I had originally seen Pleasant Dreams at the Indie Megabooth during PAX East this year. The small package and beautiful cards left an impression for sure. Aerjen Games sent over a copy, and I sat down to play it with my 9-year-old son.
The game is simple. Try to stay asleep while making sure the other player wakes up. It’s a push your luck game where you’re drawing 1-5 cards from the deck and resolving them against your wakefulness. Some cards start to wake you up, but can be flipped over and reseeded into the deck with a much worse fate for the player who draws it. You’ve also got 2 of several different one-use cards to effect card play.
The game is quick. Usually around 5 minutes. It’s very tense as you can draw some really nasty cards that instantly put you in danger of losing. The art on the cards is both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. I was a bit worried my son would have nightmares, but he really dug ever aspect of the game. I think it had something to do with him beating me horribly.
Sometimes something quick and easy really hits the spot, and Pleasant Dreams fits the bill perfectly. A bit of tense, push-your-luck action with a bit of a take-that element. This one is actually in my bag right now to take to an upcoming lunch with my buddy.
A copy of Pleasant Dreams was provided free for review by Aerjen Games.