Pixel Perfect

I dreamed that I was looking at an old video game, which used 2D sprites on an isometric 3D landscape.

For some reason, there was a limitation in the game engine that required every object in the game to stand on a single square of the grid, but there were no other limitations. This meant that there were gigantic objects balanced on tiny little feet in order to take up only one square. One of them was a big globe with a person standing on top, and the entire thing was balanced precariously on a tiny stone column.

I skimmed through the world until I reached what was obviously the end of the level. There was a large door for the exit, but in front of it were a series of three colored doors that required corresponding keys to get though. I looked around and saw many other colored doors leading to other places, some of which had keys behind them. I knew that this was going to be my favorite type of puzzle.

I enjoy games that open an entire world lobby to you initially, but require you to discover and unlock many new areas to progress. There is no obvious starting point, and if you work it out wrong in your head you can waste a lot of time running around the level and running in to locked doors. Or worse, you might use a key in the wrong door and have to start over!

I spent a lot of time looking around the level and peering through doors, plotting the path I would have to take in order to solve the puzzle. I started to wonder if I should push or pull some of the items standing around the level to see what would happen; maybe a switch would activate, or I could get in to a basement.

When I was just starting to make my way toward what I concluded to be the best place to start, I woke up. I was pretty frustrated, and it took me around four hours after waking before I felt like my mind was clear and awake.