In dreams, our minds sometimes try to find ways of coping with the things we can't quite process when we're awake, the things that are too sad, or too scary, or just too big for us to understand. Some of my earliest memories are of recurring nightmares in which I cowered from a terrifying monster. I didn't understand the monster; I just knew that it was something to be feared.
and reach lengths.
But venturing into the unknown of each new realm is ultimately an empowering process--even as a child, you are capable of facing the terrifying unknown and coping with whatever you find there. Unfortunately, the abrupt ending that awaits you at the conclusion of your journey feels underdeveloped and disconnected from the rest of your journey. 2012's Papo & Yo was a very different game, but it similarly focused on a young person struggling to cope with a frightening reality, and whereas that game built up to a cathartic conclusion that emerged organically from everything that had come before, Among the Sleep's ending comes a bit out of the blue, and doesn't leave you feeling much of anything.
It's unfortunate that the game doesn't leverage its intriguing concept to tell a more memorable story and that its ending is underwhelming, but even if the destination leaves you wanting, the journey is far from wasted. Among the Sleep is a distinctive and promising first game from new Norwegian studio Krillbite, and though the dreams it conjures might be scary, it ultimately leaves you with the feeling that you're strong enough to face your fears, in dreams or otherwise.
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