Back to Bed (PC) Review

Each level has the same goal; get Bob back to bed. Doing so isn't as simple as it sounds, however. As sleepwalkers like Bob only move clockwise, Subob has to place apples in his path in order to turn him and point him towards the bed. This starts out simple enough, with the first few levels having Subob move the singular apple from place to place to shift Bob's rotation to the right direction. Later on, however, more challenging concepts are introduced, which truly make the game shine.

Some of these mid-late game concepts feature Subob having the ability to walk on walls, and portals that teleport both Bob and Subob to different platforms in the dream. Along with this, more apples start to pop up in harder stages, and the platforms include far more open space, prompting Bob to fall down at a more frequent pace.

Death in any game is frustrating and Back to Bed has death happen quite often. To get around this, however, Bob immediately comes back after falling off the platforms and all progress Subob has made up to that point is unchanged. It's a small feature, but it keeps the pacing of Back to Bed engaging, never slowing down.

Back to Bed's greatest aspect among all its pretty good aspects is its level design. They're all challenging enough, where thought has to go into them to solve, but they never become frustrating. Moving Subob through portals to new platforms is incredibly satisfying, and getting Bob to bed is never not a triumphant moment. Every level is short and sweet, with nothing too extreme or elaborate to confuse a player or keep them stuck. This is also Back to Bed's greatest flaw, as well, though.

Back to Bed is painfully short. As soon as it's started, it might as well also be over. The journey to the end is an enjoyable one, but Bob can reach his final resting place in as little as two hours of casual play. Does this diminish the overall quality of the experience? No, not at all, but there isn't enough of that experience and that does hurt its overall quality.