Suicide Guy: Sleepin' Deeply

Suicide Guy is one of those games that I liked, but didn't love. While it was cute and some of the puzzles were clever, I was ultimately left cold by the technical problems and frustrating 3D platforming. But despite my complaints, I was immediately on board when I heard that Chubby Pixel planned on releasing a standalone expansion called Suicide Guy: Sleepin' Deeply. That game is finally here, and while it doesn't fix the issues I had with the original release, it does go a long way to confirm that this is a series with something unique to offer.

If you skipped the first Suicide Guy, don't worry about it. This is the continuing adventures of a schlubby Homer Simpson type who likes to sit on the couch, watch TV and drink beer. This time around a commercial reminds our hero that he has an extra-potent beer chilling in the fridge. Unfortunately, he wasn't prepared for the high alcohol level and passes out, only to once again be forced to figure out creative ways to kill himself in a bunch of crazy new dreams.

This inexpensive companion game brings us six wildly different stages that will take the average gamer three or four hours to complete. What I like is that these dreams are a lot longer and more drawn out than what we saw in the first game, making us go through all sorts of steps in order to meet our violent demise. They remind me of the very last few dreams in the original Suicide Guy, only this time around they are a lot bigger and more involved.

The reason all this works so well is because the developers are smart about mixing things up from one puzzle to the next. You'll go from a wide-open driving stage to a narrow platforming puzzle, with each looking completely different. There's a weird stage where we're cleaning up behind a real life Tamagotchi and one that is all about filling up the largest bottle of beer you've ever seen. There isn't much repetition here, and there are even a few different types of puzzles inside of each stage.

I liked most of these stages, though there are a couple that drag on a bit too long. I was initially disappointed that there were only six new stages, but it's hard to argue against their size and variety. And given the price, it certainly feels like fans of the game will get their money's worth with Sleepin' Deeply.

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Sadly, most of the complaints I leveled against Suicide Guy also apply to this game. The 3D platforming, for example is a nightmare. First-person jumping has vexed a lot of developers, and it's only made worse here by the laggy input. This is especially bad in the first few stages, where much of the action revolves around racing through the obstacles and jumping on timed platforms. The slow and sometimes unresponsive gameplay makes these stages miserable, and it's a terrible way to start an otherwise fun puzzle game.

Sleepin' Deeply is also a little too easy. Sure, there are a couple head-scratching moments here and there, but most of the solutions are straight-forward. There's even a stage where they flat-out tell you exactly how to complete the puzzle. What I would like to see is a version of Suicide Guy that has more confidence in the player's puzzle solving prowess. I hope the next game Chubby Pixels makes is a little tougher.

Although it only has six stages and won't take long to beat, Suicide Guy: Sleepin' Deeply is a charming standalone expansion pack that is worth the budget price. It works both as an introduction to the series and as a proper extension to the original, all while giving us wildly varied stages and a lot of fun puzzles. The occasional gameplay issues and lack of difficulty hurts the game, but not enough to keep me from recommending Suicide Guy: Sleepin' Deeply.