Through the Nightmares

Through the Nightmares is a precision platformer developed and published by the Ukraine-based Sandman Team.

- By Dylan Pamintuan

Publisher: Sandman Team

Developer: Sandman Team

Genre: Action

Release Date: Out Now

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox X | S, Switch

It's been in development for several years, with a demo released back in April 2020. It's fairly obvious that this game was a labour of love, so should this dream be slept on, or is it worth its nightmare-level difficulty?

Children are being trapped within nightmares by the King of Nightmares, Morpheus. As the embodiment of good dreams, the Sandman will need to dive into Morpheus' world to save these children or else they might be imprisoned in sleep forever. It's a fairly simple story, but it allows you to explore some really neat environments that wouldn't make sense in a sane world. All 45 levels tap into common fears children have, from dark forests to spider-infested suburbs; these environments can be awe-inspiring, yet unsettling at the same time. Oh, and if “spider-infested” didn’t tip you off, huge arachnophobia warning! Seriously, there's a big fat spider on the world select menu. It does a lot for using low-poly models, and I really liked that. Also, the music is pretty good. I'd listen to it outside the game.