A Dream About Parking Lots Is Surreal Therapy for Petrolheads
In my restless dreams, I see that car.
A Dream About Parking Lots is an interactive short story that combines finding your car with therapy.
I'm always up for strange journeys in video games, and Interactive Dreams has delivered a tale focused on self-reflection. Released back in March on PC, A Dream About Parking Lots is a walking simulator that sees you navigating a strange series of car park-themed mazes while searching for your car. Described as being based on real dreams, this focuses on finding sense out of the seemingly senseless.
The game's name is pretty self explanatory.
This occurs across a brief series of strange dreams where you play a nameless character, using your car keys like a beeper to try and find your vehicle while chatting with your therapist. There isn't much to do beyond choosing specific responses or walking, all while a somewhat dramatic piano continues playing in the background.
This would be rather boring on its own, though what follows is a metafictional premise that represents how we react to feeling lost. We're fixated on a strange goal of constantly finding this car, but why? Our therapist isn't there to solve all of our problems; instead trying to help guide us to our own conclusions. That's reflected well by the existential dread your character's clearly grappling with.
The low-resolution art style gives these worlds an almost ethereal look; you can see where you are yet, much like a dream, it's slightly hazy. Though A Dream About Parking Lots aims for a retro-themed look, some textures do appear rather warped upon closer inspection. It's a short journey at only 40 minutes, but it's an interesting reflection on mental health I'll be thinking about for a while.
A Dream About Parking Lots is out now on Steam.
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