I'd like to thank Meridian4 for the review key for this title.

Sometimes, games don't have to be anything special so long as the journey is a pleasant one. The gameplay can merely be acceptable, but if the presentation is stellar, sometimes it can be worth it just for the presentation. Paladin Dream is living proof of this theory.

Paladin Dream, as the name suggests, starts with a dream by the paladin Josiah about losing a battle to a mysterious grey armored knight. He seeks to find out why he keeps having the dream and its meaning, and in the process finds out the fate of the world rides on the answer to that question.

Paladin Dream is a game made in the RPG Maker MV engine, and it's not an overly ambitious one in terms of gameplay. If one has played one generic RPG game, or any turn-based RPG for that matter, then this is no different. It's not an overly long game, save for a bit of level grinding, so in gameplay terms alone, it won't win too many awards for originality. Like most RPG Maker games, you fight battles, explore dungeons and an overworld in a top-down, 2-D world, talk to a lot of NPCs, and play through whatever plot the creator of the game intended.

Graphically, the game is much more impressive. Maps are simple yet well detailed, and the creator shows an excellent command of well-placed lighting effects, with the sunray effects making several scenes look very stunning. The overall graphical style, while using some stock assets, is heavily complimented by a user interface and some visual elements meant to call to mind a "classic heroic legend" feel, specifically of the Arthurian myth variety.

Music and sound effects are other standouts. On top of using some stock assets, there is some original music to fit the heroic legend atmosphere, and even some vocal music to further set the mood, which is very well done for an RPG Maker game. If you want the soundtrack DLC that comes with this game, it may be worth it if you like the original pieces.

Controls are RPG Maker MV standard keyboard controls, with mouse support as well. This is nothing special but works well enough. Stability is also excellent; this should run fine for anyone able to meet requirements. Being based on RPG Maker MV, this should have little trouble running on Linux in Proton as well.

Morally, this is generally clean, with only a few minor issues.

Violence is of the sterile "giving orders and watching it happen" RPG variety. Language is quite clean, and sexual content is effectively nil, with one barely PG once-off comment by a random NPC that comes off as mild flirting (which you cannot follow up on).

The villains of the game are demons, complete with a cult that mentions human sacrifice and soul tampering. None of this is presented in a remotely good light and is roundly condemned. Your protagonist is a holy paladin sworn to defeat demons in service to an abbey. The in-game religion is a generic Christianity analog, complete with angels, demons, Heaven, and all the other trappings of the same.

Morally and ethically, the player is presented with a clear-cut "lawful good" path to follow. The only times you are offered a remotely unethical choice it is quite obvious it's a bad idea and you are rewarded with a bad ending for taking them.

Overall, the asking price isn't too unreasonable, even though the game is not overly long, and a sale may be preferred. It's a ho-hum RPG, but it is technically sound in presentation and design. Morally, aside from the supernatural stuff mentioned, it's pretty clean, and it's generally not much worse than an NES-era RPG.