Insomnia is a problem that many people experience, and one night last week, I also had insomnia.
Waking up at 2 AM, I could not get back to sleep; the League of Legends server was down for maintenance, and there was nothing I felt like watching online. That is when I suddenly thought of the game Insomnia. This title suited my situation perfectly, so I decided to give it a go.
Before opening it, I had some idea of what to expect based on an intro I read earlier. The stylish dark blue and orange art attracted me. And for sure, this is a short game about modern anxiety. The developer is Perfect Day Studio. Their previous title, A Perfect Day, tells the story of the last day of 1999, which also impressed me.
The demo of Insomnia is not very long but includes four Acts. The Prologue is called Roll on the Show! Below is a conversation between the girl and the little creature in her heart in the Prologue, and players may be able to get a glimpse of the mental struggle described here.
The girl: “I'm exhausted.”
The little creature: “I'm excited.”
The girl: “I still have to work tomorrow.”
The little creature: “Just take a day off.”
The girl: “It's not that easy. No more nights like that. I must get a good sleep today.”
The part perfectly describes the fast-paced life of modern people. When I fail to fall asleep at night, I suffer from this kind of inner dialogue too, looping over and over, keeping me from my sweet dreams.
The split-screen showing the small “theater” in people's minds is as lovely as it is annoyingly accurate. On the left side is a girl tossing and turning in the bed, and on the right side is a little creature who keeps the circus in her mind going, with a variety of objects and ideas replacing the creature time and time again.
The gameplay focuses mainly on clicking items and solving puzzles in the correct sequence. I would prefer not to spoil much here, but I can say that the puzzles can sometimes be very clever and have some interesting twists, and if I’m stuck, there’s still a hint system to save me from the ongoing circus. But generally speaking, it’s a game more about an experience, not a challenge.
The girl and the little creature in her head. In Insomnia.
What really struck me was the sheep in the game. Counting sheep represents people's anxiety when they want to fall asleep but can do nothing other than lay awake as they endlessly flip back and forth on the bed.
The music composition in Insomnia: Theater in the Head
It is a pity that the demo is short. Although the music composition gameplay was added in an update to the demo, the experience is over rather quickly. I’m glad that I played the game while having actual insomnia; the experience was relatable and surreal, accurately capturing my feelings of the moment.
The demo ends with a line saying, “Good night, sleep time, until next time.” On Steam, the developer also stated their hope that players will have a good sleep every day after playing the game. I’m grateful for their kind wishes and genuinely hope we all do.