14 Most Insane Video Game Dream Sequences

When it comes dream sequences, no medium can equal the sheer scale and imagination that can be conjured in video games. Whether its hellish nightmares out to haunt the dreams of players or more grounded, real world sequences that delve into the personality of the character you're playing, dream sequences always shake-up and add an extra layer to any gaming experience.

So its no wonder why some of the most memorable sequences in gaming as a whole come from dreamlike moments of gameplay. With the ability for the developers to shake up established mechanics, these levels give the player the ability to do ridiculous things they'd never expect to see in an otherwise grounded game. Failing that, they can simply act as a nice change of pace from the regular experience of a title, and their idiosyncratic nature can offer a much needed break from the action in favour of a section dripping with atmosphere or character.

The best part however is that, unlike films or television, the unreality of games themselves make it much easier to mask the fact that what you're actually playing isn't actually happening. Through subtle tricks and techniques, gamers can be non the wiser when they're playing through a dream or hallucinatory level, which makes it all the more satisfying when the developers decide to pull the rug straight out from under them. 

Say what you will about the overall story of Mass effect 3, but there's simply no denying that the entire game until the end built up a horrifying sense of foreboding around Commander Shepard's seemingly doomed-to-fail mission to save the galaxy.

Sprinkled in during the mammoth experience is a recurring nightmare of Shepard's, as he finds himself trapped in a terrifying forest, surrounded by the echoes of people who've been killed in the Reaper war so far, all as he chases after the ghost of one particular boy he wasn't able to save in one of the game's first missions.

Even worse, every time you catch up to him the boy instantly bursts into flames. Escalating in intensity with every return trip to the nightmare, by the third sequence both the boy and Shepard end up burning before the sequence's end. By showing up more and more as the game progressed, these small, nightmarish interludes did a great deal to foreshadow the fruitless nature of your heroic mission.