Make the level a floating, shifting corridor that feels like a memory loop. Each corridor segment morphs—a hallway becomes a waterfall, then a desert, then a city skyline—so the player never knows what’s coming. Hide clues that hint at the true path, but make them subtle: a flicker of a hidden door only visible when the light catches a specific angle, a song that repeats a line that changes each time you step on a platform. The stakes rise as you get closer to the “dream’s center” by shortening the time limit or increasing the number of obstacles that appear only when the player looks away. Let the win feel like waking up, the loss like a dream you can’t recall—so the pressure is emotional, not just points. Sprinkle in an item that rewinds the dream for a few seconds but costs you a life. That way, the surreal feels like a canvas, but the competition is the brushstroke that keeps you moving.