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

Some stories don't require epic drama. Some stories can be told majestically, even without words. Projected Dreams is one such story, told mainly through the medium of shadows on the wall, yet it tells so much.

The story is that of a little girl named Senka. Having moved to a new house, she finds joy in using her toys to make shadows in certain shapes on the wall. At the same time, those shadows tell the story of her young life. Projected Dreams allows the player to make those shapes on the wall that both amuse Senka and tell the story that is her world.

At heart, this is a cozy puzzle game. Making use of various objects around Senka's room, she needs to make shapes to match a shadow outline on the wall. The player can use any combination of objects to achieve this goal. There are three star ranks for how close the player gets to matching the shape. The winning condition is to make all the shapes as close as possible. In the process, a scrapbook is filled with photos with brief captions on the events the wall shadows are supposed to represent.

It's not a very long game. Anyone good at pattern recognition could easily beat it in an hour or two. Most of the challenge comes from seeing how close the player can make the shadows using the various objects in the room. On an emotional level, though, this game definitely pulled at my heartstrings. It reminded me of my own childhood, of more carefree and younger days, playing with my toys and making shadow puppets of my own.

Graphically, this game uses a muted 3D style for the various objects and set pieces to show off a convincing children's bedroom with various toys. Completing the challenges will fill in a scrapbook (viewable at any time), which provides both hints to puzzles and various pictures and captions that fill in the blanks as to what the shadow shapes represent in Senka's life.

The sounds and music are very reminiscent of a child's music box. There are cassette tapes you can unlock to change the in-game music to various other similar tunes. The music is very relaxing, exactly the sort of thing you'd hear from children's toys.

This title can be controlled with the keyboard and mouse or any Steam-supported controller. I highly recommend the latter option. While playable either way, this game requires rotating playable objects, and much better control can be had with an actual controller. The game also includes a tutorial to ease the player into the gameplay.

Stability is pretty good. This game runs natively on Microsoft Windows and macOS. It will run on Linux via Steam Proton and is Verified for the Steam Deck. Requirements are very modest; very low-powered PCs will easily be able to play Projected Dreams.

Morally, there is nothing to be concerned about. This is a title fit for any age.

Overall, this game was a short but sweet experience. The price is a bit high given the gameplay, but worth it if this genre appeals to you. It's technically solid and morally stainless. If you want to relive your childhood or simply want a relaxing puzzle game, then I highly recommend Projected Dreams.