sleepless

About sleepless

sleepless was the first game its maker, yaji, made and finished, released in November 2020 and built in Unity. Its maker says it is inspired by the frightening tales told all over the world about sleep paralysis, long before the phenomenon had a medical name.

You wake up comfortable in the middle of the night, lying in bed in a dim low-poly bedroom: a ceiling fan turning above you, a window full of night sky, a clock glowing red. Then you realise you cannot get up, and that something is not quite right.

The whole game is that moment. You can only look around from your pillow, and the one rule is simple: if you see anything, close your eyes. The fear comes from being pinned in place in your own room while the dark corners stop being empty. Players call it creepy and, in a word, scary as hell.

It takes a few minutes and plays free in the browser on itch.io, or as a small Windows download. It suits anyone who has lived through sleep paralysis, and players who like very short, single-idea horror games such as I Can't Sleep or It Moves.

How to play sleepless

1. Open the game's itch.io page and press Run game, or download the Windows version.
2. Look around your bedroom from the bed.
3. Watch the dark corners of the room.
4. If you see anything, close your eyes.

Tips

• Play in a dark room with headphones; it is short and depends on mood.
• Keep looking around the room: what changes is the point.
• It takes only a few minutes, so play it through in one go.

Questions