Through the Nightmares

Through the Nightmares is a true nightmare masterpiece! The game grabs you from the very first minutes - visuals, music, atmosphere - everything is crafted with care. The size-shifting mechanic is fresh and original, adding real depth to the gameplay. Highly recommended for anyone who loves platformers with personality 💜

Through the Nightmares takes the familiar idea of childhood fears and transforms it into a challenging precision platformer built around timing, experimentation, and repeated attempts. Developed and published by Sandman Team, the game follows Sandman, a spirit associated with peaceful dreams, as he travels into nightmares where children have become trapped. Morpheus, a once-benevolent god of dreams, stands at the center of the conflict, and his influence has turned ordinary fears and familiar environments into dangerous worlds filled with traps and hostile creatures. The premise provides an appropriate foundation for a game where almost every location feels deliberately designed to make the player uncomfortable while testing their ability to remain precise under pressure. The central platforming mechanics are straightforward enough to understand but become increasingly complicated when combined. Sandman can run, jump, and perform a downward strike, yet his most distinctive ability is changing his physical size. Becoming larger or smaller does much more than alter his appearance. Size affects factors such as movement, weight, jumping behavior, and interactions with environmental objects. Certain passages require a smaller form, while other obstacles are easier to overcome by taking advantage of the properties associated with a different size. This gives many stages a puzzle-like quality because discovering how to cross an obstacle can be just as important as possessing the reflexes needed to execute the solution. The downward strike expands this environmental interaction by allowing Sandman to break particular surfaces, trigger mechanisms, and discover alternative routes. One of the more thoughtful design choices is that some changes made to a level remain after death. Considering how frequently failure can occur, this persistence reduces unnecessary repetition and makes unsuccessful attempts feel less wasteful. Instead of constantly resetting every element, the game allows the player to gradually establish a path through particularly difficult areas. This complements the overall philosophy of treating death as part of the learning process rather than simply as punishment. Another important feature is the Checkpoint Flask, which gives players some influence over where they will return after dying. Rather than relying exclusively on checkpoints chosen by the designers, the flask can be carried through a stage and positioned strategically. Its limited resurrection capacity prevents players from abusing the system, so deciding where to leave it becomes a meaningful part of navigating harder sections. Placing it too early provides immediate safety but may result in repeating a difficult later sequence. Carrying it farther creates the possibility of a more advantageous checkpoint but also means risking everything required to reach that location. It is an inventive mechanic that adds strategy to what could otherwise have been a purely reflex-driven platformer. Frequent death is clearly expected, and instant respawning helps keep frustration under control. Difficult sections can therefore be attempted repeatedly without lengthy interruptions. Hazards require players to recognize patterns and develop reliable timing, while certain environmental elements interact closely with the musical rhythm. The result can become almost hypnotic once a complicated sequence has been memorized. However, the demanding nature of the experience should not be underestimated. Players who dislike repeating a short section many times may find its philosophy exhausting. The satisfaction comes from recognizing mistakes, adjusting an approach, and eventually completing a sequence that initially appeared nearly impossible. The adventure contains 45 handcrafted levels distributed across three chapters and six different locations. Its nightmares draw inspiration from several sources, including Nordic folklore, medieval imagery, dark forests, suburban envir…

Cool platformer. It has a variety of mechanics and different scenery that keep your attention. There are some nice secrets and references, and the devs are firendly and responsive. I hope it gets more traction