New Early Access gameAssassin's Creed's stealth gameplay. Dream Cycle recently launched, with developer Cathuria Games and Tomb Raider creator Toby Gard promising to offer over 10,000 levels to explore and enemies to contend with.
Players will unravel the mysteries of this massive, procedurally generated dreamscape, playing as arcane apprentice Morgan Carter. Carter was trapped in Dream Cycle's dream dimension after her powers were stolen from her by her relative Randolph. With the Dream Realms fragmenting and the path home cut off, players will have to navigate a strange and weird world to regain their powers and find a way back to the waking world.
The levels in Dream Cycle are created from a large set of ruins-like "chunks," and each reconfiguration can create new ways to sneak around and stealthily dispatch enemies. Dream Cycle gives players a short sword early in the game, and, with it, players can perform a Shadow Strike, a powerful and quiet assassination move that currently carries the bulk of stealthy combat.
Using Shadow Strike in Dream Cycle
Using Shadow Strike in Dream Cycle is pretty simple. Players should simply hold down the attack button, aim for the glowing red indicator on an enemy's body, and release when the crosshairs turn and stay red. When successful, Morgan will lunge from her current position to the enemy and perform a quick, silent stab with her sword. Shadow Strike is usually an instant kill, so players can rely on it when picking off enemies one by one. This way, it's easy to prevent overwhelming combat situations, which can get tough given Dream Cycle's currently limited amount of combat options.
However, Shadow Strike does also come in handy during combat. It can be used when an enemy is vulnerable, which occurs either when Morgan kicks the enemy to knock them off balance, or when she dodges an incoming attack. Dream Cycle gives players a brief slow-motion window, a bit like bullet-time in Breath of the Wild, during which players can aim and launch a Shadow Strike in order to deal heavy damage. This technique is especially useful against Dream Cycle's Eidolons, the boss enemies that appear in some areas. Given each Eidolon's high health, repeatedly dodging and performing Shadow Strikes can be an efficient way to stay safe and deal high damage.
Shadow Strike is especially advantageous when used from above. On level ground, it has fairly limited range, but if Morgan is positioned above her enemies, Shadow Strike becomes a powerful long-range lunge. Dream Cycle is still in Early Access, and some mechanics are a bit limited, but with Shadow Strike, the stealth action aspects of the game have a solid foundation for enjoyable gameplay.
Next: Dream Cycle Preview: A Vast New World Awaits
Dream Cycle is in Early Access and is available for PC.
