Three years since the inception of studio Eyes Out, we finally get our first look at their debut psychedelic horror title, SLEEP AWAKE.
Though the title was officially revealed last year as part of theSummer Games Fest, few details have emerged since then besides a few screenshots and rumors.
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Now, we finally get our first official trailer - and it looks equal parts mind-bending, horrifying, and enthralling.
A Surreal Collaboration
Cory Davis, known for his work on the infamously psychological and PTSD-inducing shooter, Spec Ops: The Line, teamed up with Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails/Guns ‘n’ Roses) to form the new studio around three years ago. They announced the new collaboration with aJoshua Tree Sound Session, which… well, was pretty wild to put it kindly.
Now, it seems as thoughthe torture is going to be focused very much in-game, with thebizarre andotherworldly trailer for SLEEP AWAKE.
Several trippy and surrealist settings are depicted, along with a voice-over that repeats “I cannot sleep. I must not sleep.”, but aside from that, the story is being kept under wraps.
A building called the Somnological Institute is shown, perhaps indicating that players are part ofsome kind of dream-analysis experiment. The fact that such a range of different environments is shown would also support this idea of dream-hopping.
Just as with real sleep,the picturesque and aesthetically pleasing cloudscapes are only half the picture. The other side is much darker and more nightmarish.
The trailer certainlysuggests an atmosphere of horror, but I’m pretty intrigued as to how this story will unravel, particularly given that there appear to be authoritarian figures and an almost sci-fi backdrop away from the dreamscapes. Additionally, some of the non-dream sequences appeared to show the player-protagonist taking some form of hallucinogenic eyedrops.
There’s plenty of mystery to uncover with SLEEP AWAKE, but what we do know is that it is expected to release in 2026 and will be available on PC, Xbox X/S, and PS5.
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