Among the Sleep, PS4 review: An experiment rather than fully fledged video game

Among the Sleep is a first-person horror game that captures a sense of vulnerability by giving the player a unique perspective - that of a two-year-old toddler.

Armed with nothing more than a snazzy pair of pajamas and an anthropomorphic talking teddy bear, you have to traverse your nightmares, coming out of it on the other side (hopefully) unscathed.

Along the way you’ll need to solve puzzles and avoid shadowy figures that roam the environments.

There’s no option to take them on, you’ll need to find a bed to duck under or cupboard to hide in until they’ve gone.

We’ve seen plenty of hide and seek horror games over the last few years, including Amnesia, Alien Isolation, and most recently Soma.

Among the Sleep follows in these quiet footsteps, and befitting of the character you play, feels slightly My First Horror Game by comparison.

It’s spooky alright but rarely scary, and the enemy encounters lose their sense of dread early on, never upping the fear with any new tricks.

The environments are a highlight though made up of a creative combination of everyday objects, twisted by a child’s active imagination, brilliantly nailing the feel of a nightmare world.

In the background, there’s a surprisingly mature story, and you have to give props to the game for trying something new.

It’s an interesting experience while it lasts, but at two hours, the game ends just when it feels it’s going somewhere. There’s no real reason to return either unless you want to mop up the collectibles.

Among the Sleep succeeds more as an experiment than a fully fledged video game, and you won’t play anything like it anytime soon.

It marks Krillbite Studio as one to watch for the future, with this game feeling very much like a first attempt at something much bigger and better.