Your character is a starting point
Shape of Dreams arrived on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 17. Lizard Smoothie’s top-down action roguelite is built around assembling abilities during a run, with console players joining a game that first launched on PC in September 2025. The console release coincides with The Starless Path update.
Its pitch is particularly appealing if finding an unexpected build is your favourite part of a roguelite. Picking a character establishes a starting style, but the upgrades you find can change how you put that character to work. That is more useful to know than simply hearing there are lots of things to unlock.
Essences change the behaviour of your skills
In its PlayStation Blog introduction, the developer explains Memories as abilities and Essences as modifiers. Examples include attacks spreading to nearby enemies and hits reducing cooldowns. Those change the situations in which you might use a skill, rather than merely raising its damage number.
That is what catches our attention. A combination might reward drawing enemies together, staying aggressive or saving a skill for a different moment. How varied and balanced those combinations feel requires hands-on time we have not had. This is a look at the proposition, not a scored review.
A new Traveler and another ending
The developer’s Xbox Wire announcement says The Starless Path expands the roster to nine Travelers with Cetus, a ranged frost character. The update also adds character-background content, a new ending and a tougher final boss.
For returning PC players, that is a more meaningful reason to take another look than the arrival of console editions alone. New players should also keep the timing in mind when reading older guides or watching launch footage. They are not starting with the September 2025 version.
Co-op across platforms
You can play solo or with up to three friends online. The console launch supports crossplay with PC and other consoles, making it easier to assemble a group that does not own matching hardware. Do not read crossplay as a promise of shared progression, which is a separate feature.
Our Xbox Tokyo Game Show roundup places it alongside the other announcements, while the September Game Pass selection offers more options to compare. Shape of Dreams looks most relevant to players who want to keep experimenting together, rather than clear a campaign once and move on.
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