Back to Bed is a 3D isometric puzzle game that features a surrealist art style and features two protagonists, one of whom is a dog of some sort. Developed by Bedtime Digital Games Back to Bed is a puzzle game that tasks you with getting our narcoleptic sleepwalker of a protagonist, Bob, back to the safety of his bed. This is a game that takes place in a world that is in between dreams and the waking world, so things aren’t exactly what they seem. Hit the jump to read on!
What would happen to a sleepwalker that cannot help but fall asleep wherever he is? Well, he would apparently walk right out of his own window and potentially off of a roof. This is precisely the predicament Bob finds himself in. Luckily for Bob, however, his subconscious form is able to intervene. As Subob, the subconscious form of Bob, players are tasked with indirectly guiding Bob out of harm’s way and into bed.
Back to Bed is a complex puzzle game with simple mechanics. Bob automatically walks forward and only makes right turns whenever an object blocks his path. Subob, the player controlled character, can’t physically steer Bob out of danger so the only way to set Bob on the correct path is to put obstacles directly in his path. Throughout the thirty levels of Back to Bed, there are primarily two objects that Subob can interact with–an apple to block Bob’s path and force him to turn, and a fish that is used as a bridge.
Out of context, the last sentence in the previous paragraph sounds like insanity and, truth be told, it kind of is. Bob and Subob are trapped in a world that’s somewhere between Bob’s dreams and the real world. Because of this the stages that the player navigates as Subob look like they came directly from a M.C. Escher painting. Every level is essentially designed to mess with your perception of the game world. The path that you need to guide Bob to might look like it’s one story up, but it could really be on the same level that you’re on. You might walk up some stairs and still somehow be one level down from where you were. You might even walk up some stairs and find yourself standing on what was the wall, but is now the floor to you. It’s things like this that make Back to Bed literally mind-bending.
As you progress through the game, the puzzles steadily become more and more complex as more mechanics are added on each subsequent level which culminates in a mind bending puzzle that not only requires you to use everything you learned throughout the game but you’re forced to think and act on your feet since Bob never stops walking and is constantly in danger of hitting a hazard that’ll result in the level starting over.
If Bob walks off the stage, don’t worry, it doesn’t result in a game over. Bob’s position is simply reset and you can continue trying to work out the puzzle as Bob infinitely walks off of the stage and respawns. Thankfully, this mechanic can be exploited to give you time to mull over the puzzle at hand. And, to be honest, if the entire level reset every time Bob fell off the edge the stage then Back to Bed would probably be the most infuriating game ever. But, since that’s not the case, Back to Bed is an extremely enjoyable game.
Once all thirty levels are completed, you are rewarded with “Nightmare mode”, which is the game’s hard mode. Nightmare mode consists of the same thirty levels as before, except now there are keys scattered about the stages and you’re tasked with collecting them all before you can open the door to Bob’s bedroom. What makes this mode truly difficult is the fact that every time Bob falls off the stage, the keys return to their original positions. This caveat makes an enormous difference compared to the normal levels, since now you absolutely have to plan exactly where Bob goes without pushing him off the stage.
Back to Bed is a fun, if short puzzle game that is probably best played on Vita before going to bed yourself. The surrealist aesthetic mixed with the dream-like soundtrack may bleed right into your own dreams. Back to Bed is not a difficult game, but it is definitely a satisfying game. There were a handful of levels that made me put the game down for a few minutes so I could get my head straight. But once the one or two stumbling blocks were conquered I had felt a pleasing sense of accomplishment.
If you want a break from massive open worlds and you like puzzle games, I highly recommend you play Back to Bed. It’s surrealist art style and perception skewing levels is definitely a fun experience to be had.
Back to Bed is out now for PS4, PSVita, PC, iOS, and Android. Sweet dreams.
