Among the Sleep

As a child, we all at some stage had an irrational fear of the dark. What lurked in the black nothingness was unknown, not to be trusted and instead, to be feared. We were taught that monsters lurked in closets and under beds and as a child, even the most mundane of things can be perceived as a threat. Well, Among the Sleep is a horror game that harps on this fear that dwells within us, combines this with the childish and curious perspective of a toddler and aims to create a psychological horror experience as a result.

This game plays rather like games such as Little Nightmares, Layers of Fear, Fran Bow and Tattletail. This title aims to showcase the horrors that lurk within a child’s mind, an area that is rarely covered through the medium of gaming. However, is this game mature beyond it’s year’s, or will it leave you crying for momma? We find out in our review of Among The Sleep.

The Mind of a Child

The tricky part about taking the approach that Among the Sleep does, is that presenting the world from a child’s perspective is hard. Especially without the crutch of making everything sunshine and lollipops. So we have to commend this game’s developers for their efforts here. The environments you explore within this game are strange, twisted and imaginative in all the best ways. Seemingly mundane and everyday locations are tweaked and manipulated to showcase how a child impacted by trauma perceives these areas and it’s fascinating to see in action.

Then speaking of the childhood trauma, without giving too much away, this game explores the topic throughout it’s three hour runtime and we must say, it does so with grace and decorum. The big hitter moments that aim to be the sucker punches sadly don’t land as they should but from a holistic point of view, we really appreciate the story that the developer tries to tell here. There aren’t many genuine jump scares to be had here, yet we still felt unnerved and shaky throughout and that is a testament to the developers.

Then to touch on the gameplay. This title is at its best when hamming up the vulnerability of a child in a adult world. Players will have to come to grips with their small stature, their lack of motor skills and their weak nature. Yet despite these shortcomings, will still have to solve puzzles to progress. The game strikes a fine balance here and it provides a perspective that very few titles have ever attempted.

The Verdict

Overall, Among the Sleep is a decent horror game. Very few developers can provide a psychological experience that is written and presented well enough to leave a lasting impression. However, we have to say that this game does just that. The gameplay was far from extraordinary and the key point points lacked that killer blow to push this game over the top.

Pros

• The ‘world through a child’s eyes’ approach is fantastic
• Presentationally, this game is great
• The underlying theme of childhood trauma is handled respectfully

Cons

• The gameplay is rather simple and never attempts to grow throughout the playtime.
• The story’s proposed peaks are a bit of a letdown