Shape of Dreams Review Overview
What is Shape of Dreams?
Shape of Dreams is a fast-paced action roguelite with hack-and-slash combat and MOBA-style teamplay elements set in an elusive dream world where it bends to those who have the ability and power strong enough to shape it. Play as any of the 8 playable Travelers, each with their own unique combat styles, in either solo play or co-op play with up to three other players.
Developed by Korean developer Lizard Smoothie and published by NEOWIZ (Lies of P), it aims to provide a new and innovative roguelite experience that stands out from the rest with its skill-shot centered combat, wide variety of customization, and co-op gameplay.
Shape of Dreams features:
⚫︎ Eight Travelers, Eight Unique Combat Styles
⚫︎ A Wide Variety of Builds to Mix and Match With
⚫︎ Eight Worlds to Explore
⚫︎ Solo and Co-Op Play
| Digital Storefronts | |
|---|---|
 Steam |
|
| $24.99 | |
Shape of Dreams Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Engaging, Action-Packed Gameplay Tons of Unlockables Satisfying Progression Charming, Dream-like Visuals |
Bare Narrative A Few Visual Drops Here and There |
Shape of Dreams Overall Score - 82/100
Shape of Dreams is a well-crafted roguelite that brings something new to the genre, blending together familiar elements of MOBA and ARPG games and turning it into a fast-paced, engaging game with fluid controls, exciting combat, and a rewarding progression system. While it may not have the best storyline and has its visual weaknesses, this roguelite is definitely one that fans of the genre shouldn’t miss.
Shape of Dreams Story - 7/10
While the rest of the game is quite stellar, its narrative isn’t the strongest. Players take on the role of either of eight characters, called Travelers, all with their own motivations for entering the perilous Rapids to take down the First Dreamer and have their wish granted. A solid foundation, predictable, and is straight to the point—however, the rest of the world, The Rapids, and the world-building is left somehow of a mystery.
Shape of Dreams Gameplay - 9/10
Shape of Dreams’ gameplay is where it shines—combining adrenaline-pumping hack-and-slash gameplay with MOBA-style mechanics makes for engaging, thrilling combat. Controls, whether MOBA or WASD, work perfectly and neither don’t feel awkward. Build customization is fun and keeps the game from feeling stale despite going through the same sets of enemies with almost every run. However, to those unfamiliar with roguelites, it can feel incredibly grindy and overwhelming.
Shape of Dreams Visuals - 8/10
The game’s visuals are stunning, from the unique character designs to the different detailed environments of The Rapids. Not one map or area looks exactly the same, making the game feel more alive and varied. There are some moments where the frame rate stutters and the game freezes for a split second, but nothing game-breaking or incredibly off-putting.
Shape of Dreams Audio - 8/10
Sound design and effects are full and substantial, with each clang of the sword, bullet of the gun, or explosions of a dozen abilities coming together feeling immersive. While its background music coordinates well with its environment, with each map having their own variation of sound, it’s not as memorable. It lacks voice acting (aside from the prologue), but it’s not an immense loss.
Shape of Dreams Value for Money - 9/10
For $25, it has endless replayability with not one run being exactly the same, the option for either solo play or co-op play, and tons of unlockables and builds to create. You’ll most likely be playing well-beyond reaching the end, making each and every dollar worth it.
Shape of Dreams Review: The Stuff of Dreams
One glance at Shape of Dreams, and it immediately reminds me of another popular game within the roguelite and roguelike genres—Hades (and by connection, Hades 2), an indie darling that most gamers have had a hand at (me included). Despite it looking visually similar in terms of how flashy and action-packed it is, I quickly learned that it’s rather different—in a good way that I never expected.
I’ve had my fair share of roguelites and roguelikes, all clamoring to be the next big thing with innovative mechanics and fusions—and Shape of Dreams just has what it takes to stand out.
Shape of Dreams pulls players into a mysterious realm that sits precariously on the edge of reality and dreams called The Rapids. Born in the aftermath of The First Dreamer’s ascension into godhood, it opened up the barrier between the two worlds. Legends say that those who reach the deepest depths of this dream world can achieve anything their heart desires, and thus countless dreamers have delved into its world for a chance to have their wish come true. However, The Rapids is nothing but dangerous, filled with hostile monsters and the shadow-cloaked Hunters. The risks are high, but so is the gleaming prize.
Each of the eight playable characters (seven of which are unlockable after reaching certain requirements) have their own reasons for stepping into The Rapids. It’s up to you, the player, to see their ambition fulfilled.
Smooth and Engaging Combat That Blends MOBA and Hack-and-Slash
Shape of Dreams’ bread-and-butter is its engaging, adrenaline-pumping gameplay. It revolves around action-packed combat that fuses hack-and-slash with MOBA-style skills and mechanics, all played in a top-down perspective ala MOBA. Players are tasked with eliminating hostile enemies through procedurally generated maps, gaining experience points to level up, and acquiring upgradable skills called Memories, all in order to make their descent down The Rapids a la dungeon crawler.
Each character, called Traveler in game, is of a certain class such as Ranged Attacker, Melee Attacker, Ranged Mage, and more, which are similar to classic RPG classes. However, the unique catch is, while they possess their own unique basic abilities, customization is endless—all four slots of a character’s skill bar, including their character-locked Memory, can be modified to the player’s liking. Players can create a variety of build combinations among 115 Memories (abilities) and 75 Essences (equipable buffs for Memories).
With that much variety and dozens or thousands of combinations of four Memories with even more permutations regarding Essences, not one run will feel exactly the same as the other. I’ve barely scratched the surface with what I have—how much more when I’m 10, 20 hours in? While some combinations of Memories and Essences synergize extremely well with one another compared to others, it’s not punishing, and players are free to do as they please.
Combat controls are extremely smooth and snappy as well, making any type of combination of Memories a delight to execute. While there is no lag to the controls, the frame rate may drop just a bit when there’s a lot going on, like multiple spells being cast at the same time as enemies chucking projectiles your way. Then again, it may depend on how beefy your gaming rig is.
MOBA and ARPG Enthusiasts Will Feel Right at Home
With all that said, those who are familiar with DOTA 2, League of Legends (LoL) and other MOBAs will have a field day with Shape of Dreams—the gameplay, the controls, and the terms are almost completely the same (Attack Speed, Crit, AP or Ability Power, etc. with only Cooldown becoming Memory Haste instead). Sometimes, it feels like you’re still playing on the Summoner’s Rift, only without turrets and the need to defend anything but yourself.
Even some of the skills are reminiscent of familiar champions in LoL, at least from what I remember from the past (as a retired player)—ranged attacker Lacerta plays somehow like a mix of LoL’s Jhin and Miss Fortune, and mage Yubar feels like Ahri with some Soraka skills thrown into the mix. Melee sword-user Mist gives off the aura of Fiora and Irelia, but I personally haven’t used her enough to warrant a proper opinion. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the other characters also possessed similar inspirations to existing LoL or MOBA characters as well.
Rewarding Solo Play or Co-Op Play
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test out the co-op mode to its full potential, but the game is entirely just as good in solo player, although maybe just a little more difficult to clear (goddamn, the third boss is kicking my sorry behind!). I’d like to point this out because there are co-op games that look incredibly tailored to being co-op so joke’s on you if you have no friends, but Shape of Dreams doesn’t make you feel that way. It’s not impossible to finish the game solo, and everything can be cleared even without a team.
Even if there are support characters like Aurena whose kit is more beneficial as a team, they can still definitely be played as a solo player—think of it when you play a support character in LoL and build on dishing out damage instead, much to the chagrin of your ADC (heh).
Grindy, But Rewarding
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. If you’re the type of player that hates grindy games that take tons of effort and repeated runs to get better, Shape of Dreams is not for you. It’s a roguelite—it’s supposed to be. You play through it time and time again not only to get used to the game, but also to acquire Stardust in order to further upgrade your characters’ potentials.
With it being a roguelite, you will inevitably die and die again (unless you’re really darn good at the game), slowly growing stronger with each passing run. The upgrades seem miniscule, the first few ones feeling as if they don’t do anything and that you’ve just wasted your precious Stardust. However, the more you unlock better nodes for their Constellations (which somehow are like skill trees that give extra stat boosts) and upgrade them, everything starts coming together and somehow, finishing the first two worlds is easy as 1-2-3.
Shape of Dreams rewards painstaking hard work, and is not for those who want an easy game that gives everything to them at a snap of a finger. But boy, the sense of accomplishment you get from easily clearing levels that used to be more difficult to deal with, and looking all the bit more flashy with it (all the skills are bright and flashy)…it’s exhilarating, enough so that you’d want to try it over and over again.
The Narrative is Just Okay
While all that’s good and done, Shape of Dreams is not a perfect game—it’s a bit lacking in the narrative department. Sure, you’re given the origin of The Rapids and the reason why all these characters are there in the first place, as well as their own short backstories of their motivation for even attempting such a perilous journey.
Yet, there’s little to no immersion involved—everything is just laid out in text (except the introductory prologue) and leaving you with more questions than answers. You get bits of lore about the dream world as well through Artifacts you collect and have appraised, but nothing substantial enough to make you feel more in-tune to their strange world. It’s decent enough that it doesn’t mar the experience entirely, but there could have been much more done there.
With that said, unlike myself, thrillseekers who are all in on the action may find this bare narrative favorable, since most of the game is really just centered on the gameplay with little to no extra cutscenes (aside from the opening prologue, I didn’t encounter anything else draggy or long).
Is Shape of Dreams Worth It?
Worth Every Darn Penny
After about a dozen or so runs (I stopped counting), I can confidently say that Shape of Dreams is worth every penny for its engaging combat and immense replayability. Every run feels fresh, keeping the game from getting stale quickly, and accomplishing one is superbly rewarding as well. For $25 and hours upon hours of gameplay (probably twice that if you’ve got a handy crew with you), it’s worth the money and time investment for some grindy fun.
It’s definitely a treat for roguelite and roguelike enthusiasts looking for something new, and is not unnecessarily complex even for those without prior experience. For MOBA players who want a little break from the typical laning gameplay, Shape of Dreams is also a good way to still get that adrenaline-pumping MOBA fix without (most of) the extra stress.
| Digital Storefronts | |
|---|---|
| Steam |
|
| $24.99 | |
Shape of Dreams FAQ
What platforms is Shape of Dreams on?
It is only available to play on Steam as of writing. Developers Lizard Smoothie and publisher NEOWIZ have yet to announce any console releases.
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Shape of Dreams Product Information
 |
|
| Title | Shape of Dreams |
|---|---|
| Release Date | September 11, 2025 |
| Developer | Lizard Smoothie |
| Publisher | NEOWIZ |
| Supported Platforms | Steam |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Shape of Dreams Official Website |
