What do you get when you mix Psychonauts and Doom, and make the game an arena shooter? Well… probably nothing particularly savory, but definitely something resembling Dreamkiller. Developed by Mindware Studios, this is a game that has flown under the radar for the most part, but has a premise that is unmistakably unique, and should catch the eye of many a fan of innovative titles.

The plot is set in a world where one especially gifted psychologist, Alice Drake, has found herself delving into the minds of her patients in an attempt to fight off their inner demons… literally. Much like Double Fine’s Psychonauts, each mind that is breached is inhabited by an entirely separate world where the rules of our reality don’t apply. This is where the monsters that embody the worst fears of her patients wreak havoc, and so this is where Alice will fell them with unrelenting brutality.

Dreamkiller’s story will be conveyed mostly through artistic stills rather than cutscenes. The colorful, detailed images really give an interest way of seeing the world outside of the minds of the patients, and seem as though they will definitely contrast with gameplay in a good way. For now, Mindware has only made it known that Alice will start to investigate a trend she’s seeing, a sort of a thread connecting all of her patients and their mental instabilities. Whatever the game may hold, it’s certainly an intriguing prospect, especially so close to the game’s release.

What Dreamkiller’s real focus will be throughout the entire experience is first-person action reminiscent of old school arena-style shooters like Doom. Rather than having players walk through corridor after corridor with the option of simply rushing past enemies to get to the next objective, Dreamkiller will force players to fight, locking them in rooms where enemies will spawn and swarm like locusts in a cornfield.

This is the major draw of the game. If you aren’t into games that rarely allow for lulls in the action, you’ll probably not find Dreamkiller to be too interesting. Players will be rewarded for killing, as well. Enemies drop dream catchers, which either increase health or add to the experience points, which are used to upgrade any weapon’s features and physical attributes. The real issue will be choosing which weapon to use, as Alice can only hold one gun at a time. Aside from the primary gun she’s holding, she can shoot flames from her hands and cause a telekinetic blast to erupt and knock enemies away.

The multiplayer aspect of Dreamkiller has yet to be explained in detail, but so far it has only been described as allowing up to four players to battle competitively. As far as shooters go, that doesn’t seem as though it’ll be deep enough to tickle the fancies of those who enjoy games like Halo 3. But there’s still no telling whether competitively means players will fight each other, like a standard death match, or fight together in competition for the better score, like ODST’s Firefight mode.

At this point, there’s still a ton to learn about Dreamkiller. With only a few weeks between now and its release on October 26^th, the guessing game rages on over whether it’ll be worth players’ time or not. Always up on the latest regarding any title, Gameonn will keep you posted leading up to its launch.