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 Developer: Krillbite Studios Genre: First-person horror Released: 29 May 2014 More information: Website Among the Sleep is a first-person horror that puts the player into the unique perspective of a two-year old toddler. Mommy has gone missing and we must find her, aided only by our trusty teddy bear. As we journey through our darkened home, our imagination might get the best of us...  What kind of LP will this be? This will be a blind LP with minimal voice commentary. I generally like to be informative when possible and let the atmosphere take care of the rest. How often will you update? I will try to release updates at least every other night. Is this game scary? Not in the usual sense. There are a few jump scares, but given its unique perspective, it would be hard to compare this game to something like Slender: The Arrival or another modern first-person horror game. I would say that the game is more disturbing than jump-out-of-your-seat scary. Two-year olds are messed up, yo. What's with the viewing angle? The game was designed for the Occulus Rift, which lends itself to a wide viewing angle in order to simulate human sight. However, I am not using an OR for this LP, and the game plays fine without one.  Episodes (YouTube):
Rush_shirt fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Nov 8, 2014 |
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Oct 20, 2014 05:11
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Two episodes to start this LP off: Episode 1: Night falls and we begin the search for our missing mother. Episode 2: We enter the realm of our dreams and journey into the first world, the Playground. Rush_shirt fucked around with this message at 06:01 on Oct 20, 2014 |
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Oct 20, 2014 05:58
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I thought this looked interesting when I saw it on Steam, but my computer is a piece of poo poo and I'm not overly fond of horror in general. Case in point I would be hugging Teddy like a little bitch all throughout this game. I like how you can see your feet and hands, yet you pick up and manipulate most things with the immense power of the toddler mind. There's also some pretty hefty learning going on, I spotted Æ, Å, and Ø on those alphabet blocks. One request, though, could you spend a little more time looking at those drawings? Some of them looked interesting, like the one in that treehollow near the underground section of the playground.
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Oct 20, 2014 10:43
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Dareon posted:There's also some pretty hefty learning going on, I spotted Æ, Å, and Ø on those alphabet blocks. (It's also a Norwegian game studio.)
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Oct 20, 2014 13:35
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Dareon posted:One request, though, could you spend a little more time looking at those drawings? Some of them looked interesting, like the one in that treehollow near the underground section of the playground. Certainly.
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Oct 21, 2014 00:43
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New episode: Episode 3: We unlock the pieces to the Story, and unleash the evil within... I apologize for the low volume on my microphone in this episode.
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Oct 21, 2014 07:30
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That is really good atmospheric tension. I had to pause the video once and just lean back, relax, and tell myself that I was in no danger. Jump scares just make me roll my eyes (After I'm done jumping), and I saw the one with the lady in the window coming ("He obviously can't move that stool, and it's right by a window, they'd be fools not to put a scare outside."), but they did it pretty well. The rest of the scare design was great. The giant triangular key was something of an oddity, but it made perfect sense as soon as I saw the square key, and I found myself wondering if they'd have a circular key as well. Hey, dream logic.
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Oct 21, 2014 11:56
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I watched my brother play this game, he got up to the square key and I think the game bugged and wouldn't let him use it on the lock. So it was interesting to see what came after that.
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Oct 21, 2014 12:13
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Oh! It was developed for the oculus rift! No wonder I'm getting a weird fish eye feeling from this.
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Oct 21, 2014 12:54
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New episode: Episode 4: We journey through the sinister version of our own world.
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Oct 22, 2014 17:10
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Bonus episode: Bonus Episode: We play through the free "Prologue" DLC chapter. Rush_shirt fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Nov 8, 2014 |
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Oct 22, 2014 22:49
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Huh. That was over quickly. Never seen someone speedrun the LP subforum before.
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Oct 23, 2014 00:46
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Final episode: Episode 5: We reach the end of the nightmare. But waking up is bitter sweet... Thank you all for watching. This was my first proper Let's Play for the forums. I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to state any feedback. I hope to start another Let's Play very soon. Rush_shirt fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Nov 11, 2014 |
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Oct 23, 2014 00:55
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Well, I'll say it was a pretty good inaugural LP for you. I usually find that audio commentary over horror games, especially those as reliant on atmosphere as Among the Sleep, can undermine the horror, but you did a really good job. It's still amusing how quickly it went though, given how long most LP threads go on. Though, if you plan on doing shorter games like this, you could always group them thematically and use one thread for all of them.
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Oct 23, 2014 05:24
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 Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it seems like we've learned too much from Mommy, seeing as some of our solutions came out of bottles. That was really well-done storytelling. During a lot of the last video I was sympathizing with the kid, there's... Well, there's a lot that can damage a kid more, but there's nothing that's as pervasive in America, at least. And a good job LPing it, too, you had a couple hiccups but nothing too bad for a blind playthrough. As a side note, one of the related videos linked from the end of the last video was from Lil' BUB, which I really needed at the moment.
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Oct 23, 2014 05:33
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I didn't know this game had ploishing.
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Oct 23, 2014 07:15
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At the outset, I was actually expecting the opposite story, with the ex-husband being a dangerous stalker, and Teddy's motives being more sinister, as a gift from him. On the other hand, the foreshadowing was there. The pink elephant (international symbol of drunkenness), the mother saying "You need to stop hiding from me" as though it had become a habit, her readiness to leave her child alone at the slightest distraction, and by the third chapter it was pretty clear that it was the mother that was the problem. Hell, it was subtle, but she even forgot about the cake entirely after dad dropped by, despite the poor kid only getting one bite. I suppose having been raised by a very dedicated single mother, myself, my initial perceptions were biased in the mother's favor from the outset, so I missed a lot of subtle cues I might not have otherwise overlooked. Also, in the first chapter, when heading into the laundry room, is it just me, or did it sound like the mother might have had "company" over? Lastly, alternate thread title: The Darkest Episode of Rugrats Ever.
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Oct 23, 2014 07:23
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I also missed the subtle cues of the reveal. Up until Chapter 4 or so I thought the drunk abuser was the unseen male (maybe not even the kid's biological father) and the soggy woman represented Mommy as victim (water = tears, or so my logic went, and he'd obviously consider Mommy crying very upsetting and hide whenever that happened) I'm glad Teddy didn't use baby talk on us like Mommy did, but he sure used some mighty big words on a kid who couldn't even read. And I wonder if it was a design decision or symbolic that Teddy gradually became more and more silent as the we progressed through the levels, only saying his default "back in the hub world" phrase.
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Oct 23, 2014 13:42
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That was one hell of a ride! I'm (in one sense) pleased that the overt abuser wasn't the father here; I feel like it makes for a nice change of pace. You did a great job with this, and I'm certainly looking forward to more of your work!
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Oct 23, 2014 16:41
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dotchan posted:but he sure used some mighty big words on a kid who couldn't even read.
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Oct 23, 2014 20:46
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I really wanted to finish this, but I got partway through it and I just can't. Not that it's bad or anything, it's actually a little TOO good with atmosphere and creeps, if that makes sense. I have an almost 3-year old myself (along with a baby), and as the game went on, it got more and more to the point of "Nope, I'm starting to picture my son if he were in this situation, and I can't deal with it". Maybe when he's grown up a bit I'll be able to finish it.
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Oct 26, 2014 19:48
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Bit late for it but… Teddy's voice is that of the father. The father which gave Teddy to him. Very subtle. He associated his father to safety and help. Thus, Teddy had his father's voice.
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Nov 3, 2014 00:50
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Delta Green posted:Bit late for it but… Teddy's voice is that of the father. The father which gave Teddy to him. Ooo, good catch!
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Nov 3, 2014 01:20
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Delta Green posted:Bit late for it but… Teddy's voice is that of the father. The father which gave Teddy to him. Ahh, I heard something familiar in Teddy's voice, but didn't pick up on that. I couldn't quite place it. drat, that makes the whole thing even sadder, now that I finally managed to get to the ending.
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Nov 4, 2014 13:56
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Good news, everyone! The developer just released a new DLC chapter that's free for existing owners of the game. Expect a bonus update shortly.
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Nov 7, 2014 02:48
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Thanks for the LP! It's not the kind of game I'd usually play myself, but I enjoyed the storytelling and was glad I watched. You also seem to have good sense about when to talk and when to let the game do its thing, which is always a plus. Looking forward to the DLC update.
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Nov 7, 2014 23:13
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Bonus episode: Bonus Episode: We play through the free "Prologue" DLC chapter.
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Nov 8, 2014 01:21
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I was getting annoyed at the character constantly telling you about light and you doing nothing about it. Also, it seems like this "prologue" is completely disconnected from the main game. Almost like it was a fangame or done by a different team. It really doesn't sound like it understands what the main game was about. And there's an unhealthy amount of real-life platforming and poltergeists knocking pretty much everything over. I don't think it did very well as extra content.
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Nov 8, 2014 02:17
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As a sidenote, the lullaby the mother is humming in the first episode is "Trollmors vaggvisa" (The Trollmother's Lullaby), a very common lullaby in Sweden and Norway (I don't know about other scandinavian countries). I have memories of my mother singing this to me when I was little, making it even more haunting in the game. Here is a version of the song with lyrics in Swedish. Edit: Here and here are some other versions, since the first one was apparently blocked in the US. A rough translation, if anyone is interested: When the trollmother has laid the eleven little trolls (to bed) And tied them by the tails Then she slowly sings to the eleven little trolls The most beautiful words she knows Ho aj aj aj aj buff Ho aj aj aj aj buff Ho aj aj aj aj buff buff Ho aj aj aj aj buff (That last part is gibberish, I suppose trolls don't know a lot of beautiful words.) It's only as an adult I've come to realize how haunting that melody actually is. Covski fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Nov 8, 2014 |
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Nov 8, 2014 02:53
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Thanks for the cultural lesson, Covski. It makes sense that Norwegian devs would put that in there. Unfortunately, the video you provided is blocked in the States. 
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Nov 8, 2014 02:58
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Huh! I'll edit in some links to other versions 
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Nov 8, 2014 03:15
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Cheez posted:I was getting annoyed at the character constantly telling you about light and you doing nothing about it. THIS POST CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS AND HYPOTHESES! IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE VIDEOS AND WISH TO NOT BE SPOILED, DO NOT READ THIS POST! While I agree that some of the elements they chose (like the weird poltergeist moments) weren't the same, the platforming is. We crawled over, through, and on top of everything over the course of the game. The increase of them in the Prologue was most likely due to it having to be in a house, a much smaller area than the other levels. What it adds to the story makes sense though. Think about what we know from the main game (spoilers added for those who have not watched the last two videos): 1) Knocking at the door with a brief at the beginning, terse conversation that brings about a new gift. 2) The gift of teddy is the predominant "happy" feeling and safety element in the game. 3) In the spotlight section, the mother is saying things like "he'll never take you" and the like. 4) We find out in the end that our mother is an angry alcoholic which does not bring the feeling of happiness and safety. 5) We open the final door and is greeted with a adult male voice who knows exactly who we are, what the teddy is, and how it should look. This is most likely our father. He gave teddy to us for our birthday. I feel that the added prologue does a pretty good job of giving us an idea of how all of this came to pass. We see boxes everywhere that are going in number as time passes. We see phantoms of arguments and other instances of shown fear. We are wondering around rescuing our toys and gathering them up. It's dark and in the middle of a snowstorm. This is the opportune time for the mother and child to flee the home and the relationship[spoiler]. It appears from inference that the parents are [spoiler]currently in a custody battle. With what is left out of the overarching story, we have no way of telling which is worse: an angry alcoholic of a mother, or a father that our mother felt she had to flee from. Sorry about all the spoiler tags, Rush_shirt.
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Nov 8, 2014 20:09
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On the contrary, I'm sure the spoiler tags are appreciated. Thanks for the analysis!
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Nov 8, 2014 20:56
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I found this yesterday and watched it all in one go. Ruined my night completely, but thanks nonetheless. This is actually the first horror game I've ever seen that actually lives up to the name. I'm actually a bit disturbed still, a day later. Sorry about this guys, but I gotta. I haven't watched the bonus video yet, but here's a huge carepost with spoilers and poo poo. This game is amazing, but feels a bit sort, like a novella, and iike a novella (and contrary to a novel that's expected to end on a high note, all problems solved) it is permitted to end in confusion or uncertain disaster, which I think this game uses to great effect. I think maybe specops: the line might rival this in terms of mindfuckery, but I think this is more elegant in its delivery. I had some theories regarding the story around episode 2 or 3 that I think were in the right neighorhood, like he has an alcoholic aunt, or they lost his elder sister in a drowning accident, but as the last episode pulled the curtain away it rapidly became obvious that I fail the Occams razor test for lack of cynicism. My guess is * Teddy flying off is drunk mommy sneaking in and taking him because she is jealous that we like daddy's gift so much. * Mommy gets gross drunk person stuff all over Teddy and pops him in the washer. * We discover Teddy is gone, get upset, and flip our crib. * We are strong and crafty as poo poo. This is not the game being bad at toddlers, it a game about a strong, confused and crafty as gently caress toddler, in a poo poo out of luck situation, where toddlers tend to get strong, confused and crafty as gently caress. smith emote goes here. * Mommy does not come, so we hide from drunk mommy. * We're lonely and decide to spring Teddy from the washer. * We play with Teddy and nice mommy stuff in the closet and finally go to sleep there, because it's safe in the closet, and we like having nice mommy stuff around, because it helps us remember nice mommy. * Drunk mommy finds us and tries to take sodden and/or disgusting Teddy, but we won't let him go, getting his arm ripped off in the process. * Drunk mommy flees the scene and spends the night a gross drunk agaist the kitchen counter, while we hide and sleep in the closet. * We are two and all of these half dreamed impressions make us a jumbled mess that'll make some shrink very wealthy unravelling a bit down the line. * Dad fetches us and may or may not get custody. * They did one hell of a job on the toddler in this one. The movement patterns are spot on, with his arms when he's climbing, and his patting his pajamas down when he's idling. It's all super consistent in hindsight, including the things that at first seem like idiosyncracies, like the kid likes to hide, likes the darkness, is two and clever as poo poo with his tossing balls, yanking the power cord to disable the electromagnetic lock on the washer, and pulling out drawers in patterns to reach the counter, but he never once says mommy, despite being two, like some diaper toting Freeman. He's adorable, poor thing. .
Karate Bastard fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Nov 8, 2014 |
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Nov 8, 2014 23:30
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Gordon Freeman: the early years - so that's why he never talks! 
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Nov 9, 2014 02:11
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Thanks for the LP dude I really enjoyed it
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Nov 9, 2014 13:01
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The last chapter links to the DLC...
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Nov 11, 2014 07:12
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Whoops, thought I fixed that. It's fixed now.
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Nov 11, 2014 07:33
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salttotart posted:With what is left out of the overarching story, we have no way of telling which is worse: an angry alcoholic of a mother, or a father that our mother felt she had to flee from. Well having binge-watched the whole LP and seen the conclusion and prologue back to back, I can say that Mom sounds pretty much the same way she did at the end of the game. She's pushing her husband away like she's pushing her son away. Not really in full control of her own actions.
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Nov 25, 2014 02:54
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At first I thought it was weird our character was two, but still didn't speak. But that might be intentional. Our development is behind because we're being neglected when mommy drinks. That's why we don't cry, either. We know it won't do any good. ...Or because that's an annoying thing to add to the game. I thought the pause menu was quite neat, covering our eyes and pretending things aren't there, which is the same thing you're doing if you've paused to take a breather.
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Nov 25, 2014 12:28
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