Among the Sleep – Review

Everyone would love to go back to being a child again and relive some of those simpler times of fun and playfulness however Krillbite Studios have developed a title that has you controlling a two year old in a playful world full of drama and horrific tension.

It’s a simple premise and is enough to at least perk your intrigue from the get go. There are few games today that offer such a unique gameplay experience. Among the sleep is a horror game which sees you controlling a toddler aided by a rather creepy and dare I say it sinister companion in the form of a teddy bear. I don’t know what it is about teddy bears but they always seem to get the creepy roles. It’s cliché but it works to deliver the horror atmosphere throughout the game.

Playing in the first person perspective gives you the unique experience of feeling overwhelmed by everything around you, simple day to day objects are towering over you and trying to get to your destination sometimes feels like a mountain to climb rather  than a simple chest of drawers.  What the developer has really managed to achieve here intentional or not is the combination of the controls and the world around you works perfectly to mimic the sense of awkwardness in a toddlers movement and a cumbersome approach to handling.

“I found myself scurrying to safety whenever the indicators of being caught rang out on screen.”

At the beginning of the game you are introduced to the controls through an interactive tutorial getting you familiar with your playroom. This is where you will become familiar with grabbing, holding and movement in the game. The controls are fairly easy to grasp but do feel a little odd at first. It’s nothing to worry about though and actually matches the experience nicely.

So what’s the story all about? Well initially you feel as though you are playing as a rebel toddler led astray by this companion teddy bear. You don’t get a clear understanding of why you do what you but throughout the game you start to get a sense of what it’s all about. Essentially the aim of the game is to evade the nightmares that lurk in the dark and solve puzzles. The nightmares that lurk in the dark however are actually the toddler’s mother however to begin with this isn’t clear. As you evade your mother throughout the game you will see she begins to look increasingly horrific as you move through the levels. I found myself scurrying to safety whenever the indicators of being caught rang out on screen.

Visually this is where the rough edges can be found throughout among the sleep, as you play through the first person perspective climbing over objects and hiding in cupboards means you’re getting a really close view of the textures and object art in the game. Unfortunately it’s not all that great close up. I didn’t feel it dampened my experience but when I climb on a chest of drawers in a game built in 2015 I would expect the contents to look a bit better than a flat colour blend.

“I got the emotional punch that only Ori and the blind Forest managed to achieve”

Performance wise visuals at times were a bit flaky and hampered some of the immersive feeling the game does so well to build. Moving from room to room I sometimes found retracing my steps resulted in seeing large expanses of space, perhaps you should never look behind you after all.

Among the sleep is single player only offering one form of playthrough, you move through zones effectively which within each zone are puzzles and collectibles, the puzzles are enjoyable and in the main revolve around a fetch quest mechanic, grab this key, get this jigsaw piece. It wasn’t until later in the game I felt I was starting to be challenged a bit more. Later levels see increased numbers of interactive objects puzzles and obstacles that challenge more than just your ability to run and hide but your ability to act with stealth or intelligence. It felt much more engrossing near the end of the game and I only wished they included more interactivity earlier on. Most areas are expansive waste grounds with a new paint job, move around find what you need to and move on. The concept of the little house and the placing of trinkets down a chute still completely eludes me but this is the way in which the game segments these areas.

Don’t expect any dialogue worth noting in this one, you are a toddler remember so to expect such a thing would be a bit daft. However some nice narration and voice overs as you embark between key points give context to what you’re doing. It’s all very vague but this is the games charm. The idea of horror for me in this game was never really realised, it has tension and weird suspense but it had scenes more in line with Everyone’s Gone to the rapture than Outlast.

Completing the main story should take you around 2-4 hours add a little more if you want to mop up all the collectibles. However don’t let the short play through put you of picking this title up. At the end of this game I got the emotional punch that only Ori and the blind Forrest managed to achieve. I won’t spoil it but the progression from happy child happy mother to where the game leaves you in the closing scene shows that Krillbite studios were looking to bring awareness to a more serious topic. Being a first time dad this resonated with me hugely and I believe with others it will do the same.

So in summary I would highly recommend finding the time to experience Among the sleep on PS4 it offers a unique gaming experience with some standard game mechanics. The visuals aren’t great but the story and underlying tension throughout make this one of my favourite games of 2015.