From the moment Sleep Awake unfolds on PlayStation 5, it is clear that Blumhouse Games and EYES OUT set out to craft something uncommonly vivid: a first-person horror that dwells at the intersection of dystopian survival and psychedelic surrealism. What begins as a simple premise – humans in a crumbling city must avoid sleep at all costs lest they vanish into “The Hush” – quickly unfurls into a narrative both compelling and frustratingly opaque. The game’s conceptual foundation, courtesy of industry veterans Cory Davis and Robin Finck, offers a rich tapestry of existential dread and sensory overload that few horror titles attempt, but the payoff feels uneven at times.
At its best, Sleep Awake is a masterclass in atmosphere. The collapsing urban backdrop of The Crush feels tangibly oppressive, populated by factions desperate to stave off oblivion in sometimes horrific ways. The interludes and hallucination sequences are among the most memorable aspects; they blend live-action elements with in-engine worlds to create lucid, often disorienting transitions that heighten immersion rather than momentarily distract from it. These sequences – underscored by a pulsating, unnerving soundtrack – deliver moments of genuine psychological horror that linger after play sessions end.
However, that strength – its striking audiovisual identity – also underscores one of the game’s central weaknesses: a divide between vision and gameplay execution. Sleep Awake is fundamentally a narrative walking sim with stealth and environmental puzzle elements rather than a traditional interactive horror. Many segments consist of creeping through cramped corridors, solving simple puzzles, or sneaking past predictable, routinely patrolling cultists. These mechanics technically serve the tone, but they rarely escalate tension in meaningful ways; encounters can feel rote, and stealth lacks the unpredictable thrills found in genre classics.
The controls and pacing accentuate this duality. At times, the PS5 version feels restrained, with traversal and interaction limited to walking, crouching, and basic object manipulation. These design choices amplify the sense of vulnerability that defines Katja’s struggle, but they also risk under-engagement when players yearn for more mechanical depth or variety. The puzzles are serviceable but simplistic, often solved within moments of encounter, and stealth sections rarely evolve beyond straightforward hide-and-seek sequences. This structural conservatism can make the experience feel shorter and less substantive than the evocative premise suggests.
Narratively, Sleep Awake invites players to inhabit Katja’s relentless desperation with visceral clarity, yet its world-building occasionally overwhelms rather than illuminates. The lore – rich with factions, mystical phenomena, and esoteric terminologies – demands attention to collectibles and environmental clues, and while this deepens the mystique for some, it can leave others feeling lost in abstraction. There are moments of emotional resonance and story payoff that justify investment, but the limited runtime and frequent lapses into ambiguity lessen the impact for those seeking a more coherent thread.
From a visual and auditory standpoint, few indie horrors released in 2025 match Sleep Awake’s ambition. The art direction, particularly in hallucination sequences, is striking, blending color and form in ways that evoke both dread and awe. Voice performances and sound design are generally strong, with the soundtrack especially enhancing the title’s unsettling ambience. But there are technical quibbles here and there: some animation touches feel rough, and the heavy stylistic flourishes occasionally eclipse interactive substance, making the experience feel more like a surreal art piece than a fully rounded game.
Ultimately, Sleep Awake is an experience that rewards openness to its artistic impulses even as it frustrates players seeking tighter gameplay or clearer narrative arcs. It is not a classic in the mold of horror giants, but it is a bold, idiosyncratic work that stretches genre expectations and stimulates the senses in ways few contemporaries do. For players interested in atmospheric storytelling and psychological surrealism, this is a journey worth undertaking. For those prioritizing mechanical depth and tense, evolutional gameplay, its strengths may not fully compensate for its limitations. Sleep Awake is, in equal measure, disquieting, beautiful, and imperfect – an ambitious step that charts an intriguing, if not entirely cohesive, course for horror games to come.
Score: 7.7/10
Press Play Media 