Under the bed

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Wake in the dark. Pause to see what's there. Remember it, then move.

Platforms: Browser, PC
Stores: itch.io
Price: Pay what you want
Rated: 4.6 out of 5 on itch.io (79 ratings)
Length: 10 to 20 minutes
Players: 1
Controls: Arrow keys to move, Space or Enter to interact, F to pause and see
Made by: KMLO (Khamelot)
Released: 2018

What frightens A child wakes in a pitch-black house and must move through it unable to see; only pausing the game shows what is around. Something comes in through the window and hunts the hallways, and the child must remember the way, hide and solve puzzles in the dark.

Under the bed is a short pixel-art horror game by KMLO about the fear of the dark. You play a child who wakes in a pitch-black bedroom and cannot get back to sleep; the house is invisible unless you pause, so you look, memorise and move blind while something stalks you. It plays free in the browser in 10 to 20 minutes.

About Under the bed

Under the bed began as a three-day game jam entry by KMLO (Khamelot) and was expanded with fixes, new content and a downloadable version in 2018, then a French translation. Its idea, inspired by Pippin Barr's designs, is summed up in its own credits: you spend all your time on pause because you are too scared to play.

You play a child who wakes up in their bedroom in absolute darkness. Going back to sleep is impossible, so the child sets out through the house. Played normally the screen is black: you move with the arrow keys and feel your way. Press F to pause and the room appears, its doors, shelves, plants and furniture drawn in side-view pixel art. You must study it, memorise it and then unpause and walk it blind.

That simple rule is what makes it frightening. A walk to the hallway, the kitchen or out into the woods becomes a nightmare as the child's imagination fills the dark, and something comes in through the window and hunts you, so you have to find places to hide and puzzles to solve without seeing them. The sound, much of it recorded in a studio, carries a lot of the fear.

The main story takes about 10 to 20 minutes, with an alternate ending to find. It is free to play in the browser or download for Windows, in English or French. It suits players who like short side-view pixel horror such as Welcome Home Jacob or There's Something in the Corner, and anyone who remembers being afraid of the dark.

How to play Under the bed

Open the game's itch.io page and press Run game, or download the Windows version; they are the same game.
Use the arrow keys to move the child through the dark.
Press F to pause: the room becomes visible, so study where the doors, furniture and objects are.
Unpause and walk to what you memorised, pressing Space or Enter to interact.
When something comes for you, find a place to hide before it reaches you.

Screenshots

Under the bed screenshot: the paused view of a dark study with a bookshelf, doors and a large potted plant around the child in moon pyjamas

Under the bed screenshot: the child lying awake in bed in a black room, with the words 'Something is wrong.'

Under the bed screenshot: the child alone among dark green trees in a night-time forest

Tips

Pause often. The maker means it: the whole game is built around looking while paused.
Count your steps from one object to the next while paused, then repeat them blind.
Players stuck at the water scene hide in the open cabinet with the plates.