A City Sleeps is a music-driven, bullet hell shooter with an invigorating soundtrack and a colorful, comic-like presentation. The hybrid of concepts feels fresh and fun in the beginning, and there are moments when the ideas harmonize
I'm not one to complain about games being too short very often, but A City Sleeps doesn't allow itself enough breathing room to fully explore its own central concept. I would have loved more dreams to explore, more bosses to fight, more challenges that required playing smarter with the ghosts I brought into battle.
Still, if bullet hell shooters are your thing there’s really no reason to pass this game up. It’s not just a unique take on the genre. It’s also just a damn good one.
The game is clearly made to challenge hardcore players, but there's not a lot to keep casual or mid-level players coming back. To earn new ghosts and equippable boosts, you have to beat these new difficulty levels. If you've hit the limits of your skill level, there's nothing else to do.
As a shoot-'em-up, though, A City Sleeps feels half-baked. The foundation is solid, but since it only includes three levels, it has to ramp up its difficulty too quickly, and it becomes overwhelming and frustrating as a result.