As has been the case since the beginning, the atmospheric thrills and chills of the "Deep Sleep" universe are as shocking and effective as always here. Because when this game works, it works absolute wonders. Regardless, however, these flaws cannot detract from what does work. Especially one dramatic turn near the end that just doesn't quite make sense.
Deep sleep game series#
Though I refuse to spoil anything, I do firmly think that while "The Deepest Sleep" does give the series the closure it needs and is generally well-told, the handling of a few key twists and turns is sloppy and confusing. And it's for much the same reason as the gameplay- it took beautiful simplicity and subverts it with needless additions and contrivances.
I also found the general structure of the story to be slightly more problematic here. After so much brilliance in the first two games regarding the simplistic gameplay, this new idea just comes across as an abject failure- and attempt to fix what didn't need fixing in the first place. And this is made worse by the fact that the creatures simply vanish from the game halfway through, leaving them feeling pointless. Something there to manufacture contrived tension- and it just doesn't work.
So, basically, whenever they appear, you have to move in an incredibly slow and deliberate manner, as to not alert them via an on-screen "sound meter." But the problem is, this isn't a puzzle. They hunt by sound, and sound is produced by moving the cursor. And there's no better demonstration of this fact than the newly introduced creatures known as the "Bottom Feeders." An attempt to add a stealth mechanic to the game, these monsters are instead a frustrating nuisance that feel jarring and out of place, grinding the game to a halt whenever they appear. And in attempting to take a step forward, it instead takes the series a step back. It tries to innovate what was already perfect. Unfortunately, "The Deepest Sleep" does fundamentally alter what came before. And indeed, the immediate sequel "Deeper Sleep" continued this trend, taking what worked before and merely fine-tuning it- expanding on what worked before without fundamentally altering it. Utilizing traditional point-and-click gameplay, combined with simplistic but high stylized retro graphics that lend to the hazy, dream-like quality of the game, "Deep Sleep" was such an effective experience because it wisely knew to focus on quality of story and quality of gameplay over quantity of jumps, effects and mechanics. As I have expressed before, the beautiful simplicity of "Deep Sleep" is why the game excelled so. For you are now in the deepest level of the dream-world, where dreaded and deadly creatures known as the "Bottom Feeders" reign supreme. And there are new threats to face along the way as you try and solve the mystery and escape this dark world forever. Hot off the cliffhanger seen in the last game, the player once again "awakens" inside of a twisted lucid dream. And it does it with the same spooky flair you'd expect from the "Deep Sleep" universe. Though it may objectively be the weakest of creator Scriptwelder's beloved independent horror game franchise, and while it does indeed oft-fumble along the way, the fact remains that it gives the series the closure it needs. But "The Deepest Sleep" is thankfully one of those rare instances. It seems like such a rare and treasured feat when the last story is able to live up to what came before. Closing out a trilogy is always a tricky thing, isn't it? So often, the third and final chapter in a story fumbles and loses sight, or tries too hard to give the fans too much of what they want one last time, to the detriment of the story.
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