Back to Bed Review (PC)

fair
key review info
  • Game: Back to Bed
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Back to Bed

At one point or another, we’ve all had some sort of oneiric fascination, trying to pursue that elusive moment when we nod off to a strange land of murky hallucination or to explore the possibilities that attaining some sort of conscious state might allow us while inside a dream world.

Back to Bed takes its inspiration from that very same surreal substance, presenting gamers with a series of puzzles set to the background of some very interesting art, clearly influenced by Salvador Dali’s insane creations and the impossible geometry of M. C. Escher.

You are cast into the role of Bob’s subconscious, tasked with protecting him during his narcoleptic fits. If left to wander around on his own, he falls off the edge of the surreal environments he dreams up, and you have to guide him back to his bed, back to reality.

Gameplay

You play the role of a strange four-legged animal that has to travel through the levels and interact with certain objects in order to modify Bob’s course and keep him out of harm’s way.

His sleepwalking puts him in the path of danger, and while falling into the void will just cause him to pop up once again at the origin point, the endless loop has the effect of trapping him in the dream.

Armed with the knowledge that sleepwalkers can only turn right, you have to place obstacles in his path and send him walking on walls, in an effort to guide him back to reality, back to safety.

An apple a day keeps sleepwalking away
An apple a day keeps sleepwalking away
In addition to falling off the edge of the levels, there are many other perils that Bob has to face, such as pesky alarm clocks, Sarlacc Pits, vicious guard dogs and trains, and you have to find ways to work around each and every one of them.

The atmosphere of the game is enjoyable at first, but the limited mechanics start making levels feel a bit recycled after a while, although there is some level of variations, and every couple of stages you will get to see something different, like fish-bridges and ventilation shafts that push Bob around the board.

The worst thing about the game is the fact that at some point it invariably disappoints, as it starts off pretty interesting and then comes across as very limited, from the mechanics not being creative enough to the entire art style not being completely capitalized on.

The mechanical side of things is also marred by the fact that most levels are solved in real time, where you have to constantly move props in order to guide Bob, instead of laying out your proposed solution and having it play out.

Granted, the real-time elements do confer the game a bit of dynamism and offer a slightly different experience to static puzzles, but at the same time the reliance on mechanical dexterity is a bit disappointing at times.

Its biggest sin is not fully exploring the potential of the truly fascinating source material, the ideas that the artists who inspired its art direction chose to experiment with. It would have been a real treat to see the impossible architecture explored in a more thorough way, instead of just the basic and plain manner that most puzzles use it in.

The alarm clock is a formidable foe
The alarm clock is a formidable foe

Visuals and Sound

Right off the bat, the game’s artistic direction strikes a resonant chord, piquing your interest and rousing your curiosity. While not as stylized as Monument Valley (as that is the likely go-to comparison for the visual style), the game’s visual veneer is truly attractive, realized in a much more picturesque manner.

Apples, hats, eyes and skylines reminiscent of Magritte’s paintings will serve as décor for your adventures in Bob’s dreamscape world, and the melting watches from Dali’s The Persistence of Memory will often find a home right next to Escher’s plays on perspective.

However, the changes in perspective are not exploited enough, and the puzzles seem very repetitive, not making enough use of the environment, and with levels often recycling various bits, with the ultimate effect being the impression that the interesting surreal elements were used as a prop to mask its plain mechanics, instead of being explored to a larger extent.

The limited voice acting in the game is done poorly, and the music is barely noticeable after a while. It would have been nice for a little effort to have been put in developing the story in Back to Bed, to have a bit of context or narration go along the stills that move the plot between levels.


The Good

  • Interesting and stylish art style
  • Novel experience
  • Reasonably priced

The Bad

  • Dull puzzles
  • It fails to fully exploit the surreal theme
  • Very short

Conclusion

Back to Bed is yet another indie video game that comes off as refreshing and brilliant at first, only to succumb a short while later at the hands of poor execution and limited overall vision.

It’s bizarre and enjoyable at first, but it’s very short, and the mechanics are never developed at the full extent of their potential. Its otherworldly environments are intriguing at first, but it all starts becoming repetitive very fast.

Back to Bed is a stylish and unique game, but it ultimately sells itself short by not fully exploring the potential of the surreal imagery used to dress up its puzzles, and by not tapping into the wealth of fresh interactions that the theme would allow.

That said, the game is priced pretty reasonably, and if you’re a fan of puzzles and its art style, you’re more than likely to have a good time with it, in spite of its mundane puzzles.

story 3
gameplay 6
concept 9
graphics 7
audio 6
multiplayer 0
final rating 6
Editor's review
fair
 
NEXT REVIEW: Train Fever

Back to Bed screenshots (23 Images)

Back to BedAn apple a day keeps sleepwalking awayThe alarm clock is a formidable foeBack to BedBack to Bed
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