Land of Infinite Dreams - Preview of an indie that feels like PS2

The PlayStation 2 era is commonly referred to as the golden age of video games. It was fertile ground for a whole series of experiences that didn't aim to be perfect triple-A titles with jaw-dropping graphics or refined gameplay; rather, they presented themselves as strange and imperfect products, but endowed with a strong identity and based on creative ideas.

It's an era remembered with nostalgia and a touch of regret by those who have been gaming for a while. However, an increasing number of indie studios are trying to recreate the sensations of PS2 games in their titles, putting fun and creativity back at the center of the village instead of mere frame counting.

And it is precisely one of these titles, Lands of Infinite Dreams, that has recently come into my hands. A project still in development that seems to have just stepped out of a time machine: a third-person action-adventure, currently raw and unpolished, but strongly looking back at the old classics of Sony's 128-bit era.
So, after a chat with its creator,
Hovsep Markosyan (a former member of the team behind Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice) I dove into the pre-alpha demo made available to us.

Despite some mechanics still needing refinement, the experience took me back in time, exactly to the golden age of the PS2.

Land Of Infinite Dreams; it's like PS2 but in 2026

Lands of Infinite Dreams puts us in the shoes of Princess Luna, lost in a dreamlike world shaped by the traumas of her past, where her fears have come to life. Our task will be to help Luna come to terms with her specters and find a way out.

The demo I had the opportunity to try exclusively, lasting about twenty minutes, allowed us to test firsthand the pillars on which the entire production is based: environmental puzzles, enemy encounters, exploration, and dynamic dialogues.

The mechanics I appreciated the most are those related to environmental puzzles, which exploit Luna's ability to control moonlight and interact with the scenery. This meant that the three puzzles present, despite their inherent simplicity, were very different from each other: in one, it was necessary to use light to write a word on the floor, another required interacting with a series of objects in a room to open a chest, while the last turned out to be a classic tile puzzle.

Many good ideas, but also much to review

During the playtest, I also had the chance to clash with some enemies around the castle. The mechanics related to combat are perhaps the weakest part of the experience: Luna can throw luminous spheres at bosses and minions, who approach her so slowly that they give the player plenty of time to aim and attack without too much trouble.

Even the multiple-choice dialogues did not require complex or decisive branching for the purposes of the demo; sometimes they simply offered two different ways to respond, without any impact on the plot. On the one hand, this makes sense, as Lands of Infinite Dreams is proposed as a linear story, however, the development team has promised that in the final build some decisions will influence the narrated events.

On the technical side, the game is already well-structured. Graphically, it offers an aesthetic that recalls PS2 titles but reinterpreted in a modern key, accompanied by good audio, with sound tracks that perfectly match what appears on screen and excellent voice acting for the current state of production.

Land Of Infinite Dreams is still raw, but can blossom

During the 20 minutes spent in-game, it was impossible not to recognize the obvious inspirations from pillars like Alice: Madness Returns or Child of Light, however, it is equally easy to notice a certain naivety in the game design, which at times struggles to justify the presence of certain elements.

Let's be clear, we are talking about a work still in full development: the team has plenty of time to smooth out the rough edges of the experience and, perhaps, expand those dynamics that work but are currently barebones.

Currently, Lands of Infinite Dreams does not yet have a release date, but if you are looking for a title with strong PS2-era vibes and a lot of soul, we strongly recommend following its development on Steam.