"Back to Bed" is, in my humble opinion, the best puzzler to come out so far this year. I know, I know - that's a lofty assertion! You can't just throw "best puzzler" claims around all willy-nilly, and I get that. I understand the terrible consequences to loose declarations. But trust me when I say this is fun, this is challenging, and there is nothing on the market right now in this quirky, surrealist style. "Back to Bed" is what happens when you let Dali, Escher, and Magritte develop a game.

Bob is a narcoleptic, and this stressful state has manifested into very bizarre, often dangerous dreamscapes. If left alone Bob will wander aimlessly until plummeting from the world into the endless void. He'll reappear unscathed but will continue this futile exercise until you help direct him to his... mind's bed? And what are you exactly? Well, you're Bob! Or you have Bob's face. With a blue cat body. Perhaps you're Bob's subconscious? It's all very strange. But suffice it to say you have to keep Bob safe. From plummeting. From fish trains. From vicious dogs and alarm clock men.

If you're anything like me you'll just let Bob plummet to his death for the first few minutes of any given level just to take it all in. Magritte apples litter each level. Melted Dali clocks drape Escher stairs. Tentacles writhe in the background while large, unblinking eyes watch from starry night skies and dreamy clouds. It's very stylish and mesmerizing. But eventually you'll have to get Bob to bed. This requires a fair deal of thinking. You'll manipulate apples to block and guide Bob's path. Later levels require you to create fish bridges to get across gaps. Aforementioned dogs, trains, clocks, and toothy manholes will need to be avoided. It's very rewarding to get Bob to safety.

Now this is a short title. I wrapped up the main game in about an hour and forty minutes - and I am NO good at puzzles. I never found myself stuck for longer than five, ten minutes tops. There are two "campaigns," a rooftop themed world and a harbor one. But once you finish there is a nightmare mode of these two worlds that is much more challenging. The levels are the same but you'll now have to grab a floating key to unlock the bedroom door. This will be the mode that provides the most stimulating experience.

"Back to Bed" is charming, weird, and fun. It's short but well worth six bucks for the ride. Puzzle fans and surreal aficionados rejoice.

Sleepwalking is something I struggled with for most of the early years of my life. Not the (mostly) harmless sort where you pace around your room a bit or go to the bathroom in your sleep; the kind that saw me walking straight out the front of my house as if I was possessed, often waking up in fits with no idea how I’d gotten where I was. Bob might possibly have it even worse however, as the tedium of his job has caused him to fall into a deep sleep as his body takes over and attempts to guide him back to bed (oh hey, that’s the title of the game), no matter how precarious the objective becomes.

Back to Bed doesn’t cast you as Bob though, instead placing you in control of his internal guardian Subob, who must frantically navigate the surreal world of Bob’s dreams in order to direct him into the safety of his waiting mattress. You do this by placing giant apples and, er, fish, to change Bob’s direction and protect him from anything that might disturb his slumber as he walks zombie-like through the eccentric puzzles of his dreams.

Although the puzzle designs are perfectly solid, Back to Bed runs into the problem of ending itself far before its mechanics have any time to grow. After just fifty minutes I was already watching the credits, never having gotten to the point where the puzzles actually began to challenge or even really interest me. The actual framework of Back to Bed is excellent, but how it applies it is a lost opportunity. Even with how brief the game is, I found myself losing interest the longer I spent with it, as the puzzles are simply not engaging enough to be stimulating or satisfying to solve. The additional nightmare mode you unlock after completing the main levels remedies this slightly by adding a new challenge of having to collect a number of keys before you can unlock the door to your bed, but it provided but a small increase in challenge which wasn’t enough to make up for the fact I was playing through the exact same content again (it also only managed to double my playtime, which still felt far too short and insubstantial).

What makes Back to Bed engaging despite the shortcomings of its puzzle designs is the wonderfully bizarre nature of its world, and the great atmosphere it creates. Aesthetically it blends the styles of Escher and Dali into a new, even more abstract look, with the impossible twisting and layering of its architecture adding a special flavor to how puzzles are laid out. The eerie dialog (which was recorded with the voice actor saying the lines backwards, and then played in reverse) might be the weirdest, most compelling aspect of the game, doing more than anything else to engross you in Bob’s dreamscapes.

Back to bed is both a hard game to make a case for, and one which I wish I could completely recommend. It appeals both to my love of abstract art and puzzle games, but at the same time feels like an unfinished game. The ending comes far too quickly and provides little payoff for the tenuous puzzles than preceded it. There could have been something brilliant here had it not cut itself so short, but as it stands Back to Bed feels like being woken from a good dream too soon, leaving you feeling confused and annoyed as you attempt to hold onto something that is already beginning to fade from memory.

Full disclosure: Back to Bed was reviewed using a copy of the game provided by the developer.

Back To Bed tells the story of a sleepwalker named Bob and his ‘dreamdog Bob’ (it's some sort of dog’s model with the face of Bob). that has to guide him through his dreams. It's a puzzle game at heart inspired and influenced by games like Monument Valley, Echochrome and The Bridge, games that were in turn inspired by the Dutch artist M.C. Escher.
This means that the game allows you to walk on things like walls - things that aren’t physically possible for us humans (not without any help at least) - and huge, watchful eyes and flying hats soaring through the air are very common in this game, too. In short; things that don’t make any sense, like most of our dreams. Welcome to Back To Bed. (edit: the review continues)

The goal is to bring Bob back to bed (hence the title) and to do this you have to help him by picking up and placing apples scattered across the environment. Every time Bob encounters an apple he will walk clockwise. There are only a limited amount of apples available in every level so sometimes you have to quickly move the apples around. In the later levels the levels are twisted in that famous M.C. Escher kind of way, making it deceivingly hard to navigate quickly. Moving objects and items like walking clocks and blowing steam pipes are also added to the mix later and as a result require that you both act and think fast in order to overcome the challenges presented to you.

There is a restart/retry button and in the beginning you’re wondering why it’s there. There are no disadvantages to dying/letting Bob fall off (i.e. unintentionally waking him up) until later in the game, where you can get hit by trains or fall down tiles and once that happens it’s an instant failure and you have to retry the level.
There’s a small bug whenever you fail by colliding with an object (which results in the Retry/Quit menu appearing). In order to navigate through the menu you obviously have to use your controller (or mouse) but if you use a controller (like me) it also still moves around your character. Nothing big or even game breaking but something I wanted to mention nevertheless.
And another thing I’d like to mention is the fact it sometimes is hard to see the depth of a level. I’ve had multiple times where I thought Bob would walk properly on to the next part of a level except to see him fall off seconds later.

The graphics aren’t as colorful as stylish as the games I previously mentioned but it has a charm of its own. It all still looks nice, just not amazing. The changing background is a nice touch, and everything else is nicely animated as well, with all kinds of objects moving in the background.
I do think the camera is zoomed in too far, because you have a much better overview when it’s entirely zoomed out. But it’s probably done this way to you a connection to the characters instead of just putting it high up there and letting it become ‘just another quirky puzzle’ game. It’s just too bad that these characters have no real depth and we know nothing about them, nor do we ever learn anything about them during our journey.

At first I thought the ‘narrator’ was just poorly chosen because the way he tells you about things (objectives, warnings) is done in a slow and unnatural manner, spoken with a deep voice. But the more I thought about it the more I changed that opinion (especially because later on it starts to twist everyday words). I still don’t think it’s the best voice out there, but they did manage to evoke a feeling of creepiness and something you could come up with in your dreams. The music itself is slow, as if time is slowing down. Combined together, they actually work very well.

Unfortunately it’s a pretty short game and just when you think the game is starting to throw some tougher puzzles your way it abruptly ends after finishing only two worlds. Completing these two worlds will take you 90-120 minutes I think. After that you can try the Nightmare mode. Now, this mode doesn’t unlock any new puzzles (as far as I know, at least) but they ‘remix’ the levels by letting you first collect a key before you can get through the door towards Bob’s bed. It’s harder and obviously meant for the die hard puzzle fans out there (or those who just want to play more of it/can’t get enough of it) and I think you can add another 1-2 hours to the total amount of playtime here. It’s not much, but still, more gameplay is always welcome I guess. Unless it’s a bad game. In that case, it’s never a good thing.

Back To Bed is a cute experimental puzzle game that I’d like to see more of in the future. Change up the graphics a little bit to match the unique puzzle style and make the puzzles more like the ones we’re presented near the end of the game. And above all, make it bigger.
In the meantime this will do nicely. Very nicely in fact.

So, I think a nice PSA seems to be appropriate here:
Attention to all M.C. Escher and puzzle lovers out there: Back To Bed might not the biggest game out there, but it is a game with a big heart and one that deserves your attention.

[Rating: 74/100]

I helped Kickstart this, based on my experiences with a demo released to the web a long while back. Unfortunately, while it is very pretty, and the surreal geometries make for an interesting play field, I can't recommend it on the strength of its gameplay.

There are basically thirty puzzles. Sixty, if you include the 'Nightmare' mode, which takes the original thirty and adds a second objective to each. There is a small variety of obstacles, some of which move (or adjust Bob the sleepwalker's path), some of which reset Bob's location or force the playfield to reset entirely. None of the puzzles are particularly difficult to solve. Most often, the difficulty comes from wrestling with the controls, or dealing with frustratingly fine timing in placing obstacles to manipulate Bob's path.

While the presentation is surreally pretty, its impact wears off quickly and the game never really becomes interesting beyond that. It's exhausted its suite of optical illusions and bizarre tricks by the time you're through the first set of puzzles, making the second annoying for dealing with the controls, for little reward. It really feels like they ran out of ideas after the first fifteen, and added the rest as padding.

...which is disappointing, because those first fifteen puzzles are fun to play with. It's the rest that drags it down.

A simple but very fun puzzle game with a really cool artstyle!

Link to my Video Review

hi, my name is bob and i'm narcoleptic.

in my dream i'm a lucid doge trying to guide my sleepwalking self through obstacles designed by mc escher, magritte and dali.

is this an affirmation? maybe.

is this a spoiler? definitely!

i'm going back to bed now...

Back to Bed is a interesting puzzle game with an outstanding sense of artistic style. It is oozing with Dali influences (melting clocks, etc) and is easily the highlight of this game. I also felt some Twin Peaks influence, especially in the voice work.

The premise is simple. Bob is a sleepwalker and you have to prevent him from falling while he is somnambulatory using a little human/dog hybrid looking thing with the goal of each stage to get him...back to bed. It's very easy to get the gist of and the puzzles start getting more and more challenging as one would expect.

If you enjoy puzzlers and this art style, at its current price point (approx $5.09), I'd say its a worthwhile pickup. But its not something I can suggest you jump on immediately unless you fancy this sort of game and are in need of a new puzzler.

It's plain to see the developer put a lot of heart and soul into making this game and it's teeming with wonderful artistic references. Kudos.

"Ceci n'est pas un jeu vidéo." —Magritte (on the back cover of this game ... probably). Stunning visuals, fun premise, good execution and — at times — surprisingly hectic for a "casual" (for lack of a better term) game. Some of the puzzles feel a bit short/simple, so if you're looking for a super challenging puzzler, this isn't it. However, it's a very enjoyable and somehow relaxing game (even if it does mess with your spatial perception on a regular basis) — and a very beautiful one at that. Go take a look at the trailer on the store page, it's very accurate, and see if it makes you tick.

I'm not normally into puzzle games, but I really liked this one. Both the gameplay and mechanichs are based on simple design, but the restrictive rules lead to some really cleaver puzzle solving. The game is beautiful design wise, and have a relaxing atmosphere. I'll recommend it.

Back to Bed is an interesting puzzle game that delves into the subconscious of Bob, a narcoleptic office worker.
In it you have to guide poor Bob to the safety of his bed, inside his subconscious. Which to be fair looks like something Pablo Picasso envisioned while on drugs and having night terrors. contd-below
http://youtu.be/-JAz20Zm65E

The art style is unique and appealing, lending it extremely well to the games rather bizarre mind bending puzzles and reality. The same applies to the player’s character; Subob. Which looks like a rabbit-dog with tentacle limbs, and a human’s face.
Dotted throughout Bob’s subconscious are ever watching eyes, a rather bizarre and strange twist, almost as if Bob can sense people in the outside world watching him as he randomly falls asleep.
Making things even more strange and bizarre, are the randomly dotted tentacles, which I have not been able to figure out yet. Add in the rather strange and downright weird announcer voice, which for all I know could be a sick Xenobite that has actually trapped poor Bob in a sick realm for pleasure; and things constantly feel out of place and uncomfortable.

This bizarre and somewhat twisted setting is what helps to make Back to Bed such a unique, and rather enjoyable puzzle game. I can’t say I’ve ever been fond of these types of games, but I kept playing without realising.

The puzzles start out extremely easy, with the announcer usually giving you a singular hint. “Apples are hats”, or “Watch out for the clock”. They might sound odd, and the voice certainly is; but they’re all you need to figure out what to do.

Bob can only turn clock-wise, a form of OCD accompanying his narcolepsy, which is the basis of the puzzle game. You have to try and manoeuvre him back to the safety of his dream bed. To do this you guide him, obstruct his path to prevent him from falling into the abyss, and by turning his direction by making him bump into apples.
This all needs to be done without waking the poor fellow, as he might just have a mental break judging by his bizarre subconscious.
Here and there are strange stairs that allow Subob to move onto walls, change dimensional directions, and jump platforms. All for the sake of finding over sized apples, and fish with which to help poor Bob. Portals also play a role, taking the form of mirrors with quicksilver. Some are used simply to acquire some apples, while others are a vital part of the maze through which you need to guide Bob.

The game’s art style, music, and puzzles all blend together to form an extremely enjoyable experience. Even for someone like myself that has never truly enjoyed puzzles games.
You’ll easily find yourself spending a few minutes here and there playing Back to Bed; or even lose a few hours without realising it.

Bedtime Digital Games really have a great game here, and it’s a must buy for puzzle fans, let alone someone that wants to give a unique Indie game a try.

"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?"

A nice "real-time" puzzle game, with a great surreal art look! Kinda good replaybility chances too.
Bob's narcoleptic, and his human-faced-dream-dog will help him get safely to bed.

You have to "apple" your way creating obstacles in Bob's path, who will turn when facing something he can't move through. Avoid dangers and get him back to bed, simple as that. The gameplay is interesting in that you still can move stuff around while Bob is walking, permitting different strategies to solve the levels.
It's not a very long or hard puzzle game if you're an hardcore solver, i got near the end of my first run in an hour without ever spending 5 minutes on a level yet. But a harder run on the same levels should wait for me after this is completed, so it's not really bad.

The art style has elements noddind to Surrealists and Dadists like René Magritte, M. C. Escher, Remedios Varo, Salvador Dalì... with a pinch of reference to Twin Peaks too!

8.5/10 - Recommended mostly if you love surreal art, and casual puzzles, it will be totally worth its price!

Not big fan of Puzzle games but this looked nice n trippy so thought would give a blast and it not bad for a casual game.

This game is beautiful.
Bob is a sleepwalker wandering through a world filled with art and heavy Dali references. I love the colors and the graphics. I enjoyed playing this game, but I feel like it might grow old after time if you are not a die-hard puzzle game player. It was still fun. The controls are very easy. It suggests playing with a controller, but I used my mouse and only had a couple of problems (mainly user error).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUXRrRMGdFE&feature=youtu.be

-First Day Reviews-

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Highlights
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- Amazing Art Design
- Very Creative Idea
- Fun And Easy To Learn
- Entertaining Story
- Small Dog With A Man's Face!

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Journal Experience
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Journal Entry 1

I'm cast into the bizarre world of bob, a tired and bored office worker. He is narcoleptic and falls asleep on the job, once asleep he has a terrible tendency to sleep walk while in his dreams.

Journal Entry 2

Once inside bobs dreams I find myself surrounded by bizarre shapes, objects and oddball platforms. Flying top hats with wings kaw and swoop by, strange eyeballs stare and follow. The whole place is very bizarre and other worldly.

Journal Entry 3

I am bobs dog ... thing.. I look like a dog crossed with a mans face and a teletubby.... before me stands the unconscious bob with his arms in the air like a zombie, he makes horrid loud snoring noises and walks forward. Its my job to make sure bob doesn't wake up and hurt himself.

Journal Entry 4

As he walks in a straight line I am able to predict his next steps and change his walking direction by placing a large green apple in his path... why an apple?... why not its a mans dream were talking about here.... After placing the apple down it causes bob to turn clockwise and walk straight in a different direction. On this challenge I am able to easily line up bob and send him happily to his bed to enjoy the night of rest.

Journal Entry 5

In the next challenge im introduced to staircases.... that go up walls?..... these allow you to walk on the sides of walls similar to a matrix wall run but with gravity on the wall. I am also using brick walls as a means to bounce our sleeping bob into the proper direction. After retrieving a couple of apples from strange places and wall running around I again get him safely to bed.

Journal Entry 6

Introduced in the next section are large paintings that wave and shimmer like water. I cautiously approach and discover I am able to walk into these paintings and be transported to another section of platforms. Now....not only do I have to predict bob's current direction but I also need to predict his future direction after he is teleported to other sections of this dream world. This bob guy sure is lucky to have a nice teletubby dog man creature like me at his side.

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Video Reviews
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Playthrough
http://youtu.be/o4vkWvot4R0

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First Day Reviews Links
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Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/fdreviews

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/fdreviews

Twitter
https://twitter.com/FirstDayReviews

Steam Group
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/firstdayreviews

Twitch
http://www.twitch.tv/firstdayreviews

At first I thought this will be boring and repetitive, but for some reason it's not. Art was great,levels were interesting and that scream when 'bob' dies well.. I liked to hear it from time to time. The only problem I see people will have is that there's only 30 levels, for me it's not the case. I enjoyed playing every single one of those 30 puzzles they were well crafted , some were easy and some were hard , but every single still enjoyable.
From 30 levels I only found 4 or 5 puzzles really hard.
Oh there's also Nightmare mode , you unlock it when you finish those first 30 levels and when it says Nightmare mode , they mean it! It will take some time for you to complete it. Even though it's a great game , I think they should add workshop and map editor.

All in all Back to Bed it's a fantastic game if you want to spend 2 to 4 hours I recommend you get it!

My site : http://zorkly.blogspot.com/2014/08/back-to-bed-review.html

It's a very beautiful and good game.
Playing for almost forty minutes and in love!

10/10 for sure

Simple but entertaining game.

Only one con: one achievement connected to when you play game.

Weak,. payed less in Monument Valley with much better puzzle challenges.
2 hours lengh, kinda repetitive for its naive difficulty.
Great art, though. Polished, music and sounds.. reminded me of Twisnen, dont know why...
I'm recommending cause I know it deserves attention, for a better price..
Escher rules., but far away from explored...

Really like this game! I would like it a little more if they had later updates with more levels? (Maybe put into the middle of the game) Or if they (somehow) allowed a level creation tool?

Nice art style. You get about an evening's gameplay out of it. Worth a buy.