Summary
The Smurfs Dreamsis an upcoming 3D platform adventure video game by the developers at Ocellus Studio and published by Microids, but how does it play?Screen Rantwent hands-on with a preview of the upcoming Smurfs adventureto check out its gameplay, story and characters, ahead of its full launch later this year.
A classic favorite cartoon,The Smurfsfirst debuted in 1958, and the little blue creatures have recently been starting to re-emerge in modern culture.The Smurfs Moviewill debut on August 10, 2025, with a star-studded cast including Rihanna, Kurt Russell, John Goodman, and Nick Offerman, meaningThe Smurfs Dreamscouldn’t be releasing at a better time. Many nostalgic, retro franchises have had incredible success in recent years, andThe Smurfs Dreamsalready looks to be a game that could easily be a hit.
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A Clever Backstory For The Smurfs Dreams
A Dreamy Adventure
The Smurfs Dreamsfollows the premise that the evil wizardGargamel is trying to capture the Smurfs by magically trapping them in a deep sleep in order to turn them into a magic potion.Along with his cat Azrael, Gargamel puts a spell on leaves that the Smurfs are preparing to eat during a banquet. Once Chef Smurf feeds the leaves to the villagers, most of the town falls into a magically deep sleep.Papa Smurf reveals that the only way to save them is to enter the dreams of the cursed Smurfsthrough a huge pillow that has become a portal.
In order to make the Smurfs wake up and save the village,magical orbs must be collected from deep within these dream worlds. In between each level, players return to Smurf Village, where they will be able to see the sleepy villagers slowly waking up and the city becoming more energized. This classic tale sounds like the antics of any ofThe Smurfstelevision episodes, and fits well with the franchise as a whole.
Gameplay Mechanics & Level Design In Smurf Dreams
For A Short Demo, The Smurfs Dreams Feels Perfectly Polished
The Smurfs Dreamsis a 3D platformer adventure designed to work well for solo play or in a co-op mode with two players taking control of different Smurfs on the same screen.For this preview, a short demo of the game was provided which covered two levelsand took a little over an hour. The incredible polish of this demo, and even the visual options and controller settings provided, was of such high quality that I truly wondered at one point if I had received a finished game rather than a pre-release demo still months from full launch.
Each of the worlds inThe Smurfs Dreamsare cheerful while hiding surprisingly mind-boggling puzzles, including the levels of dark nightmares filled with evil. Each level has monsters, secrets, puzzles, surprises, and more. This game feels as though it could be held to the standards ofSuper Mariogames if the entirety of the game is as well crafted as is shown in the demo, and truly shows how good 3D platforming can be.
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The World, Characters & Customization
A Personalized Smurf For Every Player
There are four dream worlds with 12 levels and 16 mini-levels inThe Smurfs Dreams, as well as secrets hidden in the Smurf Village, which serves as the main hub for characters in the game. Each of these dream worlds has aunique, magical feeling that is full of imaginative ideas and clever puzzle mechanics. The colorful art style is not only perfect for evoking nostalgic feelings ofThe Smurfscartoons, but also provides a dream-like quality in each setting.
All the long-time favorite characters, including Smurfette and Papa Smurf, are seen inThe Smurfs: Dreams, although they are not the starring characters. In fact, players take on the role of an ordinary Smurf who gets to do extraordinary things to save the village. Although the demo did not have customization ready to go beyond choosing a male or female character, the game is advertised to havenumerous outfits and patterns to unlock to personalize the Smurf hero. As players collect boss tokens, they will unlock new clothing and “various surprises” to craft their perfect Smurf.
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Can’t Wait For The Full Release
After completing the demo for the game, I was left wanting more. Not because of anything lacking in the game, but for the opposite reason. The levels were so perfectly crafted and the game played so smoothly that it felt as though the rest of the game should be there. I am excited to see what the rest of the game brings this October, and play through the full journey with my not-so-ordinary Smurf. Especially with the new movie coming out a few months later,The Smurfs Dreamscould be the perfect way to remind people what makes the franchise so special.
The Smurfs Dreamswill release on August 13, 2025, and is already available forpre-order. The game will be on all major game platforms, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and several online stores for PC. It is also being localized for several different languages and has options for different forms of colorblind settings to be adjusted.
Source:Microids
Screen Rantwas provided a preview code forThe Smurfs Dreamsfor the purposes of this preview.
