Inky’s Sleep Review – Cat Nap Turns Cat Crap

Inky’s Sleep, from Tim Larick, might have piqued your interest because of the cat. And this being the internet, ‘supply and demand’ would suggest that might be a motivation. It might also be the Limbo vibe. Or perhaps you’ve already played the demo from last year? Well, it ticks the cat box, but not so much the Limbo camp.

Does it make that comparison on the Steam page? No, but you might put two and two together and get five. I will say that it does share a very similar darkness, but controversially, I’d rather play Inky’s Sleep than Limbo. I don’t dislike the latter; it’s just that I prefer the gameplay here.

The Cat, The Nightmare, and The Red Yarn

For starters, this isn’t a platformer; it’s a psychological puzzle game. Call it a puzzle-platformer if you will, but I’d disagree. Unsurprisingly, you play the titular feline and navigate a series of puzzles designed to make you crap yourself.

The puzzles themselves, while often perplexing, are not scary, though their resolution often triggers a monstrosity that leaves a definitive poo trail. These grotesque shadow creatures are all the more extravagant as everything takes place while Inky’s having their catnap.

That’s right, folks – it’s not a clever title; Inky’s Sleep centres around the darkness that conflicts with this poor little cat. Instead of worrying whether they’ve paid their Netflix subscription or if the dog has earned the right to vote, Inky is experiencing very dark visions.

It starts innocently enough, just as Inky starts settling into some shuteye, only to chase an elusive red ball of yarn. Is this significant? A Sixth Sense, Don’t Look Now moment? It doesn’t matter – there’s something out there about to snatch Inky and pull them into the darkness. And this something has way too many eyes.

Cardboard Portals and Brain Teasers

As mentioned, Inky’s Sleep isn’t a platformer, though you can move left and right and jump in dedicated spots that have the finesse of one of those YouTube videos of a cat jumping an inch off a wall and faceplanting. Again, why I stress this isn’t a platformer.

Yes, there will be those squeaky bum moments where you have to escape an eerie claw reaching out (failure to escape will wake Inky up, forcing a restart). However, this isn’t the focus. Instead, Inky will traverse through inter-boxal dimensions to work out touchpad puzzles.

These boxes are cardboard portals; step through one, and you enter a Narnia of crawlspaces and locations that are familiar, and often, oh so dark. Each puzzle I encountered was a challenge in some way; from working out what was expected, to then seeking the solution, or breaking the pattern. It reminded me of The Exit 8, but with less monotony and clearly more environments.

Touchy, Feely

Puzzles included jumping up at objects to locate the yarn, or to move it onto a touch/pressure pad to open a door, or unravelling doodles to work out a sequence to open another area. Quite often these solutions were right under my nose, and I was tittering in frustration (with myself) for not seeing these.

The revelation after working a puzzle out was typically short-lived, as Inky’s Sleep switches things up. The puzzles are usually there for some free-thinking, but as soon as the terrors arrive, Inky has to escape them without being caught; otherwise they’ll have to repeat the scene.

It was a mixed bag for me at first, as I couldn’t find a good enough rhythm to keep the story going and would stumble at the puzzles, almost desperate to see more of the beautifully designed creatures, or at least, scout an area ready to find my exit before something caught me. Inky themself, juxtaposed to the terrors, is incredibly cute and vulnerable.

Worth Losing Sleep Over?

Inky’s Sleep leads with a very claustrophobic atmosphere, which is well-suited to the style of play. The lack of any language and stripping the controls down to a creature without opposable thumbs makes it all the more meaningful when solving a puzzle, as you can’t necessarily steam through. That’s reserved for running away to safety.

The art is great, the music accompanies it well, and while I wasn’t a fan of the movement and gravity-challenged jumping, that reduction in movement allowed me to appreciate the puzzle aspects more. Being able to soak up the art (and fear) and feel very much part of this nightmare world. One to think about – and definitely lose sleep over, if you resonate with cats.