Back to Bed Is a Delightfully Surreal Puzzle Game About Saving a Sleepwalker From His Dreams
With so many new video games vying for the attention of fans every month, it can be hard for a particular title to stand out.
Games need an intriguing premise or aesthetic to truly catch people's attention. Back to Bed was ported to the Nintendo Switch last month, and thankfully, it has both. I'd been curious about this unique game before, but never got around to playing it on Steam, iOS or Android. With the new release on the Switch, I thought it would be the perfect time to reach out to its creators, who provided me with a key to review the game.
(Back to Bed via 2Awesome Studio)
Back to Bed is a puzzle game revolving around a sleepwalker named Bob. He falls asleep at work each and every day, only to wander in his slumber through an unfriendly city bustling with dangers. In his dreams, reality blends with surrealism, creating a world of impossible architecture in which imaginary threats mirror the ones he faces in real life. Bob would be a goner if it weren't for his subconscious protector, a green, human-faced dog creature called Subob.
(Back to Bed via 2Awesome Studio)
As a player, you control Subob and do your best to guide Bob through the dream world back to the safety of his bed. Unfortunately, you can't manipulate him directly. Bob will always walk straight until he runs into a wall, at which point he'll make a clockwise quarter-turn and continue walking. To get him back to bed, you'll have to make use of the terrain—and giant, moveable Granny Smith apples. Thankfully, the game forecasts where he's going next with a path of footprints appearing directly in front of him, and the floor space is a checkerboarded grid, making his moves slightly more predictable.
(Back to Bed via 2Awesome Studio)
While early levels can be solved by cleverly placing one apple and letting Bob find his way home, it's not long before you'll actively be running across the board to move and replace the apples again and again to ensure his success.
But even more important in the game is the look and feel. The level design in Back to Bed draws influence from various surrealist artists to paint a dreamscape that's at once familiar and unnerving. The large green apples feel like they're plucked out of a René Magritte painting, while the melting clocks and desert backgrounds are reminiscent of Salvador Dali's work. The level design utilizes M.C. Escher-inspired perspectives, so you can climb sideways staircases and walk on walls, and travel through portraits.
(Back to Bed via 2Awesome Studio)
Sometimes the platform that's directly below you can also be on the same level as you thanks to the game's unique level design. In some levels, long fish are used as walkable platforms, and understanding the skewed perspective is the key to getting Bob back to bed. All of it looks and feels bizarre, giving it a perfectly dream-like quality while still feeling consistent.
(Back to Bed via 2Awesome Studio)
Later levels introduce enemies, such as alarm clocks, snarling dogs and even whale trains. If Bob runs into one of them, you'll have to restart your run. On the bright side, Bob can fall off the edges of platforms as often as he needs to without harm, sending him back to his starting point every time. With a little clever thinking, it's also possible to run the clocks off the board or trap dogs in unused parts of the map, clearing a safe walkway for Bob. As you progress, you'll want to utilize every trick in your arsenal to lead Bob to safety.
(Back to Bed via 2Awesome Studio)
The game also has some amazing, sometimes otherworldly sound design. A number of the levels include creepy backward speech that makes my skin crawl but perfectly fits the feel of the game. The music is mostly subtle and atmospheric, punctuated by occasional bird chips (and Bob's snores).
Back to Bed isn't too long, and the entire thing can be completed within a couple of hours. The levels are quick, but satisfying to complete, and the creative level design kept pushing me forward until it was done. While the levels don't have a ton of replay value on their own, there's more to it once the credits roll. Once you've beaten it, you unlock Nightmare mode, which requires Bob collect a key before he can finish each level. While I didn't immediately feel compelled to finish every one of these levels, I'm excited that they'll be there for me when I'm ready.
(Back to Bed via 2Awesome Studio)
Back to Bed is available now on the available now on the Nintendo Switch for $4.99
Love puzzles on the Switch? click HERE to read my review of She Remembered Caterpillars.