The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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The Dream Machine is an award-winning point & click adventure game about exploring other people's dreams. It's built by hand using materials such as clay, cardboard and broccoli.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is a point & click, hand-drawn and adventure game
developed by Cockroach Inc.
and published by The Sleeping Machine.
Released on May 11th 2012 is available in English only on Windows.
It has received 2,173 reviews of which 1,893 were positive and 280 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.3 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 3.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 through various videos and screenshots.
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
OS: Windows XP or later
Processor: 1.8 GHz processor
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Hard Drive: 1.2 GB HD space
Additional Notes: Mouse recommended
Processor: 1.8 GHz processor
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Hard Drive: 1.2 GB HD space
Additional Notes: Mouse recommended
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
I really enjoyed this game and it's a personal favorite of mine! If you're a fan of sci-fi, especially related to things like dreams and psychology, alternate worlds, and strange technology, I would recommend it. The story is also compelling, showcasing through the protagonist the complicated feelings of starting a new phase of life as a parent. And it's clearly a passion project, with all of the hand-crafted environments and the weird and unique scenarios present across each chapter, which is cool to experience and support in indie games. For some things that may put people off: The puzzles can be a bit confusing at times, I didn't mind using a guide when needed but it does make later chapters harder to replay and I could see this being more frustrating to some players. Some people have performance issues - I didn't on my first playthrough, but on some replays Chapter 6 would crash a few times near the start. Also, later chapters can get weirder or a bit uncomfortable for some people, but I feel like it adds to the general strange atmosphere and absurdity of the dream world. Overall it's a very underrated game though and I hope more people check it out! Or check out the definitive edition when that releases with added content/performance fixes!
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The Dream Machine is one of the most memorable point-and-click adventures I’ve played. Each episode has its own logic and atmosphere, and the handcrafted stop-motion world gives the game a tone that’s both charming and unsettling. The story begins light and quirky, but gradually becomes serious and surprisingly emotional. The final episode leans heavily on dialogue and non-interactive content, which slowed the pacing for me, but the overall journey is worth it. A unique and human game — imperfect, ambitious and deeply imaginative.
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The Dream Machine is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. Even though I finished it a year ago, its images continue to linger in my mind, transforming into ideas that inspire my own work as an artist. From the very first moment you enter its handcrafted surreal worlds, the sense of being in a dream becomes immersive. The characters dreams are not merely decorative scenes, they are psychoanalytic landscapes revealing the deepest aspects of their soul. In my opinion, the Dream Machine is a very philosophical and existential game. Humans desire to control dreams through a machine, to understand and manipulate the chaotic mind. Yet the more they try, the more the line between reality and fantasy/dream blurs. The protagonist and through him, the player asks: "Could my life be someone else's dream?" or big philosophical questions like "How can we know that we truly exist?". I interpret the game's ending as a kind of acceptance of the existential unknown and uncertainty. Its only potential flaw might be the lack of clear guidance for solving the puzzles sometimes, which can be frustrating. Yet, even this challenge feels fitting within the game .
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This game is simply GREAT! It offers: * Increasingly challenging but not unfair/illogical puzzles. * An emotionally engaging story that's never cliché. * A unique art style that's a treat to look at. Seriously, give it a try. I'm still on the fence about the ending but the road there is one helluva emotional rollercoster, A BLAST even. I'm currently on my 2nd replay and I realized how much this game makes me feel things (especially now that I know how the story ends and can pick up on pieces of foreshadowing). Emotionally, I consider it on par with the game "Disco Elysium", the show "BoJack Horseman" and the beginning of the movie "Up!" (especially further into the game), as all of these focus on a lot on the sad realities of life. If you enjoy the wonderful art, music and general vibes of Amanita Studios' games, or the old claymation classic Neverhood, you'll feel right at home here (though it's less whimsical, has actual dialogue and a progressively darker tone). There are lots of minor characters which whom you only spend a brief time, yet get to know them and form some form of relationship with them. There's one whose backstory is mostly implied but really heart-breaking once you connect the dots (which you will, once you start speaking to a sentient object). Another character seems scary and malicious at first but actually helps you and when they return later, you realize how glad you are to see them. (Which, for me, evokes comic-book writer Grant Morrisson's tendency to have his heroes fight a non-human monstrosity, only to end up making friends with an even more alien entity because different doesn't equal bad and friendship = good.) Regardless of whether you're a fan of adventure games or not, please give this one a try! (And no, regardless of what some reviews claim, the story does NOT require you to abort a fetus. You could actually choose to deliver a baby.) And oh yeah, they're apparently making an indie movie adaption so go play it before the movie comes out.
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Is the island with the two palm trees picture supposed to be a reference to The Static Speaks My Name? Not sure if anyone else noticed this. I love the art style of this game. The puzzles are fun and the story is interesting so far.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is currently priced at 3.99€ on Steam.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 3.99€ on Steam.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 received 1,893 positive votes out of a total of 2,173 achieving a rating of 8.34.
😎
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 was developed by Cockroach Inc. and published by The Sleeping Machine.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is not playable on MacOS.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is not playable on Linux.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is a single-player game.
There are 5 DLCs available for The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2. Explore additional content available for The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 on Steam.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 does not support Steam Remote Play.
The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 24 January 2026 22:29 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 23 January 2026 11:43 |
| Steam price | 28 January 2026 20:50 |
| Steam reviews | 28 January 2026 11:57 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
2
Developer
Cockroach Inc.
Publisher
The Sleeping Machine
Release
11 May 2012
Platforms
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