Dream Trigger 3D

Dream Trigger 3D is an action shooter game for the Nintendo 3DS and was developed by Art Co Ltd. Dream Trigger 3D is not an easy game to define. It’s one part shmup and one part puzzle game, with a dash of rhythm thrown in for good measure. If that doesn’t sound strange enough, the concept behind the game goes even further: Players are tasked with delving into the bleakest depths of their consciousness in order to battle and defeat nightmares. Essentially, players are “dream fixers.” 

Dream Trigger’s complex shmup-based gameplay focuses on a concept of sonar pings. The bottom (touch) screen of the 3DS features a grid that players tap with the stylus to position sonar pings. A rhythmic sonar wipe moves across the screen, and where ever the player tapped the screen, a sonar signal is activated. This is necessary because all enemies are generally invisible, and cannot be attacked unless a sonar signal makes them visible.

Careful planning and a strict attention to detail are necessary to lay pings in anticipation of enemy movements, and in order to constantly move the player character out of the way of enemy attacks. The basic gameplay mode is “World Map Mode” which starts with a couple stages and gradually opens up as players complete and advance through new areas. The map screen is a system of branching lines connecting the stages, and Dream Points are spent advancing to new areas.

Through this mode, new stages are unlocked for use in other modes. There are also Free Play and Time Attack modes, which play exactly as they appear. The former is to play any unlocked stage freely for a point total to add to the player’s personal scoreboard, and the latter challenges players in a similar fashion, but rate time limits rather than score. There is also a local wireless versus mode for two players with two Nintendo 3DS systems.