When does The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2 get good?

Give it 4 hours. In the first 2 hours 1 in 3 reviews are negative (32%); after 7h it's 1 in 13 (8%). Fully opens up by hour 5.

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AdventureCasualIndie

The Dream Machine: Chapter 1 & 2

May 11, 2012 Steam: Very Positive

Give it 4 hours

Gets good by 4h then rated almost like by veterans

Fully opens up by 5h rated like by long-time players

Started playing 24% of owners

Steam reviews 87% positive of 2,256

What the data shows

In the first 2 hours 1 in 3 reviews are negative (32%); after 7h it's 1 in 13 (8%).
Fully opens up by hour 5.
Only 24% of owners have even the first achievement — the rest barely played.

When it gets good

Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.

before it gets good opening up fully opened up

Based on all 2,263 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 201 reviews: 13.6h for positive, 5h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.

Where players quit

Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (24.4% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.

Story milestones aren't labeled yet; all achievements are listed below.

All achievements (46)

Island Life Escape the island 100%
The New House Explore the estate 63%
Electrical Engineer Solve the floor board puzzle 56%
End Chapter 1 Complete the first chapter 55%
Alicia's Dream Listen to your wife's dream 54%
Mind Blown Enter your first dream 51%
'I Have A Feeling I'm Being Watched...' Access Mr Morton's secret room 49%
One Down Kill Mr Morton's tentacle 49%
End Chapter 2 Complete the second chapter 44%
Menial Labour Complete the tasks 38%
'I May Have Committed Some Light Arson...' Commit arson 37%
'Blackmail Is Such An Ugly Word...' Complete the blackmail letter 37%
Among The Elite Get promoted to Command 37%
End Chapter 3 Complete the third chapter 37%
Two Down Kill Alicia's tentacle 37%
Party Pooper Disrupt the tea party 35%
Doctor Sleep Make sleeping powder 35%
End Chapter 4 Complete the fourth chapter 35%
Three Down Kill Edie's tentacle 35%
Angry Neighbour Harass your neighbour, a lot 34%
Big Boy Make the witch's potion 33%
The Teddy Bear's Lament Listen to the teddy bear's song 31%
'Naughty, naughty' Solve the gramophone puzzle prematurely 30%
Crank Caller Harass your neighbour, a lot 30%
End Chapter 5 Complete the fifth chapter 30%
Grave Robber Steal from the dead 30%
Five Down Kill Martin's and Selma's tentacles 30%
The Ultimate Promotion Get a new job 30%
Through The Looking Glass Wake up again 30%
'I Like To Watch' Be a peeping tom 29%
The Secret Glades Find a secret glade 29%
End Of The Line Solve the maze puzzle 29%
Tend The Tender Save the bartender from dying 29%
Move On Out Purge the mover's dream 29%
End Chapter 6 Complete the sixth chapter 29%
'I Woke Up And One of Us Was...' Complete the game 29%
The Pumpkin Prince Restore the pumpkin kingdom 28%
Six Easy Pieces Find all map pieces 28%
Too Late For That Try to escape your fate 28%
Retroactive Abortion Circumnavigate yourself 28%
Deliver Unto Me Circumnavigate yourself 27%
Straight Flush Flush every toilet 27%
Old Friends Meet an old friend 26%
Heart Of Gold Return the locket 26%
'You've Always Been The Caretaker' Continue his work 25%
Thy Kingdom Come Appoint a new king 25%

Steam page Updated: 2026-10-19.