Smurf the date! On October 24th, embark on a grand adventure to the farthest reaches of Smurf imagination
Wishlist the game below!
Paris, France – June 18, 2024 – Ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a sleeping Smurf? Find out on October 24th, 2024.
Get ready to dive into an all-new adventure in the Smurfs universe with the 3D platformer from Ocellus Services: The Smurfs – Dreams, where the most fantastical dreams meet the darkest nightmares. Watch the gameplay trailer now for an epic preview of the incredible journey that awaits, through the wildest dreams of your favorite Smurfs.
Ocellus are renowned for their expertise showcased in Marsupilami: Hoobadventure. Praised by both critics and players alike, this platformer breathed new life into the iconic character within videogames.
About The Smurfs – Dreams:
Gargamel has devised a new diabolical plan to capture the Smurfs. The infamous character has cast a cunning spell on the sarsaparilla bushes, the delicious favorite treat of the Smurfs, plunging them into a deep sleep. Embark on a dreamlike expedition where you must face the challenge of awakening all the Smurfs before the diabolical Gargamel reaches the village. This epic journey will thrust you into a gaming experience as thrilling as it is unpredictable, for in the world of dreams, excitement can shift at any moment into the mystery of nightmares.
The fate of the Smurf Village rests in your hands. To save it, get ready to embark on a journey to the farthest reaches of imagination!
Features:
- Solo or co-op – Foil Gargamel's machiavellian plans alone or team up with a friend for a smurf-tastic two-player gaming experience.
- Immerse yourself in the Smurfs’ imagination – Each dream unfolds a unique gaming adventure with its own set of accessories, puzzles, and unveils surprises.
- Set out on an adventure – Explore 4 dreamy worlds, with 12 levels and 16 mini-levels to complete and discover the secrets of the Smurf Village.
- A character that reflects you – Gather all the magic orbs to awaken every Smurf and bring the village back to life. collect patterns to customize your character with new clothing and unlock various surprises throughout your journey.
- A Magical artistic direction - Discover a unique and colorful artistic style that evolves as you explore different dreams.
Whether you're playing solo or with a friend, immerse yourself in enchanting or nightmarish realms, and explore the dreams of your favorite Smurfs by traversing levels with diverse gameplay in a unique adventure where each Smurf has its own special abilities. This 3D platformer offers exciting challenges and captivating puzzles to solve, providing total immersion in a magical world where imagination comes to life.
The Smurfs – Dreams is scheduled for October 24th, 2024 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in physical and digital edition, and on PC (Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store, Epic Game Store) and Xbox One|Series in digital edition.
Check out the special editions of The Smurfs – Dreams below!
Reverie / Day One Edition: Pre-order now on Nintendo Switch – PlayStation 5 – PlayStation 4:
- The Full Game
- 3D Lenticular
- Stickers Sheets
- Digital Thief Skin
- Digital Soundtrack
- Digital Artbook
Digital Deluxe Edition: Soon available on PlayStation 5 – PlayStation 4 – PC (Steam, Epic Game Store, GOG):
- Digital Thief Skin
- Digital Artbook
- Digital Soundtrack
The Smurfs – Dreams Gameplay Screenshots, Key Art, Game Packshots and Logo:
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From Microids Backstage:
What smurfery is Gargamel hatching now in The Smurfs – Dreams?
As recently announced by Microids, the much-loved Smurfs are returning at the end of the year in Dreams, an epic platformer adventure for the whole family. But what lies in wait for the little blue-skinned characters? Read on to smurf out more!
Gargamel is back with a stack of tricks
Michaël Duport, Game Lead at the studio Ocellus Services, told us that this episode will reunite players with the Smurfs’ little village, as well as their old enemy… Gargamel! The wily wizard is bent on snatching our heroes to turn them into magic potion.
Together with his cat Azrael, he devises a new evil scheme: to cast a spell on the Smurfs’ sarsaparilla bushes that will send them into a slumber when they feast on the leaves. “At a banquet held by Chef Smurf, most of the village falls into a deep sleep,” revealed Michaël. “Something has to be done to stop Gargamel netting the dozing Smurfs with his dreamcatcher…”
Fortunately, Papa Smurf is one of the few villagers who did not eat the cursed leaves. Turning to his books, he discovers that he will have to dive into the dreams of the snoozing Smurfs to awaken them and save the village!
Come to the rescue with Ordinary Smurf
There’s not a moment to lose: Papa Smurf sets up a huge pillow as a gateway for players to enter the dream world. From Smurfette to Chef Smurf, eleven iconic characters will need to be roused from their slumber in The Smurfs – Dreams.
“Most of the action will take place in the dream world, which changes depending on the character who’s dreaming,” Michaël shared with us. “Between each level, players return to the village; it will be the hub of our story and will gradually come to life as the Smurfs wake up.”
So, which character will we play as? It will be Ordinary Smurf, a plain hero who can be personalized with various outfits to be found in the levels! “Players will be able to decide if it’s a male or female character,” added Michaël.
Set off on a fun adventure packed with surprises!
The Smurfs – Dreams promises plenty of entertainment! “It offers so much potential for us to be creative,” told us Michaël Duport from the studio Ocellus Services. “With dreams, anything is possible.” Players should be prepared for a few twists and turns in the story, as well as some gameplay features they might not expect to find in a 3D platformer.
Inspired by the comic books and the cartoon series, which dealt with dreams several times, this new episode is based on an original storyline. You don’t need to have played any other Smurfs games to enjoy this one. “So, this is the perfect opportunity to start playing,” suggested Michaël. With single-player and coop modes, this is a title for all gamers: young or old; casual or experienced.
Don’t miss the latest Smurfs adventure with Dreams, set for release in late 2024 on PC and consoles.
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From Microids Backstage:
How has Ocellus Studio approached adapting the Smurfs for the video game Dreams?
With the platformer The Smurfs – Dreams, set for release at the end of the year, Ocellus Studio will once again immerse us in this cult comic and cartoon franchise! Here, we will be looking at how the team is managing to remain faithful to the vast world created by Peyo in 1958.
Painstakingly reproducing the world of the Smurfs
With more than 60 comic books, as well as many films, TV series and video games, there is a huge amount of Smurfs lore and canon to take in! This is why, in creating The Smurfs – Dreams, Ocellus Studio is doing its utmost to honor the franchise. “The last thing we want to do is to distort it, out of respect for the author and all the people who have grown up with it,” summed up Art Director Jordan Parrin, guarantor of the game’s coherency with the world of the Smurfs.
The Smurfs – Dreams is particularly inspired by the latest film from Sony Pictures Animation, Smurfs: The Lost Village, drawing on its stylized and realistic aesthetic. A lot of work is being put into achieving an effect that is close to cinema quality, despite the technical limits of consumer gaming consoles. This is not the only inspiration, though: “We are also drawing a lot on the comic books, by using classic comic features like onomatopoeia, which help players follow the story,” told us Jordan.
To create an authentic Smurfs game, Ocellus Studio carefully compares its work with everything that has been produced up until today, and requests approval from the company that owns the franchise: IMPS, founded by Véronique Culliford. “For instance, there is the Smurfs’ village, an iconic part of the comics, which we reconstructed in Dreams,” mentioned Jordan. “We had a lot of exchanges about the number of houses, their positions… For IMPS, it was crucial for us to respect the houses’ proportions and colors; as for the positioning, we were free to create a layout that made the most sense in terms of gameplay, and convenience for the players.”
Inventing new, yet familiar features
Despite all this, Ocellus Studio can’t be satisfied with just faithfully reproducing the known world of the Smurfs! “Players might get tired of always exploring the forest biome,” confirmed Jordan. “From the outset, our ambition was to stand out, and offer some totally original concepts.”
So, how do you pull off creating an all-new story and amazing, never-before-seen environments, while staying true to the identity of the Smurfs franchise? “Our approach is to begin with an existing element, and then give it a fresh perspective,” explained Jordan. “Take the dream of Vanity Smurf, for example. It had never been explored before. But it’s based on the familiar personality of this Smurf who’s obsessed by appearances and beauty. So, his dream world has luxurious architecture, with gilding and marble, all surrounded by clouds to give it a heavenly ambiance. And the world is of course filled with mirrors: Vanity Smurf loves to gaze at his reflection. We’ll be interacting with them a lot in terms of gameplay.”
Between reconstructing iconic parts of the franchise and creating totally fresh gaming experiences, The Smurfs – Dreams will offer plenty of laughs for both veterans and newcomers to the franchise. To make sure you don’t miss the release, smurf this game to your wishlist now, on Steam, Epic Games Store and PlayStation Store!
To get all the latest news about the game, including its release date, add it to your wishlist on Steam, Epic Games Store and PlayStation Store.
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From Microids Backstage:
Dive into the rich gameplay of The Smurfs – Dreams!
This year, our friends the Smurfs will be fighting Gargamel in fantastic settings, in their new adventure for PC and consoles: Dreams. Here, we’re going to take a look at the various actions you’ll be able to perform with your controller in hand. Without smurfer ado, let’s get started!
A variety of jumps to handle some tricky platforms
In The Smurfs – Dreams, players will begin in the center of the Smurfs’ village. There, a giant magic pillow will transport them into the world of dreams, where they will need to save their sleeping friends. Following a more linear tutorial stage, players will be able to choose which order they want to complete the levels in. To control the player character, with a Nintendo Switch controller, for example, the left joystick is to move, the B button is to jump and the Y button is to run, while the left triggers are to greet other characters, and the right triggers are to throw objects or use gadgets.
Once you’ve grasped the controls, you can begin to master a central element of the gameplay: jumping and platforms! Thomas Freund, Lead Level Design at Ocellus Studio, explained to us how The Smurfs – Dreams offers a whole range of jumps: “You can do little or big jumps by varying how long you hold down the button. Your Smurf can also come down more slowly by kicking their feet if you tap it again after a jump. They can even stay in the air for a few seconds using a magic bubble if you press Y after a jump, and then leap off the bubble to cover some more distance.”
This wide range of movements will help you overcome the many challenges in the environments, including platforms that move, shrink, bounce or disappear before your very eyes. And then, there will be enemies standing in your way! These include the “Little followers”: persistent beetles that will stay hot on the heels of your Smurf. Or the “Turrets”: little spiders that will shoot at you using a canon mounted on their back. You will need to keep all your wits about you to overcome these foes, particularly the end-of-level bosses, like The Hungry One, a voracious giant with a bottomless stomach…
And that’s not all, because The Smurfs – Dreams will require much more than just reflexes in the face of devious enemies and treacherous platforms. The adventure will also be dotted with mentally challenging puzzles! “We think these puzzles will add diversity and depth to the experience,” Thomas Freund told us. “They could involve finding the right order to press buttons in, spotting something that can only be seen reflected in a mirror, or escorting a dragonfly to its destination.”
While some puzzles will have to be solved to progress through the adventure, other optional puzzles will reward curious players with various items: Sarsaparilla to buy costumes for your character, stellar mushrooms to unlock secret levels, reels of thread to unlock special outfits… In The Smurfs – Dreams, it will pay off to explore all the nooks and crannies, to earn extra levels and beautiful items that will make you the best-looking Smurf in the village!
With so many things to do, the most committed players will be able to spend a dozen hours discovering all the secrets. But the game is also designed for less experienced players, who will be able to complete the game without too much trouble. If you liked Super Mario 3D World or Sackboy: A Big Adventure, we think you will love The Smurfs – Dreams. Don’t expect to be in totally familiar territory, though, as you may be surprised.
You can add The Smurfs – Dreams to your wishlist now, on Steam, Epic Games Store and PlayStation Store.
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Or on the website: http://www.microids.com/
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About Microids
Microids is a French video game publisher. Founded in 1985, Microids’ editorial strategy now focuses on 4 major areas: adventure games, racing games, retro gaming and games inspired by iconic titles. By collaborating with renowned studios and authors (Revolution Software, Sloclap, Oddworld Inhabitants, Pendulo Studios, Eden Studios, Go Nagai, Charles Cecil, Benoît Sokal, Paul Cuisset…), Microids has become a major player in international video games. Taking inspiration from legendary titles, Microids reaches a wide audience and creates original adventures which give gamers the chance to play as some of their most beloved characters.
About Ocellus Services
At Ocellus Services, we are passionate experts in the art and development of stylized video games. Collaborating with industry leaders, we also cultivate our own universes within Ocellus Games. Our team is capable of overseeing the entire creative process, from pre-production to post-production, adapting our skills to projects of any size, genre, or platform. The games, brands, and videos we have contributed to have amassed billions of downloads and views, showcasing our impact in our favorite industry, gaming!
About Peyo Compagny
Peyo Company is an entertainment enterprise dedicated to promoting and perpetuating Peyo's work and legacy to new generations by creating new content, products, and experiences for fans of all ages. Founded in Belgium by Véronique Culliford, the company encompasses all creative and commercial activities related to Peyo's work: Johan & Peewit, Benoît Brisefer, and, of course, the famous little blue characters, the Smurfs. Peyo Company's various activities are managed by four subsidiaries:
- Peyo Productions oversees the production of audiovisual content.
- Peyo Distribution handles the commercial distribution of the audiovisual catalog.
- Peyo Licensing is the global license holder for consumer products, publishing, and entertainment.
- Peyo Creations encompasses the studio activities, creating new drawn works and stories.
- Peyo Company and its members are dedicated to perpetuating and promoting the artistic and cultural legacy of Pierre Culliford, known as Peyo, around the world.
About The Smurfs™
Blue and as tall as three apples, the Smurfs embody teamwork, loyalty, optimism, joy, humor, and respect for nature. They may not be easy to distinguish at first glance, but each Smurf has its own uniqueness and personality. The Smurfs live in a village filled with mushroom-shaped houses, hidden deep within a magical forest where few dare to venture. Making their debut in Johan and Peewit's comic book in 1958, these little blue characters created by Belgian artist Peyo (Pierre Culliford) have been spreading happiness and entertaining families worldwide for several generations. The new animated series "The Smurfs" (2021) airs globally on Nickelodeon and Netflix, as well as on TF1 in France. A new Smurfs movie, produced and distributed by Paramount Animation, with Rihanna playing the role of Smurfette, has recently been announced with a worldwide theatrical release scheduled for February 2025.
About PLAION
PLAION is a dynamic and diversified business in the global entertainment sector, masterfully crafting franchises that captivate audiences worldwide. Boasting a vast network of eight game development studios, fifteen regional publishing offices, three game publishing labels including Deep Silver, and PLAION PICTURES as an independent film publisher and distributor, the company extends its influence with merchandise production and expansive distribution capabilities across the globe.
Founded nearly three decades ago, PLAION has firmly established itself within the entertainment arena. With a diverse range of services and solutions, PLAION stands as the premier publishing partner for console and PC games across both physical and digital channels. Moreover, its strong foothold in the Virtual Reality (VR) domain highlights the company's commitment to varied gaming experiences.
PLAION is an Embracer Group company.
©2024 Microids SA. All rights reserved. Developed by Ocellus. Published by Microids SA. All rights reserved. ©Peyo – 2024 – Licensed through I.M.P.S. (Brussels)
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Originally published: August 18, 2024.
Additional source: Games Press.
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