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The Dream's demo has been just released is available on the game's main page for Win, Linux and Steam Deck.
There is a web version for other systems, including mobiles:
https://fourda.itch.io/dreams-demo
Feedback is much appreciated on Steam forums or Discord.
Happy dreaming :)
Dreams is a meditative incremental experience where you interact with dreams in four phases: discover, expand, enjoy, and release. Each phase offers unique mechanics that go beyond simple clicking, requiring concentration, engagement, and optimization.
Touch the lights in the darkness to discover dreams.
Illuminate dark areas to expand dreams.
Enjoy complete dreams and find hidden objects while energy is recovering.
Release current dream by tracing along its edge; then move to a new one.
Upgrade your home and masteries using earned experience.
Dozens of choices offer customization and strategic gameplay.
Embody dreams to their final form using memories, and receive additional bonuses.
How many dreams can you weave before dawn?
As with the Four Divine Abidings, the Dreams will be very much shaped by player feedback. There will be a free demo, you can wishlist the game today to not miss it, and later share your experience in the Discord server.
Some time ago, Natali, the Four Divine Abidings' artist, got invited to host a game's art exhibition. We are happy that this event took place, in a small cozy gallery in Budva, Montenegro.
During the event dozens of people got acquainted with the art and the artist.
I think Natali's works are apt to at least one more game. Postprocessed and stylized to a dreams theme, along with her new art, they will be featured in a new incremental/idle visual experience I'm working on.
See you next game :)
⬖ Added Library that features a new Timeflow mechanic and unites all lore and art in one place:
❯ After the first Rebirth, use Insight to activate Timeflow and skip time forward, collecting all the rewards.
❯ Use Merit to upgrade the length of Timeflow.
❯ Discover new setups that considerably speed the end game, especially getting those last Milestones.
❯ View all unlocked lore and art in one place any time; enjoy new full window mode to view the art without distractions.
⬖ Added new Path tasks that introduce Library and it's mechanics.
⬖ UI/UX improvements.
⬖ Save compatibility: your existing game will be automatically upgraded to include new features.
Have fun :)
Steam build:
⬖ You can set a custom home image.
⬖ Press the "⮝" button when you are at the last Home image (press "❯" in the bottom right of the Home panel to get to it).
Share yours on Discord or reddit :)
⬖ Display requirements and progress for the Milestones that have been unlocked but got locked again due to Rebirth.
⬖ Added Tier locks display to Tools' level progress info.
It's been one month since the Four Divine Abidings Steam release. I'd like to thank everyone for playing, providing feedback and posting reviews. It really helps to polish the game and inform more players.
⬖ 37 reviews with 89% being positive. There is a known visibility bump on Steam after 50 reviews. You can help :)
⬖ 279 average daily unique players.
⬖ 125 Supporters.
⬖ MacOS is now fully supported.
⬖ Toned down areas of the game that were perceived as progress walls.
⬖ 100% idle playstyle support achieved: all game mechanics can now be automated through different upgrades.
⬖ Increased active playstyle support: added hot keys.
⬖ New Steam achievements for a total of 35.
⬖ Many UI/UX improvements.
⬖ Increased Steam Deck compatibility.
I'm working on a bigger Library update which will provide access to all lore and paintings in one place. It will also serve as an additional connection of the game theme to the real life via introduction of a basic meditation timer and instructions.
On the gameplay side, it will add a new feature called Timeflow which will allow, limited times per Rebirth, to skip the time forward, identically to offline time.
⬖ Added a new level to the Journal tool that automates embracing Mindful Moments with a 25% chance. Mindful Moments that will be auto-embraced are spawned a little bigger and in a different color.
Note: as Mindful Moments don't spawn offline, this feature only works when the game is running.
⬖ Added Mindful Moments embracing animation.
⬖ Minor UI improvements.
⬖ Added MacOS support.
I was invited to a podcast by a fellow game developer Lucas Molina where we discussed a range of topics connected to our personalities, gaming, meditation, and the creation story behind Four Divine Abidings. I'm happy to share our talk.
YouTube:
YouTube Music:
Spotify:
⬖ Minor UI improvements.
⬖ Hot keys: E ncounter, H ome, P ath, S kills, T ools, M ilestones, Skill sets: 1, 2.
Accessible from Gems of Advice near the Main Menu:
Art is an aspect of the Four Divine Abidings that frequently receives compliments. It draws initial attention, supports a calm atmosphere, and communicates meaning for the game's Encounters. It is all hand-painted in watercolor, which creates quite a unique look for a digital product.
I was very fortunate to meet Natali Arsenova through a friend's recommendation. She created all the hand-painted artwork for the game over the course of several months. Today we'd like to share her story.
"My name is Natasha Arsenova. I am 34 years old and live in Podgorica, Montenegro. I am a drawing teacher, a creative person, and I love to go hiking.
I am an artist-painter-teacher by education. I studied for 5 years at college and 3 years as a book illustrator at an institute. I loved drawing so much that I could draw after classes and on weekends! I drew everywhere: at the station when waiting for the train, at friends' parties, on trips!
I was born in Siberia, Russia, and every summer we went to the Altai Mountains to draw in nature and hike in the mountains.
I worked as a 2D artist for 12 years, drawing for computer games. The most well-known game I worked on is Beholder, parts 1 and 2, for Steam. But in February, my life turned upside down. On February 9, 2022, my son died 43 days after birth - he had a heart defect and did not survive the operation. This was the most terrible period in my life and it changed me profoundly.
I could not return to my previous job, so my husband and I moved to another country. Here, I began to try new things and get to know myself. I fell in love with watercolor, conducted master classes, and tried teaching. This whole journey led me to where I am now: teaching drawing in Podgorica and online. I am preparing for an exhibition in August and am happy that I am in my place, doing what I love."
⬖ Tier 1 Level 3 where many players experienced a progress wall is now 60% easier. This will apply to new Encounters.
⬖ Fixed game import/restore during offline time calculations.
For me as a developer of a free game, the key performance indicator (KPI) is player engagement and enjoyment with Four Divine Abidings. It tells me if it makes sense in further development or is it better to move on. For the first week, this KPI can be summarized in the following numbers:
⬖ 418 daily active players.
⬖ 10h 5m median play time.
⬖ 79 Supporters.
⬖ 21, 90% positive reviews.
⬖ Ongoing engagement:
I'm thankful for the feedback and suggestions provided, which have already resulted in game updates improving the players' experience (1, 2). I'd like to specifically thank people who provided this feedback as well as those who wrote extensive reviews covering different aspects of the game, including the theme - I experienced appreciative joy reading them (Mudita :) ).
I've recently added Beginner Insights which cover some of the early game basics to make first steps smoother.
Given such engagement, I'm happy to continue the development, integrating the feedback and ideas that you provided. I've thematically grouped some of them:
⬖ A glossary, where every term, whether game systems or lore related, can be easily searched for.
⬖ A place where all uncovered game lore can be easily viewed again.
⬖ Real meditation instructions with a timer.
All of these fit well into a Library - an addition to the game I will focus on. It will take some time to develop, so I'll make sure to still implement smaller suggesstions and improvements while this bigger add-on is being developed.
I'm also working on Mac support: while the build is ready, there are restrictions that Apple implemented for developers of the country I'm from. If you are enrolled in the Apple developer program and would like to assist in signing the game - kindly contact me in Discord.
⬖ Level progress information of all Spiritual Tools can now be accessed by clicking Tool names in the Tools panel.
⬖ Minor UI improvements.
Implemented saves auto backup system:
⬖ Saves now are automatically backed up during some user actions.
⬖ To restore: Main Menu -> 💾 -> RESTORE.
I'm happy about the launch day: it went smooth. There were no bugs or glitches, except Steam Deck resolution glitch which may or may not be related to the game itself.
I believe reaching 10 reviews will help the game meet people who use review filters.
The game got well accepted in the incremental_games community which influenced it's creation and evolution.
I'm as well grateful for the support of the fellow developers from Godot community. Like-minded people with positive attitude contribute to the joy of making and sharing this game.
There was a demand for Mac build, I'm working to deliver it as soon as possible.
Thanks for playing and feel free to engage in Steam forums or Discord.
⬖ 33 Steam achievements.
⬖ Cloud save support.
⬖ Linux support. Steam Deck support awaiting confirmations by players.
⬖ Save games import support from/to web version.
⬖ Narrated gameplay with dozens of tasks to follow.
⬖ The game is content-complete and can be finished.
⬖ 202 Milestones to claim, many providing unique permanent buffs.
⬖ 32 Skills and Insights to master.
⬖ Additional 16 Skills for Rebirth mechanic.
⬖ 9 Spiritual Tools introducing new mechanics and game loops.
⬖ Full support of both idle and active playstyles.
⬖ Many intertwined, evolving layers of strategic progression to keep you engaged throughout the whole game experience.
⬖ Optional 2x speed for a faster-paced experience.
⬖ Hand-painted art, which many people find beautiful. Hand-painted compilation:
I got a valuable opportunity to make a free game. This means there is no a slightest conflict of interest:
⬖ All quality of life features are available from the beginning.
⬖ All content is accessible for free.
⬖ Fair offline calculations upgradable up to 52 hours.
⬖ No pay-inducing progress walls.
There is an optional $5 Supporter DLC introduced for those who wish to express their gratitude; 100% of proceeds will go to godotengine.org - an engine where the game was crafted, free and open source.
There are two types of players in the incremental genre: those who like rebirth/prestige mechanics and those who don’t.
Why don't players like it? The obvious answer is: progress loss - this is the actual thing the players don’t like.
When crafting the Four Divine Abidings I pondered on this topic a lot to make Rebirths actually fun. These are game design solutions I implemented:
⬖ Counter surface progress loss with more fundamental progress gain.
⬖ Introduce resources that are consistent throughout the whole game and never lost.
⬖ Add unique skills and systems accessible through Rebirths only.
⬖ Make main game loop evolving and flexible.
⬖ Introduce meaningful choices to customize each Rebirth.
⬖ Add means of progress automation.
⬖ Keep Rebirth system lore-consistent.
On a design level it all might sound too abstract so here are some particulars that make Rebirths really fun in the Four Divine Abidings:
⬖ 16 unique Rebirths skills grouped into 6 categories. Each category has an independent price curve so players can meaningfully choose what to focus on.
⬖ Free respecs always available for each Rebirth: trying new things is encouraged, makes runs different.
⬖ Rebirths preview: players see what stats they will have at the start, what buffs will be applied. Support theory craft and number crunching for those who like it.
⬖ Main Rebirth resource - Karma - is never lost, it accumulates through all runs. Besides, all Karma spent on Rebirths is converted to another resource - Merit - making the start of each run progressively more abundant.
⬖ Permanent buffs (that come from Milestones) are always preserved as well as Milestones themselves.
⬖ An optional, upgradeable tool that automates some progress, especially effective early after Rebirths.
⬖ Rebirths fit the lore perfectly - it’s a central concept of the Buddhist philosophy which the lore itself is based on.
You are welcome to share your Rebirth system experience on Steam forums or Discord.
When designing the Four Divine Abidings, one of my goals was to let players experience the game in the way they prefer. While starting mostly active, like many other games of the incremental genre, I aimed to gradually introduce idle play options that would be not much less efficient compared to active playstyle.
Some notable features I integrated:
⬖ A tool which performs most manual actions for you, when unlocked and upgraded. At higher levels it even becomes more effective than clicking.
⬖ A long offline time upgradeable up to 52 hours with fair calculations: exactly the same as the game was running.
⬖ Idle rewards bonus that specifically applies when you don’t do most of the manual actions. And this bonus applies to offline time as well!
⬖ Click cooldowns: non-stop clicking is impossible. This allows to balance the game properly for any playstyle.
⬖ Non-losable progress: the game always moves forward. There are no situations where a full game restart is a preferable option. No matter the players' choices, the progress happens, though with different pace.
Another design goal was to make active playstyle engaging. Since the game length is measured in weeks, pure clicking as the main mechanic can’t hold its place for that long. So I introduced features to keep players’ experience engaging throughout the whole game:
⬖ For the early game: 3 distinct mechanics for clicking: actual progress, energy restoration and stats boosts. A total of 9 clicking areas make the process more diverse. At the same time all of these mechanics are optional and it’s up to you when and how to engage.
⬖ For the mid and late game: 202 milestones to complete and dozens of narrated tasks to follow. All of these activities favor mindful engagement, build customization and planning. This is the spot where players who like crunching numbers can engage the most.
⬖ Several layers of intertwined game mechanics to experiment with. Through some months and many rounds of testing these are balanced to keep you trying different ones and feel rewarded most of the time.
⬖ Evolving game loops. There is no single most effective setup for the whole game. At different stages, and for different tasks, some setups and play approaches are more effective than others.
⬖ As support for the broken mouse convention: optional 2x game speed. If you really want, you can click A LOT :))
Summary: the game can be very idle and very active. One can turn it into a meditative experience with very little active engagement, or make active actions almost constantly, or a mix of both. It’s up to you to choose.
I got a valuable opportunity to make the Four Divine Abidings a free game. This means there is no a slightest conflict of interest:
⬖ All quality of life features are available from the beginning.
⬖ All content is accessible for free.
⬖ Fair offline calculations upgradable up to 52 hours.
⬖ No pay-inducing progress walls.
I’'ve actually enjoyed several full playthroughs of the game myself : )
There will be an optional $5 Supporter DLC introduced for those who wish to express their gratitude; 100% of proceeds will go to godotengine.org - an engine where the game was crafted, free and open source.
The game will release on Steam on the 10th of July 00:00 GMT (9th of July 17:00 PDT).
Game Highlights
+ Narrated gameplay with dozens of tasks to follow.
+ The game is content-complete and can be finished.
+ 202 Milestones to claim, many providing unique permanent buffs.
+ 31 Steam achievements
+ 32 Skills and Insights to master.
+ Additional 20 Skills for Rebirth mechanic.
+ 9 Spiritual Tools introducing new mechanics and game loops.
+ Full support of both idle and active playstyles.
+ Many intertwined, evolving layers of strategic progression to keep you engaged throughout the entire game experience.
+ Hand-painted art, which many people find beautiful; soon getting its own offline exhibition.
+ Cloud save support.
Some time ago I started with an idea
To create something different - an idle game that actually helps you slow down. A mindfulness-themed game that lets you grow and progress while practicing real contemplative principles. The twist? You don't need to constantly click or grind. Progress happens naturally, reflecting the idea that sometimes the best action is knowing when not to act.
Why?
Gaming helped me through some tough times, but I noticed something missing. While there are hundreds of games about fighting, building empires, or chasing high scores, almost none explore inner peace, mindfulness, or contemplative wisdom.
After my own meditation and mindfulness practice changed my life, I realized I could create something unique - a game that's actually good for your mental health. A digital space where you can encounter timeless wisdom while having fun.
How
The game design itself teaches mindfulness concepts:
Automatic progress reflects letting go of constant striving
Cyclical gameplay mirrors the natural rhythms of life and meditation
Mindful choices over frantic clicking encourages presence
Visual meditation through carefully hand-crafted, calming aesthetics
Every system is designed to embody contemplative principles rather than just reference them. You're not just reading about letting go - you're experiencing it through gameplay.
Then I poured 3000 hours and my heart into implementation
And made this happen. At the same time I got a valuable opportunity to make the game free.
I'm putting the finishing touches on this gaming experience. Follow along as I share development updates, mindful gaming philosophy, and sneak peeks at the meditative world I'm creating.
About
This page aggregates Steam news feeds, patch notes, and developer announcements for Four Divine Abidings, sourced from official Steam community posts.
Major updates, balance changes, and seasonal events often correlate with player-count spikes — cross-reference announcements here with the live charts on the main Four Divine Abidings statistics page.
Articles link back to Steam for full changelogs. SteamScope refreshes news entries as new posts are published to the game's Steam hub.