Those who visit this site regularly know that I’m a big fan of horror, be it in the form of movies, TV shows, books or video games. What is also true is that I’m a big fan of heavier music, including metal and some industrial, although it’s not all I listen to. In fact, one of my favourite bands happens to be Nine Inch Nails, which will likely stand forever as the best live band I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. A good friend and I went to see them in August, and I’m going again this winter, with a peer from the video game industry, marking my sixth and seventh Nine Inch Nails concerts (since 2005).
Why am I going on and on about NIN? Well, there’s a good reason. You see, there’s a new horror game out that combines dark themes, intense imagery, unnerving gameplay, mature storytelling and music from one Robin Finck. He’s been Trent Reznor’s longest serving touring musician, having performed with the band from 1994 to 2000, then 2008 to now. He’s performing on the current Peel It Back Tour, and has also contributed to at least one album.
The aforementioned game is called Sleep Awake, and it released earlier this month. It comes to us from Blumhouse Games and Eyes Out, and is a project that was created by Robin Finck and Cory Davis, who worked on Spec-Ops: The Line. When I heard about it, I knew that I had to play it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, a colonoscopy, an early family Christmas, company, and other things kept me from getting to it as soon as I would have liked.
Set in the far future, although that’s not exactly obvious, Sleep Awake takes place in the last city on Earth. Ravaged by weather events like acid rain, it exists in a state of horrid disrepair, and is surrounded by a seemingly never-ending desert, with strange formations sticking out. As if the people who’ve survived everything else haven’t had it bad enough, they’re faced with yet another unexpected event, that being the Hush.
For some unknown reason, people are disappearing in their sleep, only occasionally leaving strange ghostly traces of their last positions. Afraid to go to sleep and end up like their loved ones, friends and neighbours, the limited amount of remaining people do whatever they can to keep from nodding off. By anything, we mean anything possible.
Desperate to stay awake, and remain alive, people are resorting to extreme measures to avoid sleeping. Some are using pain as a way to remain wakeful, while others are using electricity to shock themselves awake, with both groups having rigged up elaborate forms of personal torture. Then, you have folks like our main character, Katja, whose family has discovered a way to magically purify water, then boil it with strange plants and other things, to create serums that are dripped into one’s eyes. The problem is that it can be a finicky process, and the serums don’t last long.
Katja is almost all alone in this strange, futuristic but retro world, which still uses cassette tapes and microfiche. Her dad went missing in the outskirts, her twin brother couldn’t stay awake and her only remaining family member is in a vegetative state. As the only one left, she’s tasked with looking after herself and her ailing family member, all while avoiding men with sacks over their heads and beating sticks in their hands, who patrol the city and try to control people. They also have their own ideas about what the best way to stay awake is, and they have no interest in letting others feel differently.
The game begins in the family’s flat, which is a rather big but very old, dated, dirty and broken down apartment with multiple levels and a surprising amount of rooms. There, Katja begins her interactive story (or nightmare, if you will) by finding ingredients and then brewing her serum. It isn’t long before she finds herself hallucinating, and residing on the edge of wakefulness, leaving her unsure of what is real. Visions occur, nightmarish images present themselves and reality bends. Furthermore, she tends to find herself ‘waking up’ in strange places, which end up progressing and being integral to the story. It’s not entirely clear how she travels to these places, unless it’s through the serum or just a way to move the plot forward.
At its core, then, Sleep Awake is what could be described as a dark and unsettling, first-person, walking simulator, with a few basic puzzles and some stealth. Those who purchase this budget priced game will find themselves walking, running and crawling through varied environments, some of which seem lifelike and some of which are nightmarish and unnerving. During several of the twelve chapters, you’ll have to avoid the aforementioned enemies with the sacks over their heads and their beating sticks, along with different foes later on. It usually boils down to crouching, moving slowly, staying out of sight and holding your breath. This has never been my favourite type of gameplay, as stealth has been very hit and miss for me over the years, but it works well enough and makes sense here. You have no way of fighting back, and one or two hits can cause your death. Thankfully, the checkpoints are very fair and do not punish you at all. That’s not to say that I died often, but I did from time to time.
If you’re someone who doesn’t mind exploring environments, looking at and investigating select items, and doing occasional stealth segments, then Sleep Awake may be up your alley. Truth be told, there isn’t a lot to the gameplay other than what’s been mentioned, plus collecting microfiche, strange drawings and souls. Well, you aren’t collecting the souls, per se, but singing to them to ‘release’ them from their last known position leads to an achievement or trophy. I really took my time with this game, and thought that I explored almost every nook, cranny, room and corner, but I somehow missed the last soul and the final microfiche. Unfortunately, there’s no chapter select option, from what I can see. Then again, I didn’t expect there to be one.
As I said, I took my time with this game, but didn’t struggle too much with it. I only briefly got lost, and didn’t die much. Still, it definitely didn’t end up being the 3-4 hour game I’d read it was. I started it around 6 or 7pm, and finished it after 1:30am, although I took about a half hour break to eat and use the washroom. It surprised me with its length, because of what I had read — not because it’s a super long game. It’s long enough, though.
On one side of the coin, it’s good that this game is longer than expected because it adds value. However, Sleep Awake is arguably too long for its own good, because it tends to drag at times. Since there isn’t a lot to the gameplay, things get repetitive, and some sections feel overlong. A bit of this is likely due to how narratively confusing and unclear things are through a large portion of the campaign. This is a strange game, with a weird and ambitious story, and it’s more high concept than some may like. There’s a lot to take in, too, including the backstory, talk about different medicines and drinks invented to keep people awake, and articles about experiments.
Sleep Awake isn’t your typical game, which is obvious. It’s evident that this was a passion project, and an ambitious one at that. They evidently wanted to do, grapple with and say a lot with this game, and it shows as a labour of love. It doesn’t all come together to make the most enjoyable or deep experience, but I give the developers a lot of credit for swinging for the fences and making their game. It’s certainly one I won’t soon forget.
It’s important to note, though, that this isn’t just a computer generated project. In a lot of ways, it’s also a mixed media horror experience. What does that mean? Well, there’s the core game and its visuals, which are complemented by a mix of beautiful cutscenes and some eye catching live action footage. Combined, it all comes together swimmingly, to create a feast for one’s sense of sight and sense of hearing. I was honestly blown away by the quality of the visuals, especially when the different types were mixed together. I’m still amazed by some of the shots, scenes, images and visuals that the developers were able to capture and create. It all looks amazing, and will stick with me.
When I heard about this game, and discovered that Robin Finck was behind its music, I got excited. I guess I mentioned that above though. Well, Sleep Awake doesn’t have as much long form music as I’d thought it might, but the talented musician has created a unique, unnerving, impressive and very fitting instrumental and electronic soundscape for this title. When there is music, it’s haunting and effectively used. Meanwhile, there’s a good mix of silence, and a soundscape that you don’t normally hear in horror games. Combined, it creates an interesting and unnerving atmosphere. Sleep Awake isn’t exactly a scary or horrifying game, but it makes you think, keeps you on your toes, and is also unsettling. The aforementioned mix of strange imagery really helps with this.
Katja is fully voiced, and her voice actress is Persia Numan; the twenty year-old daughter of English musician, Gary Numan, who is also a musician herself. She and her father have ties to Nine Inch Nails, so it’s not surprising that they’re both in the game. I must admit that I only knew of Gary Numan before playing through this, but Persia does a decent job of voicing Katja. The voice acting, as a whole, isn’t anything special, but it’s good enough. The writing is better, but still not outstanding by any means. The idea, as a whole, though, is very ambitious and impressive. I just wish that there had been more to the big reveal, as I felt that the reason for people disappearing in their sleep was a bit too unoriginal.
Once I heard about Sleep Awake, it instantly became one of my most anticipated games. I was really looking forward to playing it, and had high hopes. Now that I’ve spent maybe 6-7 hours with it, I’m left undecided as to how to score it. On one hand, it’s an impressive, ambitious and memorable experience, the likes of which you don’t normally see with this kind of artistry or polish. However, on the other hand, it’s a game that doesn’t have a lot to it in terms of mechanics, and one that tends to drag on. I really respect it, but expected to enjoy playing it more than I did.
This review is based on the Xbox Series X version of the game, which we were provided with.