As a kid, I made a habit of jumping into my bed from as far away as possible, lest the monsters lying in wait underneath grabbed me by the ankles if I climbed in like a normal human being. With base defense shooter Sleep Tight, We Are Fuzzy is trying to leverage that silly, youthful fear, that battle between children and their imaginations. Only in Sleep Tight, the monsters are very real.
In their TIGsource development blog, We Are Fuzzy describes Sleep Tight as a twin-stick shooter with survival elements. You play as a kid who has to fend off monsters by building pillow forts, placing turrets and upgrading toybox weaponry. Your goal is to survive as many nights as possible, and there are more and different monsters attacking every night.
"Each day, you’re given 8 suns that you can spend to build defenses, buy ammo, heal, or get powerups," We Are Fuzzy says. "Once you’ve spent all your suns, the next night starts. The game gets progressively harder, and what starts as a few monsters quickly turns into swarms. Building a giant fort with turrets or unlocking strong powerups becomes crucial to surviving, as well as choosing the right gun to deal the most damage but manage your ammo use."
There's something very Monsters Inc. about Sleep Tight, and that's very much by design: Pixar films were among the art's major inspirations, We Are Fuzzy says, as well as the similar style of Ratchet & Clank.
"I wanted to make a game that hit the nostalgia bone, and made you feel like a kid, playing in your room," say artist Maxx Burman.
The childhood motif permeates every aspect of Sleep Tight. Your base is made from pillows and couch cushions, your weapons are Nerf guns and Super Soakers, and your battlefield is a faithfully recreated playroom. Even at this early stage, Sleep Tight looks flavorful and unique. If you want to see more of its monsters and environments, check out the concept art galleries on TIGsource.
We Are Fuzzy commands a sizable team of designers, but Sleep Tight started with a prototype built by programmer Jed Jackoway and given form by Burman. It will come to PC in 2018.
