Mr. Sleepy Man Review: Don't Sleep on This Fever Dream

Mr. Sleepy Man has been in development for around six years by a solo developer, Devin Santi, and it's a game I've had the privilege of following for a long time. I backed it on Patreon and watched it slowly grow into the strange, colorful, dreamlike thing it is today. Longtime listeners know I even got to pick Devin's brain about it on the podcast. Hearing him talk about his ideas and inspirations only made me more excited to finally play the finished game.

After spending time with it, I can say confidently that it's exactly what it set out to be: an absolute fever dream. Pun very much intended. And Devin handled nearly everything himself, from programming to voice acting to music. A project of this scale from one person is impressive before you even press Start.

What is it?

At its core, it's a nostalgic 3D platformer collectathon. It's also a sandbox, an emotional story and a time loop game, all wrapped in a very strange, very surreal package. It feels like a love letter to N64-era platformers. If you have fond memories of exploring colorful worlds, hunting collectibles and meeting weird characters, you'll feel right at home.

The game greets you with two things right away: incredible music and a cartoony, nostalgic art style. You wake up next to Teefy, who is basically a head with limbs. He rambles at you for a bit, then hands you your blanket, which you use to glide through the world.

Bedtime Town

The main hub is Bedtime Town, a sandbox with a little to-do list of tasks for its residents. Honestly, you'll rarely look at it, because your own curiosity leads you to most of them anyway. Whether that means stealing some produce or wrecking a marriage, you have full freedom. Be a friendly sleepy fellow, or become an absolute menace to society. Cause enough chaos and you'll be wanted, then thrown in prison, where all you can do is sleep. That lets you restart the night or travel somewhere called Nowhere.

Nowhere

Nowhere is where the deeper story starts. You find Teefy again, much less cheerful, surrounded by broken TVs in a desolate wasteland. Fixing one lets you briefly play as Teefy, gathering music notes for his guitar while he tries to remember what happened to his friend Dinosaur Jones (a cardboard cereal mascot, I kid you not). Then you play the game's first song, "Lost in Dreams," which is an absolute banger. Go listen to it. After this review, maybe.

From there the game reveals itself as a time loop. You explore, unlock upgrades and shortcuts, and slowly figure out how to push Bedtime Town toward its collapse. It goes further than that, but I want you to see it for yourself.

Built for exploring

You don't have to rush, though. The dreamlike worlds are full of secrets, bosses, collectibles and platforming challenges, and the controls are a highlight: tight, easy to learn and satisfying to master as the challenge ramps up. There's always the sense that something weird is around the next corner.

The game never tones down its strangeness, and that's what makes it so memorable. The characters are hilarious and full of personality, the surreal visuals keep the nostalgic look feeling fresh, and the soundtrack is fantastic. It carries a lot of the emotional weight, and some of these songs will end up on your playlist.

Small gripes

The biggest one is direction. The game is very open, which is great if you like figuring things out, but if you prefer clear objectives you may wander longer than you expect. A few platforming challenges and time trials felt a little strict, too, though I'll fully admit that could be a skill issue on my part. None of it ever ruined the experience.

The verdict

After following this project for years, it's incredibly satisfying to see it come together like this. Mr. Sleepy Man oozes personality, passion and creativity. It's weird, it's charming and it was clearly made with a ton of care, and it all came from the mind of a single developer. Don't sleep on this one. I'm giving it a 9 out of 10, and at about $20 on Steam, it's absolutely worth it.