D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die

Last updated
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die
D4 Dark Dreams Don't Die cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Access Games
Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios [lower-alpha 1]
Director(s)
Producer(s) Nobou Tomita
Designer(s)
  • Keisuke Mori
  • Shintaro Imai
Programmer(s) Masato Kono
Masanori Okabe
Artist(s) Hitoshi Okamoto
Writer(s)
  • Hidetaka Suehiro
  • Hiroyuki Saegusa
  • Kenji Goda
Composer(s)
Engine Unreal Engine 3 [1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseXbox One
19 September 2014 [2]
Microsoft Windows
5 June 2015
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player [3]

D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die is an episodic graphical adventure video game developed by Access Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox One. The title represents the phrase "Dark Dreams Don't Die" and the fourth dimension (time). [4] The game is unrelated to D or D2 . [4] [5] The initial release contains a prologue and two episodes that make up season one of the series. A PC version was released on 5 June 2015, published by Playism in partnership with Access Games. In October 2016, Hidetaka Suehiro announced that he had left Access Games and that there would be no more episodes of D4. [6]

Contents

Gameplay

A screenshot of David and Amanda D4 Game Screenshot.jpg
A screenshot of David and Amanda

The main character is David Young, a private investigator whose wife has been murdered. [4] The traumatic events surrounding her death left Young unable to recollect those memories, but has allowed him to travel through time. [4] Young travels through time to undo the murder. [4] The player cannot time travel arbitrarily, as the powers are activated upon finding certain objects that bring the player to specific points in time. [4]

D4 is an Xbox One title that uses Kinect controls with "simple gestures and voice" to uncover the mystery. [4] The game uses cel-shaded graphics similar to that of a graphic novel. [4] For the PC version, however, Kinect has been disabled in favor of mouse controls. Some improvements have also been implemented in the PC version, such as upgrading the frame rate to 60 fps, shortening load times, and fixing bugs that were present in the original version. [7]

Plot

Two years prior to the events in the game, David Young, a narcotics officer for the Boston police, comes home to find his wife dying. He hears her final words, "Look for D," before waking up in the ICU. Lodged in his head is a bullet that the story alludes to being received by his wife's murderer. Other than coming home to his dying wife and her final words, Young cannot recall what happened that day. This inability haunts him as he undertakes the investigation into the incident. A botched investigation by the police (and a questioning of his sanity) leads Young to resign and become a private investigator, opting to solve the case himself. Aiding him is his newfound "gift" to travel into the past: an ability he credits to a bullet lodged in his head. By touching objects, or what is referred to as "mementos," Young can travel backwards to a specific place and time and to where that object was relevant. What he gains with his gift, however, he loses with memories of his wife and the incident.

David, with his newly gained ability, uses it to uncover the unknown assailant by investigating everyone whose name starts with "D." With help from his former partner, Young gets a lead about a man whose boss's name starts with "D" and who went missing on a plane after it was struck by lightning. David uses a memento to travel back into the past to investigate.

Reception

The Xbox One version received "generally favourable reviews", while the PC version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [8] [9] In Japan, Famitsu gave the Xbox One version a score of two eights, one nine, and one eight for a total of 33 out of 40. [12]

Digital Spy gave the Xbox One version four stars out of five and said that it "may just be the beginning, but it is easily one of the most delightfully bizarre trips of the year. It won't always make sense, but there is a consistent earnestness to its oddity that somehow makes it all work in harmony of '80s saxophone riffs and overly-affected Boston accents." [23] The Escapist similarly gave it four stars out of five and said, "D4 is ridiculous. It's weird, and silly, and makes very little sense. It's also hilarious, and packed with some of the most engaging motion-controlled sequences I've ever played. Coming from someone who generally doesn't like the Kinect, that's a damn big achievement!" [26] 411Mania gave it a score of 7.5 out of 10 and said, "If you want a game that will leave your jaw on the floor more than once, have at it. If you want something a bit more substantial, this may not be the game for you." [27] Metro gave both console versions each a score of seven out of ten and called the game itself "A worthy follow-up to Deadly Premonition, although whether it earns the same classic status will depend largely on the subsequent episodes" or "...on whether the story is ever finished." [25] [24] However, Anime News Network gave the PC version a C+, saying, "The wheels of game production turn ever on. As the pressure of expanding budgets makes games like this the exception in a world populated by Final Fantasy , Assassin's Creed and, paradoxically, the Telltale Adventure Game model itself, the Season One moniker slapped on this PC port begins to feel like the twist of a knife: the mildly laughable suggestion that there would ever be a Season Two. Despite D4's ham-fisted grabs at Twin Peaks touchstones and its persistent supposition that "eccentric" is an express shortcut to "intriguing," somehow it's still disappointing we might never see any more of it." [28]

D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die was nominated for "Destructoid's Best of E3 2014" as "Best Xbox Exclusive" at E3 in 2014. [29] It was also nominated for "TGS Awards 2014" in the category Xbox at TGS, and for "4Gamer Awards" as "Rookie Exclusive" on 1 October 2014. [30] At the 2014 National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) awards the game won Camera Direction in a Game Engine. [31]

Notes

  1. ↑ Windows version published by Playism.

Related Research Articles

<i>Deadly Premonition</i> 2010 open world survival horror video game

Deadly Premonition is a 2010 open world survival horror video game developed by Access Games. Set in the fictional rural American town of Greenvale, Washington, the story follows FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan as he investigates the murder of an eighteen-year-old woman, which bears similarities to a series of murders across the country. Deadly Premonition was originally released in February 2010 for Xbox 360 and in March 2010 for PlayStation 3; the Xbox 360 version was published by Ignition Entertainment in North America, Marvelous Entertainment in Japan, and Rising Star Games in Europe. Marvelous Entertainment released the PlayStation 3 version exclusively in Japan. A director's cut edition for PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows was released worldwide by Rising Star Games in 2013. A port for the Nintendo Switch, Deadly Premonition: Origins, followed in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D4 Enterprise</span> Japanese video game publisher

D4 Enterprise Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game publisher currently specializing in content delivery services like Project EGG, EGGY and PicoPico over the Internet. The company has also collaborated with Nintendo to re-release Neo Geo, MSX and arcade titles for the Wii, and MSX titles for the Wii U, as part of the Virtual Console services on both consoles.

<i>World of Tanks</i> Massively multiplayer online game

World of Tanks (WoT) is an armoured warfare-themed multiplayer online game developed by Wargaming, featuring 20th century (1910s–1970s) era combat vehicles. It is built upon a freemium business model where the game is free-to-play, but participants also have the option of paying a fee for use of "premium" features. The focus is on player vs. player gameplay with each player controlling an armored vehicle, from the time of Pre-World War 2 to the Cold War-era.

<i>Dark Souls</i> (video game) 2011 video game

Dark Souls is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games. A spiritual successor to FromSoftware's Demon's Souls, the game is the first in the Dark Souls series. The game takes place in the kingdom of Lordran, where players assume the role of a cursed undead character who begins a pilgrimage to discover the fate of their kind. A port for Windows featuring additional content, known as the Prepare to Die Edition, was released in August 2012. It was also released for consoles under the subtitle Artorias of the Abyss in October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hidetaka Suehiro</span> Japanese video game creator

Hidetaka Suehiro, known as SWERY or Swery65, is a Japanese video game director and writer. He was one of the founding members of the game development studio Access Games which is based in Osaka. His roles in the company included director, designer, and writer. He is the director of the games Spy Fiction, Deadly Premonition and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die. He then left the company in 2016, and he founded his own studio, named White Owls Inc.

<i>Hard Reset</i> 2011 video game

Hard Reset is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by Flying Wild Hog and released for Windows in September 2011. The game features a cyberpunk plot within a dystopian world, and draws inspiration from the works of William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, and Philip K. Dick to create its story, setting and atmosphere.

<i>Dark Souls II</i> 2014 video game

Dark Souls II is a 2014 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. The second installment of the Dark Souls series, it was released for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by FromSoftware in Japan and Bandai Namco Games internationally. Taking place in the kingdom of Drangleic, the game follows a cursed undead character searching for a cure to their affliction. Dark Souls II was released in March 2014 after some initial delays, with the Windows version being released the following month.

<i>WWE 2K15</i> 2014 video game

WWE 2K15 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to WWE 2K14, and was succeeded by WWE 2K16. It was released on October 28, 2014, in North America and on October 31, 2014, in Europe for last generation consoles and released on November 18, 2014, in North America and on November 21, 2014, in Europe for current generation consoles. It was released for Microsoft Windows on April 28, 2015, and was the first WWE game to be released on the platform since WWE Raw, which was released in 2002. Online server play was shut down on May 31, 2016. It is the first game in the series to use the new WWE logo since it was introduced earlier in 2014, which was originally used as the logo of the WWE Network.

<i>Trials Fusion</i> 2014 video game

Trials Fusion is a platform racing video game developed by Ubisoft RedLynx in collaboration with Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Kyiv. A follow-up to Trials Evolution, it is the fifth game in the Trials series and is the first one to be released on a PlayStation platform. The game was released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in April 2014. A companion game, Trials Frontier, was released on iOS and Android devices and designed to accompany the console and PC title. Ubisoft released six paid DLC packs, as well as several free content updates. Online multiplayer was added in an update on January 24, 2015.

<i>Strider</i> (2014 video game) 2014 video game

Strider, known in Japan as Strider Hiryū, is a platform-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Double Helix Games and Capcom's Osaka studio. It was released in February 2014 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It is a reboot of the 1989 video game Strider.

<i>7 Days to Die</i> 2016 video game

7 Days to Die is a survival horror video game set in an open world developed by the Fun Pimps. It was released through early access for OS X and Windows on December 13, 2013, and for Linux on November 22, 2014. Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in 2016 through Telltale Publishing, but are no longer being developed. A 1.0 version was released for the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on July 25, 2024.

<i>Puyo Puyo Tetris</i> 2014 crossover puzzle video game

Puyo Puyo Tetris is a 2014 puzzle video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. The game is a crossover between the Puyo Puyo series and the Tetris franchise, and features various gameplay modes incorporating both aspects. The game includes characters modeled and named after the seven Tetrominos, which are different puzzle pieces each made of four blocks.

<i>Battlefield Hardline</i> 2015 video game

Battlefield Hardline is a first-person shooter video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in March 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Unlike the previous games in the Battlefield series, Hardline focuses on crime, heist and policing elements instead of military warfare.

<i>Toy Soldiers: War Chest</i> 2015 video game

Toy Soldiers: War Chest is an action/strategy video game developed by Signal Studios and published by Ubisoft. The game was released in August 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

<i>Ghost of a Tale</i> 2016 video game

Ghost of a Tale is an independent action role-playing stealth game developed primarily by game designer and DreamWorks and Universal Pictures veteran Lionel "Seith" Gallat. The title was funded by a successful Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign which ran from April–May 2013, raising €48,700. An early version was released in 2016 on Windows PCs and the Xbox One as part of Microsoft's ID@Xbox indie developer program. The final PC version was released on March 13, 2018. On February 16, 2019, it was announced that the release date of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions would be March 12, 2019. The game was released for the Nintendo Switch on October 8, 2020. A version for Amazon Luna was released on October 20, 2020.

<i>Tetris Ultimate</i> 2014 video game

Tetris Ultimate is a puzzle video game developed by American studio SoMa Play and published by Ubisoft. Ubisoft partnered with The Tetris Company to develop the game to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Tetris franchise.

Dark Souls is a dark fantasy action role-playing game series developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the series began with the release of Dark Souls (2011) and has seen two sequels, Dark Souls II (2014) and Dark Souls III (2016). It has received critical acclaim, with its high level of difficulty being among its most discussed aspects, while the first Dark Souls is often cited as one of the greatest games of all time. The series had shipped over 35 million copies outside of Japan as of 2023. Other FromSoftware games, including Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring, share several related concepts and led to the creation of the Soulslike subgenre.

<i>Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Dont Dry</i> 2018 video game

Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry is an adventure video game developed by German studio CrazyBunch and published by Assemble Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. The game is set during the 21st century and follows Larry as he attempts to navigate the world of online dating in order to meet up with his latest dream girl. An Xbox One version was released on 15 September 2020.

References

  1. ↑ Darwich, Aki (1 December 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (Prologue, Episodes 1 & 2) AUTOMATON Review". Automaton. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Deadly Premonition dev's Xbox One exclusive D4 launches tomorrow". Eurogamer.net. 2014-09-18. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  3. ↑ "D4 Brings the Bizarre to Life, David Lynch-Style". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. 11 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Arendt, Susan (13 June 2013). "D4 Brings Stylish Murder to Xbox One". The Escapist . Defy Media. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  5. ↑ Mooks, Kevin (18 September 2014). "D4 and the Evolution of the Noir Adventure Game". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Suehiro, Hidetaka (30 October 2016). "Day 360, Unfortunately I retired from Access Games after all". Twitter . Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Jenkins, David (12 May 2015). "D4 on PC interview – SWERY talks PC gaming and Deadly Premonition". Metro . DMG Media. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  8. 1 2 "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  9. 1 2 "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  10. ↑ Carter, Chris (19 September 2014). "Review: D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (Prologue, Episode 1, Episode 2) (Xbox One)". Destructoid . Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Edge staff (December 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (XOne)". Edge . No. 273. Future plc. p. 123.
  12. 1 2 Romano, Sal (21 October 2014). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1351". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  13. ↑ Reiner, Andrew (23 September 2014). "D4 [Dark Dreams Don't Die] (XOne): Murder With A Sense Of Humor". Game Informer . GameStop. Archived from the original on September 26, 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  14. ↑ Vazquez, Jessica (10 June 2015). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (PC) Review". Game Revolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  15. ↑ Vazquez, Jessica (30 September 2014). "D4 Review (XOne)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  16. ↑ VanOrd, Kevin (19 September 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die Review (XOne)". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  17. ↑ Navarro, Alex (30 September 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die Review (XOne)". Giant Bomb . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  18. ↑ Shea, Cam (22 September 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die Review (XOne)". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  19. ↑ Conditt, Jessica (24 September 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die review: True Kinective (XOne)". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  20. ↑ Wilson, Aoife (29 September 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die Review". Official Xbox Magazine UK . Future plc. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  21. ↑ Blyth, Jon (5 June 2015). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die review". PC Gamer . Future plc. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  22. ↑ McElroy, Justin (19 September 2014). "D4 review: fire walk with D (XOne)". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  23. 1 2 Nichols, Scott (24 September 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die review (Xbox One): A delightfully bizarre trip". Digital Spy . Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  24. 1 2 Jenkins, David (11 June 2015). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die PC review - second premonition". Metro. DMG Media. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  25. 1 2 Jenkins, David (22 September 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die review - crazy premonition". Metro. DMG Media. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  26. ↑ Sterling, Jim (18 September 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die Review - Thirsty For The D (XOne)". The Escapist. Defy Media. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  27. ↑ Meekin, Paul (15 October 2014). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (Xbox One) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  28. ↑ Riley, Dave (10 June 2015). "D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (PC)". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  29. ↑ Aziz, Hamza CTZ (12 June 2014). "Destructoid's Best of E3 2014 nominees!". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  30. ↑ Taitai (1 October 2014). "メディアアワード「4Gamer大賞＆優秀賞」の結果を発表！――TGSで4Gamerが選んだタイトルは「Evolve」と「Never Alone」の2作品" [Announced the results of the Media Awards "4Gamer Grand Prize & Excellence Award"! Two works of 4Gamer chose title in --TGS the "Evolve", "Never Alone"]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  31. ↑ "NAVGTR Awards (2014)". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 16 February 2015. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.