hololive Dreams is a gatcha game that feels like it actively hates the player for playing it. If you aren't dumping silly amounts of either cash or free time or both into this game it does not want you. Let me elaborate.
The actual little games are fine for the most part. Jump rope, a clicking test for ingredients, a hide and seek game, baby gambling, and a decent enough rhythm game. If that was the end of it, I'd say it's actually pretty fun. The art is also pretty good, I like all the card arts and the emotes. The chibi character models are also cute in their own way, and the various areas are decent if a little plastic-y looking.
But as a gatcha game, my goodness this is so ♥♥♥♥ it makes me think Love And Deep Space is a GOTY contender. They act generous at first- showering you in little missions that give you tidbits of gems that pretty quickly add up. You get gatcha tickets for each character you unlock, and there are like 56 total to get so that's some decent pulls. You even get a free 5* of your oshi right out the gate, how nice. But after that? Well that's it pal. You want to hit pity on your favorite character's swimsuit banner? I hope you've had the time to grind 2,500 achievements because you only get like 20 per achieve and pity is a whole 50k. You want daily gems? You get 100 after logging in every day for 10 days, best we can do. The paid battle pass gives a few more, but the $15 price tag on top of the $2 monthly pass and however many $3 memberships you want stickers for really starts to add up fast. Oh you wanted a skin for your lives? Hope you can wait 2 months to get the medals for it or start coughing up cash.
On top of that there are so many QoL things that feel like they're lacking. Like why on earth do I need to accept every achieve in each category separately when they each have a collect all button anyway? Why can't you turn off the annoying as hell announcements when you finish a zone's story? Why do I need to run to 3 different spots on the island to collect pity gifts that barely help (5k hologold as a daily gift is frankly an insult when I can get 60k from 3 spins in the megasphere)? Why are outfit skills tied to the leader of your team that shows up in the songs so I can't actually use my favorite character and instead need to use someone I don't know because her skill is stupid good for my team when they don't actually *do* anything other than give the outfit skill- why can't I just select the outfit skill I want from the ones I unlocked and select anyone I want for my leader so I can hang out with my oshis?
I'm annoyed, I'm honestly really annoyed. Maybe I just play too many gatchas and the quirks of every individual one are all starting to wear on me and this is the first steam review I'm writing after they've all piled on. I don't know. Either way you'll still probably see play this because the rhythm game is fine. But if you're thinking about starting, just don't. Listen to the music on youtube and look at the art on your art hub of choice, but don't give this the time of day. Better gatchas died for the same character rates and curency gen that hololive Dreams has, don't let this be the exception because they slapped vtubers on it and added baby gambling.
