When I Grow Up, I Want To Live In Sleepytime Village

Sleepytime Village is an upcoming point and click adventure currently in a Kickstarter campaign. My little girl and I were fortunate enough to see others playing the game at WASD Live, but we weren’t so lucky to get to play. As an old-schooler, I’d rather be playing than watching. There’s a playable demo on Steam, so it made sense to point and click at it.

Before getting acquainted with in-jokes, illogical puzzles and tentacles, this point and click adventure provides options at the beginning. Swearing? Fuck, yeah. Where do I want my inventory? In my pocket, thank you very much. Oh – where on the screen? Already, Lightfoot Bros Games has gone the extra mile. Who ever accommodates the point and click fan in this manner? Legends.

In Sleepytime Village join our protagonist, Rufus, in their bleak world of blue, impatient taxi drivers and chugger mascots. It’s not a good scene, and so many of us can relate to it. Jumping into the back of the cab, Rufus falls asleep, and we’re transported to In the Night Garden. Thankfully, there’s no sign of Makka Pakka, but there is a ‘Me-Me’.

Sleepytime Village Demo – Dreamy

According to the store page, Sleepytime Village shows you how to be an adult by being a child first. Let’s not fool ourselves – adulthood is just a disguise anyway. I’m a fully grown adult, spending most of my time playing games and writing about them. If it isn’t that, I’m re-living my youth in some way, reminiscing through YouTube, novelty t-shirts, or consuming as many point and click adventure games as they remind me of the days of Monkey Island, Sam & Max and Leisure Suit Larry.

No matter, Rufus is a dick, and in this teaser, we see that he’s neglected his family for his career, or cutting to the chase, just looking out for himself. It’s early days, yet it’s evident that he needs to have this Scrooge revelation, even if that means going through some surreal picture book of a world without logic but a smile on everyone’s face except Rufus.

Upon waking in this dreamscape, our avatar finds themselves trapped in a house and needs to escape. Sniffing around the room, looking for clues and objects to make one’s escape, is inevitable, and it’s a novel world to explore. Sleepytime Village’s Rufus is so disconnected from the outside world that being in this predicament is amplified even more, and he seriously has to get the fuck out of there. That’s not me being crude; this guy swears like a trooper. Yes, I selected the sweary version.

Give It A Kickstart

There’s not too much to interact with in Sleepytime Village – it’s a demo – but there’s enough to ascertain that this will be a funny game with some profound revelations as we retrace Rufus’ steps and behaviour with his daughter, for instance. A few combinations later, we’re out of the house, and our adventure ends for a moment until it gets greenlit and the appropriate backing on Kickstarter.

This isn’t Lightfoot Bros Games’ first rodeo – The Mystery of Woolley Mountain also went the Kickstarter route with Ron Gilbert’s backing – you might remember him from the aforementioned Monkey Island. Yep, this is a no-brainer: check your bank account and get over to Kickstarter. Still not convinced? Why don’t you play the demo?