Developer: Krillbite Studios
Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS
Tested on: Playstation 4
Among the Sleep (PS4) – Review
“Oh baby” is probably the last thing you are bound to say when it comes to horror games. This is where Among the Sleep comes in. When every scenario has already been developed, then what do you do? You change the perspective. What’s more terrifying than being in an alien looking world? Being a baby in an alien world. A small twist that has great disadvantages for the main protagonist.
Story
You are a baby. That’s the main selling point of the game. The less defensive you can be as a human being and the more terrifying the world around you seems. Also the twisted perspective changes things up. When a game is this short you’d expect the story to be really packed and you’d have to pay attention to what’s going on at every point in the game. You’ll be disappointed as only at the very end does the game fill you in on the plot. The twist is scattered all around the place, and if you pay attention the twist won’t be a twist at all. The story is sad, when everything is revealed, but that doesn’t mean the ending has to be too. There is room for a sequel as it stands. The baby doesn’t die at the end, which is a given, because killing babies in media -and real life- is not done. Let’s hope we see the little one grow up in a sequel.
Graphics
Among the Sleep was developed in Unity and it shows. It could get away with it when it was just a PC game, with all the people having low specs computers but when it comes to current generation consoles, the least they could have done was give the mother a less than monstrous face. It could be the babies perspective that skews things, but still… It’s not like she has to look pretty or jaw droppingly beautiful, but at least make it look like she isn’t made out of cardboard and is about to make bleeb bleeb bloob bloob noises. The environments go from familiar and cosy to hostile and strange in a matter of minutes and the whole ordeal is very disturbing.
It’s a definite plus when you try to see reason in the perspective of a baby and then just have to give up because there’s no documented mindset of said persona. A very creepy atmosphere hangs around most of the places you visit, even the homestead feels off.
Sound
This is where the game is a kicker. The audio in this game is very scary. It’s not just because they are mostly strange noises in stranger places still, it’s because they fit so well. They add to the ambience of the places you visit. Noises that, when taken out of context would be soothing, become hostile and frightening. It layers on the atmosphere and makes it so you just want to roll up into a ball, take your pacifier and just not move. Not until you wake up and mommy comes with her gentle cooing and reassuring. But that’s not an option, you’ll have to traverse the places where crickets chirp, owls hoot, rivers splash and furniture makes strange squeacky, thumping and scraping noises.
Gameplay
Among the Sleep is a horror survival game with platforming elements. Some puzzles are added, but they can be solved by a baby, then again they are in line with the protagonist. After all the world in the game is testing the baby, not you. The game is short… In about three hours you can enjoy the ending. When talking about controls are rather simple. Square lets you hug your teddy, which glows and lets you see a little better, X lets you climb things, O makes you go prone and super fast. After all, crawling is a lot faster than walking when you haven’t quite figured out walking out quite yet. You can run when you press R1, but do so sparingly because when you do for too long, you’ll fall over and you’ll lose time getting back up again. Only three quarts into the game do you really feel like you are in trouble. This is kind of a big deal as when things really start feeling tense and you start getting into the whole horror part of the game, the mild unease starts to transform into full fledged anxiety until Among the Sleep all of a sudden goes: ‘The End.’
The developers could have fleshed out the puzzles a bit more and given us more of a challenge when it comes to looking for items. Among the Sleep feels really linear. Linear games aren’t a problem, it’s when the thought about the fact that you are playing a game that feels linear it becomes a problem. One of the things you’d think a baby would do a lot is get lost but you really can’t get lost, no matter how you try. Being able to get lost in a vast place with monsters lurking about would help the immersion quite a bit.
Conclusion
Among the Sleep has an interesting, albeit short twist on a horror game. The controls are functional and story is interesting, but it all feels token. If you are looking for a quick horror game because any length of terror might give you physical unease, you might wanna pick this up.
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