Slow down to enjoy a quiet morning or evening with the delightful roll-and-write elements in the cozy realm of Daydream.

I knew I wanted to pick up Daydream as soon as I spotted it, and I eagerly started playing shortly after it arrived! Although I don’t have a lot of roll-and-write solo games, this one seemed like it offered something unique with a foldable board and many ways to play. Besides, in the cold winter months, I wasn’t going to turn down something so cozy and comfy!

Game Overview

Game Name: Daydream Publication Year: 2025 Designers: Anthony Perone & Benoit Turpin Artist: Memé Candia Publisher: Disto studio Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game

An erasable board folds in different ways to show 1, 2, or 3 panels with a total of 8 unique combinations. The premise is simple with rolling dice and filling in clouds, but there is a nice challenge to discover! With such a relaxing atmosphere, it’s a game designed around a few moments of calm fun.

#### First Play

February 8, 2026

#### Complexity

2

#### Latest Play

February 18, 2026

#### Expansions

#### Setup Time

Almost None

#### Lifetime Plays

12

#### Play Time

10 Minutes

#### High Score

13

#### Game Area

18″ x 12″

Head in the Clouds

Perhaps the cat is the cutest creature to discover on many of the panels, but a Calico Critter lamb decided to stop by to float away on these fluffy clouds! Absolutely adorable.

It really is a delightful package, and so enjoyable that I introduced it to a few friends to play multiplayer… Suffice to say that went over really well and it was a lovely time.

But back to the solo experience! With 8 combinations, I started out with the simplest option on a single panel.

There is a lot of depth to the game, though, as various rules are added with more challenges to think about. Awesome!

A Calm Morning

Panel A is the easiest place to start, and it might seem like the game is too simple. However, filling in rows and columns with consecutive, different values is tricky!

I didn’t come close to the highest scoring tier for a handful of plays. Scoring here comes down to outlining objects.

Is Panel A easy? In many senses, but I played 6 times in a row! This seems like the only panel that has a solvable solution, which still requires a strategy and a bit of luck.

So much fun! Filling in the spaces and trying to make the most of the dice rolls was enjoyable with minimal stress.

Pillow Malfunction

The solo scoring tiers are the best, and made me laugh a few times. I needed it when I had my worst play here! With the same values in these rows, I earned nothing. Nothing!

But my score earned me a pillow malfunction, which seemed to be pretty hilarious. Just a time to play again!

Note that the included dry erase markers may be fine, yet my copy has 1 with a cap that won’t come off. I also had a friend use one, and this left permanent indentations.

My Expo Vis-a-Vis wet erase marker works amazingly well, especially since it comes in a lovely shade of purple!

Improved Morning

A-ha! After a fair amount of plotting out my numbers, I fell upon the perfect board and managed to hit the highest scoring tier. Success! Just barely, but it still counted.

Skipping dice every now and then is a useful strategy, although the thorns can be the worst during final scoring!

Keep in mind that I fell in love with the game purely from the first panel, which is certainly the simplest.

If this was the only way to play, I still think I would enjoy picking it up every now and then for a relaxing time. Yet look at that booklet… 7 other combinations awaited me!

Exciting Surprises: That New Game Feeling

Since a lot of new solo games often involve a lot of organizing when they first arrive, the feeling when something new arrives isn’t always one of excitement. It’s not like I expect to start dancing all around when a new game enters my house, but I sometimes miss that feeling! There’s this idea of obligation vs. fun that can sometimes make things complicated.

It was really nice to go through the whole process of seeking this game out, finding it in a local store, bringing it home, and getting excited to play! Sometimes, crowdfunding splits out that excitement so something new feels like something that’s already known. I still love those games, but this experience was a bit different and aligned quite nicely with the game!

So Much Cozy Fun

More Calico Critters! They were pretty impressed with the dice, although I think they wanted to investigate just how much was possible with these foldable and erasable boards.

As I mentioned before, I didn’t feel like I exhausted all the enjoyment from the first panel, although I was curious about the other combinations and new rules. So cool!

Seriously, there is a lot to discover. I spent some time checking out the rules, and loved all of the new challenges.

However, I still could enjoy a relaxing time by bumping up the difficulty just a bit with the other single panel. Easy!

A Brand New Challenge

Well, well, well! I thought panel D would be pretty similar to panel A. It shares the same idea of using the base rules with nothing else added in. But that’s it… Much harder to win!

I managed to fill in all of the objects at one point, but used too many thorns and fell shy of the double choco macchiato.

Oh, the horror! Ha ha! I loved the added difficulty without any extra overhead. It was much harder to get the values to align consecutively, and the dice weren’t particularly nice.

Yet even with some hilariously terrible scores, I had the best time and expect to keep playing for a very long time!

Session Overview

Play Number: 1-12 Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game Play Details: Calm Morning (A) & Coffee Break (D) Outcome: 10, 10, 5, 8, 13, 12, 1, 13, 11, 6, 6, 6 (1 Win & 11 Losses)

Look at all of the possibilities! So much fun with the solo scoring tier names, too. I had a blast with the easiest ways to play. Just having those available is wonderful, too. Diving deeper into the combinations adds rules and strategies, yet when I’m feeling tired, it’s nice to know that panels A and D are right there for a couple of easy plays. Such a great discovery that’s absolutely perfect in the cozy game realm!

10 Plays

Affordability

Price & Value

9

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

10

Originality

Design & Theme

8

Quality

Components & Rules

10

Reusability

Achievement & Enjoyment

10

Variability

Distinctness & Randomness

7

+ Pros (Positives)

• Everything about the game feels like it hits upon the cozy theme perfectly, from the artwork to the mechanics.
• Different combinations of the foldable board panels provide 8 ways to play with varying levels of complexity.
• The simplest single panels are still very fun, and help teach the rules in a way that doesn’t feel boring or scripted.
• Outlining the objects is fun and enjoyable, particularly because perfect lines aren’t required and add to the charm.
• Play time moves quickly with the dice rolls, allowing the focus to remain on strategizing and counting up or down.
• Little details, like funny solo scoring tiers or recommendations for how to get cozy, add to the calm atmosphere.

– Cons (Negatives)

• The included dry erase markers may not be the best option, as caps may stick or the sharp points can indent boards.
• Some luck is involved with dice rolls, even taking into account the value-changing options that are available.
• Following the lines of the objects takes a little practice to see the dots and suns, although this is pretty minor.
• A couple of rules ambiguities pop up here or there, yet the designer has already clarified most of these in the forums.

More Daydream

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#### Victory Conditions

Reach the Highest Solo Scoring Tier

Goals and Milestones

R

Win at least 1 game in Calm Morning (A).

Q Win at least 1 game in Coffee Break (D).

Continue the Conversation

What do you enjoy about Daydream? Is there a combination that you prefer to play with? I am absolutely loving this game! It’s the perfect way to relax, and I have all of the other panels to discover with new challenges. The cozy vibes feel like they come through, and I don’t know of other games that encourage leaning into that coziness so much. Glad I found this one!