Sleep is Death (SiD) will be unlike anything most video gamers have experienced thus far. In fact, indie game bloggers, commentators, and previewers are for the most part expressing sentiment that SiD heralds the first movement in a gameplay revolution of sorts. True to the theme of the game, it will ultimately be the players who decide exactly how big a splash SiD makes in the gaming world.
Developer Jason Rohrer is behind the title – indie game followers may recognise the name from his previous title to make waves – Passage – which is well worth checking out because of its esoteric and introspective nature. Commissioned by the Art History of Games Conference (which is sponsored by a couple of prominent American technology universities), Rohrer set out to create a game in which storytelling is paramount, and completely under the control of the players.
Visually, the game uses simple pixelart, and the player controls their actions through a point and click, verb command and speech bubble interface. Now imagine if you will, a game that reacts to every command and speech interaction you can conceive – and not merely with a generic or formulaic and ultimately predictable result. Every interaction can have a virtually limitless set of results. This is where the magic of SiD lies.
SiD is a two player only experience, in which one person takes the role of the Player, and the other the role of Controller. The Controller has at their disposal a library of game assets which they use to construct backgrounds and objects in the game environment. The Player is free to explore and interact with the environment as they wish. As events unfold, both Player and Controller play a part in shaping the story of the game session.
To keep things moving fluidly, a default time limit of 30 seconds is applied to each turn. Rohrer believes this will create a spontaneous and improvised gaming experience, much like how a stream of conscious thought is verbalised into conversation between two people. Of course, a simple tweak of a config file can change the default settings for those who wish to have more time to craft their tales.
It is confirmed that the game can be played over a local network or through UPNP over the Internet. There is no online match making system in place, as Rohrer believes that playing the game with close friends is preferable. Random strangers will likely attempt to ruin or break the story one is trying to create, whereas friends can implicitly agree to suspend their disbelief and engage in a mutual story telling exercise.
Players can create their own art assets to use in the game, and any new content used will be transferred between players’ libraries. Rohrer has hinted at inviting other prominent indie developers to create their own art asset packages. This should help keep the possibilities near endless for this particular sandbox.
SiD is currently on pre-order special for US$9 (±R65), but only until Friday (9 April 2010), after which it will cost US$14 (±R100). Due to the two-player nature of the game, each purchase comes with an access link for two people, so after splitting the cost with a friend, it is a really affordable way to express some creativity.
Personally, I’m quite eager to get my hands on this game, sit down with a friend and plumb the depths of imagination and creativity. It will be a welcome change from merely consuming a game’s content.
