Back to Bed Review

Back to Bed throws together abstract and surreal art styles to create a unique-looking puzzle game that never quite develops its mechanics to the extent of its potential. However, the surrealist style is unlike anything else out there and as a short but affordable puzzle game, Back to Bed is worth a look.

Suffering from narcolepsy Bob’s stressful condition means he’s frequently sleepwalking in some bizarre and dangerous dreamscapes. Controlling Bob’s subconscious, dog-like helper, you must place Magritte apples and later, fish bridges, in Bob’s way and guide him back to his bed. Thwarting you are fish trains, aggressive dogs, holes in the ground and the evil morning alarm clock. Did I say this was a little bizarre?

Later levels have a variety of surreal threats

The best strategy is usually to allow Bob to wander off into the void while you take the level in. If the chronic sleepwalker falls off the level then he just gets deposited back at the beginning without interrupting your flow. I found myself doing that anyway as the mixture of Dali, Escher and Magritte art styles provide some stunning backdrops to the puzzle action.

Reminiscent of Echochrome, the impossible architecture and disquieting staring eyes that gaze upon Bob’s otherworldly walking are truly unique. The problem is that they mask the rather plain puzzle mechanics that Back to Bed uses and never really develops further than it could.

The Magritte apples are what you’ll use to divert Bob back to bed

With only two campaigns available the game is barely two hours long, quicker if you have the kind of brain needed for this type of puzzle mechanic, and although you unlock a Nightmare Mode after completion there’s not enough here to fully explore the mechanics possible. This Nightmare Mode has you grabbing floating keys in order to unlock your bedroom and is the most rewarding game mode, if you can manage the challenge.

That said, it’s rewarding to get Bob back to safety in the normal mode and the difficulty ratchets up nicely as you progress adding the fish bridge mechanics and enemies that cause a reset of the level if they wake up Bob. Aside from the surrealist art-style mash up that amazes and unsettles you, Back to Bed also has a very weird sounding narrator explaining the simple mechanics occasionally. It’s close to being ridiculously silly but fits in perfectly with the style of the game and when playing you know you’re in the hands of someone with a unique style they wanted to convey.

Unblinking eyes, writhing tentacles - sounds like my kinda dream!

Using a controller is essential in order to manipulate objects and move quickly around the levels. I played half of the game with a mouse and although it's functional the imprecise nature of clicking Subob around became quickly annoying. It also highlights that this is probably going to appear on a tablet device and it's length and control method is likely better suited to that platform than the PC.

I feel a little caught in the middle with Back to Bed. It’s a very stylish looking game with a unique surrealist bent but the puzzle mechanics don’t feel developed enough to fully engage me yet. The payoff for finishing the game isn’t enough to make some of the levels worthwhile and it feels like Back to Bed is selling itself short by being constricted to just two campaigns.  That said, Back to Bed is reasonably priced and if you’re a fan of the art-style mentioned or want something a little different to play for a few hours then there’s value here.