Hi folks!

After showcasing Sleepytime Village at WASD, I noticed several areas that needed improvement, including gameplay changes, UI additions to guide the player, and bug fixes. So, in v1.4a, you will see: BUG FIXES Resolved a couple of freezes caused by minor bugs. UI ADDITIONS Menu tweaks and UI guidance for starting the first scene. GAMEPLAY TWEAKS New graphical elements, enhanced gameplay features like new footstep sounds, and increased walking speed. All these updates should make the game experience even better! Also, while I have your attention, the Kickstarter for Sleepytime Village is currently live. We're doing well but could use a bit more support! Please check it out here, and consider backing the game by choosing one of the physical rewards. Your support would make a big difference!
Thanks so much! Let me know your thoughts or feedback on the updated build!

[ 2024-05-21 15:25:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

To learn how to be an adult you have to act like a kid.

Sleepytime Village is the story of a neglectful, workaholic father who becomes trapped in a children’s storybook reality. When Rufus Stone makes one wrong choice too many, he becomes trapped in a children’s storybook reality, haunted by the residents of Sleepytime Village, its formless narrator and visions of his childhood. What is the Village, what does it want from him, and how can he escape?

The game covers relationships between generations, from grandparents, to parents and children and when those grown up children have kids of their own, it explores how the sensibilities through the generations distort and twist the perceptions of what is important.

There is one main player character with a large cast of 'real world' secondary characters that fill in the backstory and push and pull of the gameplay. Players will be faced with heavy choices with the freedom of taking the wrong path often. The send category of secondary characters are the 'Villagers', characters that seem to spring from kids' TV programmes and books. At first they seem simple and innocent, but they have their on singular purpose to 'help' Rufus learn the lessons he needs to change his outlook.

The leading secondary character is a seemingly omniscient narrator, who prods Rufus through the game, but as the game progresses, the player will begin to question if the narrator is all they seem to be.

Rufus must explore the many locations in sleepytime village, finding objects that don't belong there which when collected transport him back to the 'real world' in the form of a flashback so he can get some insight into his past and recent present.

The game will track the choices the player makes and provide multiple paths depending on if the lessons the village is trying to teach are being taken on board.