Every now and then, you are faced with a game that you can understand its appeal, and find it to be somewhat interesting, but you end up with the realization that it simply doesn’t work as a piece of interactive media. I have a slight interest in psychology, and often tell friends that I would have studied it had I been given the opportunity to travel back in time, so the oddly-named A Dream About Parking Lots had initially caught my attention, as it’s basically a conversation between a shrink and his patient, disguised as a video game. A video game in the loosest sense of the word, that is.

What kind of place have you decided to park your car on? Glastonbury?

The game might be a mere half-hour long, but the premise isn’t what I’d consider to be simple. You’re a person inside many dreams, all of them set inside different parking lots. The objective is to keep pressing the alarm button on your car keys, find your car inside a maze, and enter it. Upong reaching your car, you’ll go to the next level. I’d consider that to be the closest to a video game loop A Dream About Parking Lots has to offer, as, technically-speaking, this does make it a puzzle game, a maze-like experience. It’s not complicated, but you might need to explore your surroundings, look for hidden passages, and struggle with some utterly lethargic movement controls. But at the end of the day, still a gameplay element. Still, this is not the game’s main selling point. And I wouldn’t even consider the easy platinum trophy one, either.

While you’re looking for your car, you’ll also be talking to a therapist about your recurring dreams. The same ones you’re experiencing. In essence, the dreams act like a flashback, and the (silent) dialogue displayed onscreen is basically an explanation, between the protagonist and his therapist, of what’s going on, the reasons behind the plot, and the meaning behind the dreams. There is a modicum of interactivity, as you can choose between a handful of dialogue options to proceed with the therapy in question. I found that to be interesting, but not in the context of a game. I just like psychology, but that doesn’t mean it’s the perfect fit for a game mechanic, considering how detached from the maze-traversing it is.

It’s almost like if the game wanted to act like a byte-sized therapy session for those playing it. And on a very specific subject.

I understand the appeal, as it’s tied to the game’s (very short) plot, but that could have easily been translated into any other kind of art form, and would have had a better impact. The interactivity tied to the conversations act more like you talking to a virtual shrink than anything else, but it doesn’t feel like an essential part of what makes the game unique. A Dream About Parking Lots would have been a much more interesting experience if it were a first-person short movie about the author’s dreams and perceptions of reality. I applaud its dream-like presentation and uniqueness, but as a game, nah, it ain’t it. 

A Dream About Parking Lots is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch.

Reviewed on PS5.

A copy of A Dream About Parking Lots was provided by the publisher.