Back to Bed first started out as a student project, but after winning a host of awards and completing a Kickstarter (raising £13,000 – £1,000 more than its target) the game has been given a graphical overhaul, some extra levels and a release on Steam.
Back to Bed is essentially a puzzle game with a surreal theme. You play as ‘Subob’, the subconscious protector of narcoleptic sleepwalker Bob. It is your job as Bob’s protector to guide him back to his bed, while avoiding any hazards on the way.
At the beginning of each level, Bob begins to sleepwalk in a set direction. If he falls off the edge of the level, he will spawn back at the beginning. In order to avoid falling, and make it back to Bob’s bed, you need to find ways to steer him in the right direction. There are two items in the game that can be used to do this: a giant apple and a long fish (did I mention it was surreal?). The giant apple can be placed in Bob’s path, thus diverting him clockwise (Bob always turns clockwise), and the long fish can be used to bridge gaps.
Sounds simple enough, but Back to Bed shows that you don’t need a massive stock of gimmicks in order to create a compelling puzzle game, and the increasing complexity of the levels means that the two items are enough to work with. In each level you are contending with the pace of Bob’s stride, as he does not stop to give you time to think. Therefore the levels require a bit of preparation, trial and error, as well as quick thinking. While Bob falling off the level will only result in him dropping back to the beginning, in more complex levels this will result in you having to repeat strategies – some levels may require you to use an item more than once, for example placing a fish to help Bob over a gap, and then picking it up again to place at a further point in the level – however, other hazards may kill Bob, and force you to retry the level.
Aside from falling, the other hazards include: living man-holes with sharp teeth, which gobble Bob up if he walks into them; alarm clocks, which wake him up; trains, which run him over if he walks on their tracks; and dogs. With the exception of the man-holes and trains, the hazards can be manipulated in much the same way as Bob can. Clocks are easier to deal with, as you can just guide them off the edge of a level and be done with them for good; but dogs will not fall, and therefore must be directed away from Bob entirely. Additionally, giant lips that blow air work as both a hazard and a means of manipulating Bob – you can guide Bob into these to move him a few paces in another direction, however you need to be careful that they do not simply blow him off the edge of the level.
The combination of the constant pace, increasingly complex levels, and hazards creates a perpetually tense challenge. In some instances, I just about managed to place an apple to redirect Bob before he fell off the edge of the level; and dealing with some of the hazards (particularly the dogs) is a test of quick reactions and forethought. The puzzles are finely constructed and interesting, and most enjoyable as a result.
Just as interesting is the theme. I imagine you have probably worked out from the list of hazards and items that Back to Bed is a little bit weird. All the levels seem to take place on platforms, suspended in the air in some unknown place. The levels are inhabited by unusual objects and creatures, such as clams with eyes and flying chess pieces. But the weirdness is not limited to the aesthetics – optical illusions affect some of the puzzles, and there are portals that teleport Bob to another side of the level. Additionally, Subob is required to walk on walls in order to reach certain items.
It’s all a great big, quirky, hallucinogenic trip, filled to the brim with charm and potential. But, unfortunately, the game’s endearing qualities accentuate my one criticism of it – it just isn’t long enough (just under two hours). It seems like a trend has emerged amongst the few games I have reviewed on this site that they are brimming with potential and full of interesting concepts and ideas, which are never fully realised due to their short length. I think that this applies to a lesser degree to Back to Bed, because the base concept and mechanics are so strong; but it is certainly still an issue.
The game does offer a ‘nightmare’ mode, whereby you have to guide Bob to first pick up a key before you can guide him to his bed. It is an interesting way of upping the difficulty, and definitely effective (I didn’t progress very far in the nightmare mode), but it isn’t enough to make up for the lack of core content.
On a side note, the game does support keyboard and mouse, as well as controller, although the controller is more intuitive. In addition, the options menu is sparse but competent (this isn’t Crysis, so I am sure it can be forgiven).
At £4.49 (currently £3.81 with 15% at the time of writing this review), please bear in mind the length of the game before making any purchase decision. If you do decide to go for it, it is definitively an interesting and deftly created, if brief, puzzle game – highly endearing and reasonably challenging.