects, music, story, and marketing. Dream Chronicles was inspired largely by the work of Antonio Gaudi and the Art Nouveau movement.[3]

The first four people listed below are the main characters; the rest are recurring characters. In the Dream Chronicles series, characters normally only appear in cut-scenes, but there are some exceptions: Fidget appears in person in the last scene of both Dream Chronicles and Dream Chronicles 2, and Lilith appears in the 24th scene of The Chosen Child.

• Faye is a mortal woman who is the protagonist of the Faye's Journey trilogy. Waking up from a dream, Faye discovers that everyone in the Village of Wish is falling into a magical sleep spell, and that her family has already vanished. Faye embarks on a dangerous and lonely quest to rescue both her husband Fidget and her daughter Lyra, and is finally able to save them. On the quest, Faye explores many secrets about her in-laws’ family: their identities, their fairy roots, and many of the Dream Realm's mysteries. According to her husband, Faye is a smart, strong, and persistent woman, who never gives up hope and always tries hard to get her family back to their old peaceful days. Though the main character, Faye doesn’t appear in person because you play from her point of view. She is briefly seen sitting in the gondola in The Chosen Child.
• Lilith is the Fairy Queen of Dreams, the daughter of the Fairy King of Darkness and the Fairy Queen of Night. She is the primary antagonist of the first Faye's Journey trilogy. Lilith was betrothed to Fidget before he married Faye and is determined to claim Fidget as her husband. She repeatedly abducts Fidget, as she believes marrying him will make her powers stronger. Lilith also casts an enchanting sleep spell on everyone in the Village of Wish to make sure that her plans go smoothly and so no one can disturb her bringing Fidget back to the Land of Fairies forever. She first appears only in cut-scenes. Lilith finally appears in person in The Chosen Child to reveal Lyra's fate with Faye and is implied to be hatching other evil schemes for the future.
• Fidget is the beloved teacher in the Village of Wish and the son of parents once highly revered in the fairy world. His parents broke from fairy tradition and married out of love. Considered outcasts, they settled in the mortal town of Wish. He was raised as a mortal, though born a fairy. As Fidget grows older, his parents tell him of his roots and teach him the Way of the Fairy. Fidget is well educated by his parents, both in matters of his mortal world and matters of the fairy world. He followed in his parents' footsteps and fled an arranged fairy marriage to Lilith to follow his heart. The secret of his fairy roots was safe until Lilith snatched him away. Already being aware of Lilith's evil plans, Fidget tried to protect his family but when things go wrong, Lilith abducts him and brings him to the Dream Realm. She finally releases Fidget at the end of Dream Chronicles 2; unfortunately, she sends him into a crystal ball. Fidget has appeared in all Dream Chronicles games, and also acts as Faye's guide in the original Dream Chronicles.
• Lyra is the half-fairy, half-mortal daughter of Faye and Fidget. Lyra falls into Lilith's sleep spell like everyone else in the Village of Wish in the original game and is then kidnapped by Lilith before she releases Fidget. Lyra is believed to be the Chosen Child who is prophesied to replace the missing Fairy Lord. Her destiny is revealed at the end of The Chosen Child. Lyra plays a minor role and only appears three times in each Faye's Journey trilogy's game. But in the second series, she replaces her mother Faye as the central character.
• Aeval, Fairy Queen of Flora, is Fidget's mother and Faye's mother-in-law. She fell in love with Tangle, and they escaped to the Mortal Realm together. Aeval talks to plants; and they talk to her. There are plants throughout the Mortal and Fairy Realms; they can communicate with each other through their root systems, through fallen leaves captured by the wind fairies, and through pollen and seeds carried by the water fairies. All these plants ultimately communicate with Aeval. If there is trouble far away, the plants are able to transmit this information to Aeval. Her best friend is a carnivorous plant named Herbert. She and her plants try to help Faye find Fidget in Dream Chronicles 2.
• Tangle, Fairy King of Knowledge, is Fidget's father and Faye's father-in-law. He and Aeval escaped to the Mortal Realm together to make sure that their children would be brought up naturally and humanly. As Fairy King of Knowledge, reading books is his "endless pursuit", according to Fidget. Tangle was the Dream Librarian's most devoted student and is almost as knowledgeable as her. Tangle has the advantage of knowing more of mortal life, having lived in the mortal world for so long, but the Dream Librarian knows more of the Fairy Ways. Tangle did not appear in the first series, but he plays as Lyra's guide in The Book of Air. Like his wife, Aeval, he's only mentioned and plays a minor role in the first trilogy. In The Book of Water, Lilith attacked the Family a few days before Lyra came back. Lilith was searching for a book called The Book of Water when she attacked. While distracting them, Fidget opened a portal to Barge City and threw the book there to protect it. Since Fairies cannot kill each other, Lilith ordered her 10-year-old half-fairy, half-mortal son, Kenrick, to kill Tangle, which he did. Tangle is the first character to die in the series.
• Merrow is a fairy who left the Fairy Realm to pursue the study of science without the interference of magic. This angered Lilith's mother, who stripped him of his fairy powers. When Tangle and Aeval escaped with baby Fidget, Merrow helped them. In gratitude, Aeval gave him the ability to communicate with plants. Though he is eccentric, he is knowledgeable, and knows secret passages into the Fairy Realm. Only he can guide a mortal there. In Dream Chronicles 2, he - as an insect-eating plant – helps Faye to reach the Tower of Dreams and then disappears mysteriously.
• Dream Librarian holds all knowledge, history, and wisdom, and uses it to create countless volumes of books in her enormous library. She has, or can easily find, the answers to every question involving the Fairy Realm. Because of her vast knowledge, she is the primary advisor to the Fairy Lord. Lilith reveals that the Dream Librarian believes that Lyra was the Chosen Child, and that she is actually the one who’s tried to separate Faye and Fidget. This character doesn’t appear, having only been mentioned by Lilith and through Dream Jewels' secrets in Dream Chronicles 2.

KatGames design a mystical world of realistic fantasy where mortal and fairy realms collide for the Dream Chronicles series, which no casual game developer has done before. In every game, players have to travel back-and-forth between the two realms and gradually discover the history of each location. The series is set in an illustrated fantasy world with a floral/woodsy theme to many items, from architecture to furniture. The early games in the series follow the adventures of Faye as she tries to rescue her daughter Lyra. Beginning with the fourth game, The Book of Air, Lyra becomes the protagonist in a series of adventures that charts a new direction for the franchise, although the essential style of puzzles (primarily hidden object games) and gameplay remain consistent. There are many notable locations in the series:[4]

• The Village of Wish: This is where Faye lives with her husband Fidget, her daughter Lyra, and Fidget's parents, Tangle and Aeval. It’s an insular place, far from cities and civilization. The town is surrounded by tall walls, not to keep the residents inside - for they have no desire to leave the safety and warmth of their community - but to protect from the outside world. The gates are secured with complex weighted locks first seen in Dream Chronicles. The streets are cobbled, lined with colorful dwellings and stores. Beyond the walls of Wish lie lush forests and winding roads that lead to other, larger, towns. But the folk of Wish have little desire to visit those distant places. Their homes are secure in their beloved village where they believe no harm can come to them. Before Faye, no one had left this village in many years. This is where Faye begins her journey.
• Lilith's Mansion: This is Lilith's temporary home. In the original Dream Chronicles, she executed her plans to kidnap Fidget from this location.
• The Forgotten Prison: There are 3 chambers in this prison. Fairies that fought the elements of nature were imprisoned here. This is where Faye begins her journey in Dream Chronicles 2.
• The Ancient's Place: This is the birthplace of the Fairy race. Fairies have kept its location secret from mortals for thousands of years. It is protected by an impenetrable force field, making it an ideal spot for Lilith to imprison a mortal like Faye in Dream Chronicles 2.
• The Mortal Maze: This is the tunnel that leads from the Fairy Realm to the Mortal Realm.
• Merrow's Cottage: Merrow's cottage was once a sanctuary for fairies escaping into the Mortal Realm.
• The Tower of Dreams: It holds all the knowledge, wisdom, history, and insight of the fairies. Because of the value of its contents, it is guarded by five ancient Fairy Knights and each floor is protected by ingenious locks. The upper floor is where dreams can be made and watched. In Dream Chronicles 2, Merrow believes that Lilith is holding Fidget and Lyra on that floor. The Eternal Maze lies near this tower.
• The Eternal Maze: As a final safeguard so that no mortal could ever enter or leave the Ancients' Place, the fairies created an underground maze with no light and no map. Unfortunately, this made fairy passage almost impossible as well, and so some of the fairies created a map to help them find their way between realms.
• The Treehouse Village: The people of this village believe that strange occurrences will befall them if they don't live high in treetops. This is where Faye begins her journey in The Chosen Child. This is also a part of the green belt that runs through the fairy world. It is all part of Aeval’s plant network. Though others doubt it, Aeval always knew that the trees saw and remembered everything. Over time they have been used to hide treasures and secrets. In The Book of Air, someone within the fairy world has turned the trees to gold, keeping them from “speaking” with Aeval. The trees are being used to protect a key – the very key the Clockmaker needs to fix his Time Synchronization Machine. Lyra must help the trees in order for the trees to help her in return.
• The Nexus Gateway: This is the transportation hub that Fairies use to travel quickly from the Fairy Realm to the Mortal Realm. In The Chosen Child, players can travel to 6 locations from here: The Treehouse Village, the Herbalist's House, the Observatory, the Village of Wish (Faye's House), the Underwater Retreat, and the Eternal Maze.
• The Observatory: The magic telescope is used to convert constellations into molds. Molds are used in the Forge to create Dream Jewels to open new places in the Nexus Gateway.
• The Herbalist's House: The herbalist is a mortal who acquired fairy knowledge and experimented with potions from various plants. Known for his expertise in potion-making, the Herbalist has recipes for very powerful magical concoctions.
• The Underwater Retreat: Expectant Fairy Mothers travel to this spa-like retreat to rest and restore their magical powers. In The Chosen Child, after releasing Fidget, Lilith decides to go there to restore as she's pregnant. But she still sends notes, instructions, and a crystal ball, to help Faye unite with Lyra.
• The Clockmaker's House: This is a distant frozen tundra where the Clockmaker, a powerful yet solitary fairy, synchronizes time both in the mortal and fairy worlds. The low temperatures at the Clockmaker's House are useful for slowing any clocks that might consider racing ahead. The eternal snow keeps the Clockmaker’s machines pristine. No plants grow in his frozen wasteland, but long ago Aeval brought him flowers from a more hospitable climate, and their image is now pressed into various pieces throughout the Clockmaker’s domain.
• The Wind Music Island: This is the place where fairies created the first music, using the instruments that can be found there. Mortal music, it is said, is born when mortals hear bits of fairy music while they sleep. In the distance, looming ominously, is the Tower of Dreams; where Faye searched for Fidget in Dream Chronicles 2. Before the fairies moved on from Wind Music Island, they created a stone instrument band—musical instruments of stone that played music on their own so that the music would continue forever.
• The Water Collector: This is the basis of the infrastructure for fairy civilization. Here water is collected, purified, and dispersed. For many years Aeval took a proprietary interest in the Water Collector, to be certain all plants were adequately nourished. There is a system inside the cottage which tests not only the purity of the water but the number of elements within each measure of water. Water from different sources carries different properties, which are utilized by fairies responsible for different aspects of the world.
• The Barge City: This is an enchanting fishing village built over the water, far south of the Village of Wish. It is the home of many fishermen and merchants, who live in houses floating on water, connected by wooden boardwalks.
• The Obelisk: This imposing structure conceals a magical figurine used in The Book of Water, but it is not easy to access or open. This is also a very arid and quiet place, in the middle of the desert, but people must still live in those houses carved into the rocks.
• The Crater of Time: This barren area holds the seven magic symbols needed to stop the Eternal Storm spell in The Book of Water. They are locked inside seven mysterious caves.

When players enter a room or any location for the first time, Faye/Lyra makes an entry statement to set players on the right track. Almost all the objects in the room can be described to players by Faye/Lyra; players just need to click on them, and they’ll have a statement with a probable hint. Clicking items places them in your inventory at the bottom of the screen. Once there, players can use these items on other objects and combine them to solve the various conundrums encountered in each location. In the first Dream Chronicles game, unlike in most hard-core adventures, players never carry around any unnecessary inventory items: all the items players collect can be used only within the location players found them, but not in future puzzles. Solve the puzzle at hand and players unlock the door to the next location.[5] Starting in Dream Chronicles 2, the items that players find may be used in scenes other than the ones in which they were found. Objects will stay in the player’s inventory until needed. All items that players are able to pick up will serve a purpose, whether they are used in the scene in which they are found or not. Some items may not become visible in a scene immediately, with players needing to perform other tasks before they become visible.

Each Dream Chronicles game consists of a series of puzzles that the player must solve to reach the next chapter. Most involve searching for and making use of hidden objects, while others include logic puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, word unscrambling puzzles, and mazes. The whole game covers a wide range of game types, including adventure/role-playing. Players are given hints as to how to proceed and some brief instructions, but they need to work out what is actually required themselves. Every puzzle or item in each Dream Chronicles game is blended well with context and the Dream Realm-themed story. The game is separated into many segments and there is a cut-scene between each of these. Cut-scenes in the Dream Chronicles series are often cinematic, wide-screen briefs, which tell the story from Faye/Lyra's point of view. Only a few characters appear directly in these.

Throughout each game, the players also find various coloured or transparent gems. These are Dream Pieces, gems that make up the unique Dream Jewels collection. Each Dream Chronicles game has its own different Dream Jewels collection with different names, shapes, and usages. Completion of Dream Jewels is necessary to complete each game in the series. In the original Dream Chronicles, 8 Dream Jewels give detailed information about Fairies and their roles in the Dream Realm. In Dream Chronicles 2, 15 Dream Jewels answer and explain many dark secrets about Lilith, Lyra, and the Dream Realm. In The Chosen Child, 10 Dream Jewels are used to open new areas. Finally, in The Book of Air, Dream Jewels come with special powers. Finding and completing Dream Jewels also adds to the player's score at the end of the game. There are numerous Dream Pieces molding some exact numbers of Dream Jewels to complete in each Dream Chronicles game. The Dream Jewels collection is a unique element of Dream Chronicles. Though often being credited for borrowing Myst concepts but, in fact, Dream Chronicles is one of the earliest casual game series which has adventure elements combining with hidden object proportions.

The gameplay in Dream Chronicles sequels is largely the same as the original Dream Chronicles, though more complex. In Dream Chronicles 2, in order to solve puzzles, players can go back-and-forth among relative scenes in a separate area. While in The Chosen Child, players can travel to any of the 7 areas in-game by using the nexus gateway. And in The Book of Air, players control their traveling by using Fidget's airship to explore the Dream Realm.

At the end of each game, the player earns a score, mostly based on how quickly players can solve the puzzles and how fast they finish the game, but each instalment has its different extra count. In the original Dream Chronicles, players only need to find and complete the Dream Jewels collection to earn a high score, along with solving puzzles quickly. In Dream Chronicles 2, they have to solve Dream Jewels secrets to do this. And in The Chosen Child, they have to find extra gold nuggets.

The series is mainly designed and developed by KatGames and released first by their direct publisher PlayFirst.

The first set of Dream Chronicles trilogy

Since the first release in June 2007, the series has garnered mostly positive reviews from game critics for its visuals, audio, dream-themed story, characters, and puzzles.[9][10]

Gamezebo, a casual game review site, rated the original Dream Chronicles 5/5 stars. Chuck Miller praised: "It's best described as a casual cousin to epic, hard-core adventures like Myst and Uru. A mix of fantasy and reality, its hypnotic dreamland engages you in a larger-than-life quest, a mystery that needs to be solved one puzzle at a time as the story unfolds around you. [...] Dream Chronicles has all the necessary ingredients of an exceptional game, one that lives up to its marketing hype. Art Nouveau graphics are beautifully rendered, an ethereal soundtrack helps bring the world to life, its engaging narrative draws you into the story and diverse puzzles of varying difficulty keep play interesting and challenging. [...] In short, solving Dream Chronicles's mysteries is a thoroughly enjoyable experience."[5] Dream Chronicles was honored as one of the best casual games of 2007 in the annual Top Games list by Gamezebo's editors, and won a "Zeebys" award for People’s Choice for the "Best Hidden Object & Adventure Game of 2007"[11] as well placing at number one in 2007 customer favorites[12] by Big Fish Games.

The two sequels, Dream Chronicles 2 and The Chosen Child, enjoyed the same success on many major casual game charts and accolades from critics.

Awem Studio praised Dream Chronicles 2: "The artwork is gorgeously dreamy, and it adds some special coloring to the entire atmosphere of mystery and enigma and is a true feature of Dream Chronicles games. ... The visual and sound aspects are greatly satisfying and create a real Dream World. Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze is one of those games that will be engraved in your memory and win over your heart."[13] In July 2009, Dream Chronicles 2 was honoured with 2 awards by RealArcade, "Top Adventure Game of 2008" and "Best World Design", in their first Great Games Awards.[14]

John Bardinelli of Jay Is Games said in his review of The Chosen Child: "The latest instalment in the Dream Chronicles series ... [is] as breathtakingly brilliant as everyone would expect. A little bit of hidden object finding, a little bit of puzzle solving, and a whole lot of adventuring can be found in this superb sequel, along with some of the most gorgeous scenery you've seen since looking out your own window (assuming you live in a fantasy world with fairies, fountains, and vibrant gardens). ... These [Dream Chronicles] titles just keep getting better and better. It's a perfect blend of object finding and adventure gameplay, and the puzzles are constructed so cleverly you might even giggle when you think of the solution. And I swear you'll melt from the combination of the gorgeous visuals and enchanting music." In late 2009, The Chosen Child was placed at number two 2009 customer favourites by Big Fish Games.

Criticism generally focuses on the first and fourth games, for their short length. Gamezebo's Erin Bell once stated: "The length is disappointing when compared to other adventure games, even while acknowledging the attention to detail that care that KatGames put into every scene and puzzle."[10]

As of July 2009, the first three games had been downloaded more than 30 million times.

The second trilogy Lyra's Destiny, started with The Book of Air. Though the game proved to be another commercial success, it garnered many lukewarm reviews, which criticized it for not matching the standards of the previous games. Some reviews praised its Dream Chronicles-trademarked high-quality production values and tricky gameplay, while negative reviews focused on its very short length (only 16 main scenes, shorter than the original Dream Chronicles) and some repetitive puzzles.

As PlayFirst had initially announced and The Book of Water's final scenes implied, there would be a sequel called Dream Chronicles: The Book of Fire to be released. But soon after The Book of Water was released, since July 2011, PlayFirst canceled releasing casual games on PC/Mac platforms in order to focus on its growing mobile gaming market.[1] Because PlayFirst holds Dream Chronicles trademarks, KatGames must have their approval in order to develop a new sequel, thus KatGames had to move on with other projects. Due to that cancellation, The Book of Fire will not be developed and released, and The Book of Water was the last collaboration between PlayFirst and KatGames. Furthermore, due to that early cancellation, the game's development time was cut short to fit PlayFirst's game schedule. KatGames had to reuse several previous games' scenes, background music, and sound effects. The animation was not designed in 3D as KatGames did in previous games. Some puzzles were also cut short and lacked difficulty towards the end; and even the same voice-over was used for both Lyra and Faye; thus, overall making The Book of Water felt unfinished and simplistic.

• Dream Chronicles on PlayFirst
• Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze on PlayFirst
• Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child on PlayFirst
• Dream Chronicles: The Book of Air on PlayFirst
• Dream Chronicles: The Book of Water on PlayFirst