LSD (video game)
Encyclopedia
LSD: Dream Emulator is a video game released in Japan in 1998 for the Sony
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...

 PlayStation video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...

 and is one of three products (the others being a music CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

 and a book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...

) based on Lovely Sweet Dream, a dream journal
Dream journal
A dream journal is a journal in which dream experiences are recorded. A dream journal might include a record of nightly dreams, personal reflections and waking dream experiences. It is often used in the study of dreams and psychology. Dream journals are also used by people trying to lucid dream....

 that Hiroko Nishikawa, a staff member at Asmik Ace Entertainment
Asmik Ace Entertainment
was formed in 1997 through a merger between the Asmik Corporation and Ace Entertainment, both of Japan. The name Asmik comes from its three founding companies: Ask, Sumitomo and Kodansha. The company is headquartered on the third floor of the Lapiross Roppongi building in Minato, Tokyo.Asmik...

, had been keeping for a decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....

. It has earned itself a small cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...

 due to the generally disturbing nature of the game and its content.

Gameplay

In LSD the player navigates through a psychedelic dream world. The idea is simply to walk around and enjoy things in a dream environment. There are many bizarre environments in this world, and one way to travel through them is by foot. However, if the player bumps into walls or other objects in the game, they will be transported to another environment instantaneously through a system called "linking". Bumping into people, animals, or special objects usually results in a stranger dream.

Each dream can last up to 10 minutes, after which the player will 'wake up', when the screen fades away and the player is sent back to the game's initial menu. However, if the player falls off a cliff in the dream, then the player will wake up immediately. There is a graph that appears at the end of each dream that keeps track of the player's state of mind; the states are Upper, Downer, Static and Dynamic, as referring to the environments and the general feel of the dream the player just went through. Past states may have effects on later dreams.

While the player walks through an environment, the surroundings may suddenly change. For example, eyes may suddenly appear on the walls and stare at the player. Even if the player visits the same place twice, it may look quite different - sometimes, the textures of walls will change to subtly different versions or new items will appear for the player to encounter. One may also encounter strange creatures while roaming around, including a celestial nymph flying through the air, a wild horse running through the prairie, or a huge man filling up an entire room.

The game is set in a first-person environment. The player may use the LEFT and RIGHT directional buttons to look and change direction, the UP and DOWN buttons to initiate or reverse movement and the shoulder buttons to strafe left or right. The player may also hold the X button while moving to run, the SQUARE button to look down and the TRIANGLE button to look up.

The number of "days" are kept track of. As the player progresses, the pattern on walls and the form of the player may transmute. Occasionally the player may come across a man in a Grey trenchcoat and Hat, commonly referred to as the "Grey Man" or the "Shadow Man". He walks in one direction only. Getting too close to him will make the screen flash, the man disappear, and remove the ability to recall the dream in a Flashback.

After roughly 20 days of gameplay, a new option will appear in the main menu, called "Flashback". This mode lasts for only around 3 to 5 minutes versus the main game's 10. Flashback's purpose is to revisit locales and characters from past dreams. Due to the heavily random nature of the game, Flashback mode is often the only way to see an area with the same textures twice. Taking the same steps in Flashback as in the normal dream it is redoing will allow one to completely do over that dream.

Audio

There are numerous pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...

s of background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...

 in the game. These are called patterns, not tunes
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...

, because they all share the same musical score
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...

, but are played in different tones
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...

. Some of the music was made by Ken Ishii
Ken Ishii
is a Japanese techno DJ and producer from Sapporo. He graduated from Hitotsubashi University. He has released work under his own name as well as under the pseudonyms: FLR, Flare, UTU, Yoga, and Rising Sun....

, a Japanese techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...

 DJ and producer who also made a track for the game Rez
Rez
Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a rail shooter video game released by Sega in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with a European Dreamcast release and United States PlayStation 2 release in 2002...

.

Foes or NPCs

While there are no direct foes or monster to slay, LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...

 has a large number of randomly generated NPCs or dynamic models through out the game.
  • Sailor
The sailor can be found on certain docks, with one leg elevated upon a boat anchor. When viewed from odd angles, the sailor seems to disappear. Harmless.
  • Geisha
    Geisha
    , Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...

     Girl
The Geisha girl is found in oriental themed towns and within dojos. From within the towns the Geisha girl walks around slowly and in the dojo, she dances clockwise. Harmless.
  • Greeko
This silhouette of a man wearing a trench coat and fedora is seen immediately after spawning within a new sector of a dream. If engaged at all, your current dream will not be re-playable in later stages and your dream day ends. Harmful.
  • Minotaur
    Minotaur
    In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...

The Minotaur is exactly that. It's a giant Minotaur that comes towards towns over the large perimeter wall. Once it enters the town, its feet and calves are not present and appears to float. Harmless.
  • Siren
A girl in a pink dress can be found. Much like other NPCs, this one has no face. When approaced close enough and if you decide not to engage, this NPC will disappear and reappear in another location. If engaged again, her head will disappear and will attack you to end your dream. Harmful.
  • Soccer Guy
Within dojos a man kicks a soccer ball forward and is kicked back by an invisible force. Harmless.
  • Dog
In random locations, you will be engaged and attacked by a dog. When the dog is not engaged it's in a stance that resembles an Egyptian dog statue. Harmful.
  • Bat
Just like the dog, this NPC will engage and attack you. Harmful.
  • Big Baby
On occasion, when you start a new dream day, in your house there will be a large human like NPC that is stuck in your window. When Engaged the NPC will suck you into another sector of the dream. Harmless.
  • GeoDude
Standing outside of an open building will be one or two NPC's that resemble pokemon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...

's Geodude. Harmless.
  • Rickshaw Minotaur
In some of the oriental themed towns, there will be a Minotaur pulling a rickshaw with nobody in it. Harmless
  • Hanging Girls
In the cityscape locations, when you approach a car under a street light, 4 to 5 girls will appear hanging from the light. Harmful.
  • Floating Elephant
In a large scetor that has a large pit in the middle and Buddhist statues, there will be a large floating elephant above the pit. Harmless.
  • Lions
Its a pack of lions. Harmful.
  • Sumo
If one of the Buddhist entrances is taken from the Floating Elephant sector, then you will come across one or two sumo wrestlers fighting. Harmless.
  • Grey
Trench coat, Red eyes, Hat. Harmful.

Example of Gameplay

Sucking another person into the grasp of LSD
LSD Dream Emulator Day 1-9
He was Right HUH

External Sources

Hardcore Gaming 101

Forgotten Playstation
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