Dreamweb 30 years later: A look back at the game, its dark setting, and its soundtrack

Box Cover Art

It's been 30 years since dreamweb shook the gaming world; its complete soundtrack had been re-released a while ago; so it's time to cast our gaze at this little gem once more.

Upon its release, "dreamweb" created quite the stir within the gaming community and press; in large part due to the themes and tropes of the game.
It featured some of the most explicit content related to sex and violence at its time (and in some scenes, both of these combined).
The story, set in a "cyberpunk noir" type world, is, in my opinion, amongst the most bleak and nihilistic, in any game or media, ever.

Cyberpunk Style

It even came with a "real", paper novel included in its box, aptly called "diary of a madman" (reading it helps you understand some things in the game world).
And it's a truly harrowing, very disturbing book showcasing the descend of a troubled, marginalized urban loser into insanity. The "diary" leaves it decidedly ambiguous whether he turns into a homicidal lunatic or a "chosen messiah". The game itself is less ambiguous on this part.

I heard accounts by people stating that the game and its story was so disconcerting to them that it profoundly changed their view of the world and their way of living. Not in a negative way, though, to the contrary.

One person summed up this idea as follows:

"Is the lunatic really 'the other'? Or do we not, hidden deep within ourselves, share some of his traits?
And how can we use this knowledge to become more kind, compassionate, and understanding in the way we treat others?"

Not sure if this was exactly the intended message of the creators of this game - but it would be a worthwhile message.


Because the game definitely does not try to shock people by being "evil for evil's sake". It's more like a surreal and over-the-top, but at it's core sincere study and exploration of what could be called the "philosophy of insanity".
And this makes everything even more unnerving.

The writing of a madman?

We're a music mag, so let's go to the music now.
As it was ported to several systems, there were various soundtracks, and even soundtrack CD releases.
All of these have been put up within one big re-mastered re-release on bandcamp.

Most relevant for the sonic scope of our magazine is the "side B" of the release;

It's a bona fide Rave / Techno soundtrack. Think mid-to-late 90s UK rave, "post-hardcore", with lots of ambient sounds, downtempo breakbeats, "dub-y" basslines, but still possessing quite hard and rough sound aesthetics.

And it is has a similarly dismal / nihilist feel as the game itself.
This bittersweet melancholy is what makes it marvelous.

The other, "side A" of the release tugs at our blackened heart strings, too.
Beatless ambient sounds for the most part; but "dark, darker, darkest" ambient.
Some of these tunes are essentially "doomcore techno tracks without drums". Especially tracks like "traveling" or "septimus" could be secretly added into a doomcore dj set.

As a bonus, the tunes from the amiga release of the game are included, too.


So, all of this is a massive release of twisted and energetic music.
Putting across a unique feel, situated somewhere between brooding darkness and elated rave euphoria.
Make sure to check it out, and the game, too!

Uh Oh

Links

Game soundtrack at Bandcamp:

https://dreamweb-remastered.bandcamp.com/

Game information at mobygames:

https://www.mobygames.com/game/1905/dreamweb/

Free playable version of Dreamweb at ScummVM:

https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Dreamweb

Dreamweb at Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DreamWeb