The third installment of the Deep Sleep trilogy.The third installment of the Deep Sleep trilogy.The third installment of the Deep Sleep trilogy.
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Featured review
"The Deepest Sleep"- Though it fumbles with clunky new mechanics and some questionable twists, this climactic chapter closes out the eerie indie-horror franchise with style.
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. It seems like such a rare and treasured feat when the last story is able to live up to what came before.
But "The Deepest Sleep" is thankfully one of those rare instances. 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. And it does it with the same spooky flair you'd expect from the "Deep Sleep" universe.
Hot off the cliffhanger seen in the last game, the player once again "awakens" inside of a twisted lucid dream. But this time, it's different. And there are new threats to face along the way as you try and solve the mystery and escape this dark world forever. For you are now in the deepest level of the dream-world, where dreaded and deadly creatures known as the "Bottom Feeders" reign supreme...
As I have expressed before, the beautiful simplicity of "Deep Sleep" is why the game excelled so. 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. 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.
Unfortunately, "The Deepest Sleep" does fundamentally alter what came before. It tries to innovate what was already perfect. And in attempting to take a step forward, it instead takes the series a step back. 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. They hunt by sound, and sound is produced by moving the cursor. 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. It's a time-waster. Something there to manufacture contrived tension- and it just doesn't work. And this is made worse by the fact that the creatures simply vanish from the game halfway through, leaving them feeling pointless. 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.
I also found the general structure of the story to be slightly more problematic here. And it's for much the same reason as the gameplay- it took beautiful simplicity and subverts it with needless additions and contrivances. 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. Especially one dramatic turn near the end that just doesn't quite make sense.
Regardless, however, these flaws cannot detract from what does work. Because when this game works, it works absolute wonders.
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. The gorgeously moody visuals combined with the top-notch sound design make the game chilling and frightening from start-to-finish. Especially with a few well-timed jumps and some wonderfully devilish visuals and callbacks to prior entries. The puzzle-solving is fast and fun, with some great mind-benders to keep you guessing and very well-hidden clues strewn about. The pacing is typically consistent and quick, while never moving too fast as to lose the player.
And the ending is just perfect. Or rather, "endings," as the game has two very interesting alternative conclusions to choose from. And both serve as a great cap to a great series, giving you the resolution you desire while also leaving just enough questions at the end to keep you thinking about it long after you've finished.
"The Deepest Sleep" may fumble. And indeed even fall flat on its face at times. Attempts to renovate old ideas don't pay off and a few fumbling twists and turns later in the game don't add up. But the atmosphere is just outstand as always. The puzzle-solving is intriguing and enthralling. And the ultimate conclusion is jaw-dropping. It may be the weakest of the trilogy, but "The Deepest Sleep" still comes highly recommended. And I give it a very good 8 out of 10.
But "The Deepest Sleep" is thankfully one of those rare instances. 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. And it does it with the same spooky flair you'd expect from the "Deep Sleep" universe.
Hot off the cliffhanger seen in the last game, the player once again "awakens" inside of a twisted lucid dream. But this time, it's different. And there are new threats to face along the way as you try and solve the mystery and escape this dark world forever. For you are now in the deepest level of the dream-world, where dreaded and deadly creatures known as the "Bottom Feeders" reign supreme...
As I have expressed before, the beautiful simplicity of "Deep Sleep" is why the game excelled so. 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. 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.
Unfortunately, "The Deepest Sleep" does fundamentally alter what came before. It tries to innovate what was already perfect. And in attempting to take a step forward, it instead takes the series a step back. 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. They hunt by sound, and sound is produced by moving the cursor. 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. It's a time-waster. Something there to manufacture contrived tension- and it just doesn't work. And this is made worse by the fact that the creatures simply vanish from the game halfway through, leaving them feeling pointless. 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.
I also found the general structure of the story to be slightly more problematic here. And it's for much the same reason as the gameplay- it took beautiful simplicity and subverts it with needless additions and contrivances. 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. Especially one dramatic turn near the end that just doesn't quite make sense.
Regardless, however, these flaws cannot detract from what does work. Because when this game works, it works absolute wonders.
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. The gorgeously moody visuals combined with the top-notch sound design make the game chilling and frightening from start-to-finish. Especially with a few well-timed jumps and some wonderfully devilish visuals and callbacks to prior entries. The puzzle-solving is fast and fun, with some great mind-benders to keep you guessing and very well-hidden clues strewn about. The pacing is typically consistent and quick, while never moving too fast as to lose the player.
And the ending is just perfect. Or rather, "endings," as the game has two very interesting alternative conclusions to choose from. And both serve as a great cap to a great series, giving you the resolution you desire while also leaving just enough questions at the end to keep you thinking about it long after you've finished.
"The Deepest Sleep" may fumble. And indeed even fall flat on its face at times. Attempts to renovate old ideas don't pay off and a few fumbling twists and turns later in the game don't add up. But the atmosphere is just outstand as always. The puzzle-solving is intriguing and enthralling. And the ultimate conclusion is jaw-dropping. It may be the weakest of the trilogy, but "The Deepest Sleep" still comes highly recommended. And I give it a very good 8 out of 10.
- TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness
- Oct 30, 2018
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