David overhears a confrontation between his mother and his father, Justin, on his birthday, setting off the nightmare. The gameplay is mostly linear but the feeling of being a small toddler in a large environment is effectively recreated to the point that it feels easy to get lost.Īmong the Sleep follows toddler David who lives with his mother, Zoey. In general, though, the game is more focused on atmosphere and story than gameplay. In this respect, Among the Sleep can be compared to walking simulators, though the horror elements and dark storyline making it much less of a relaxing play. As a toddler, there's not a huge amount of ways to interact with the world. Since the playable character is a toddler, moving around includes crawling, walking, and climbing.ĭavid will be accompanied throughout the game by his trusty companion, a teddy bear named Teddy. However, combat is not the focus of Among the Sleep Instead, the player will have to run and hide to avoid the nightmarish monsters. RELATED: The Epic Games Store's Free Games for October 2021 Keep Getting Spookier Among the Sleep: Gameplay and AestheticĪmong the Sleep bears similarities with American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returnsboth aesthetically and thematically, with surreal nightmare worlds inhabited by cartoonish, twisted creatures. With childhood being such a huge component of the horror genre, this game offers a unique exploration of identification with the child character in horror. The game leans into the psychoanalytic implications of playing as a child. The game's concept evoked a mixed response, but for the most part, the unique experience of playing a horror through the eyes of a toddler has huge potential for the genre.

The game was originally released in 2014 after the studio received funding from the Norweigan Film Institute and a Kickstarter campaign. While games like Who's Your Daddy? made playing as a baby a whacky and fun adventure, Among the Sleep features a much darker plot where the toddler, David, traverses a surreal nightmare world after witnessing his parents arguing.Īmong the Sleep was developed by Norweigan developer, Krillbite Studio. Among the Sleep is a trippy, survival horror adventure with American McGee's Alice vibes, where you play as a baby.

As Halloween approaches, Epic Games Store continues to offer up spooky games of all varieties.

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