A City Sleeps

About

A City Sleeps is a single player action game. It was developed by Harmonix Music Systems and was released on October 16, 2014. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

"A City Sleeps" is a rhythm-action game where you play as a spirit battling other spectral entities to protect a sleeping city. Using a variety of attacks synced to the game's music, you'll navigate through ever-changing levels, battling bosses and collecting power-ups. The game features a unique visual style and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that complement the gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+21

Skip User Reviews

58%

Audience ScoreBased on 81 reviews

music52 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game features a unique combination of music-based gameplay and bullet hell mechanics, creating an engaging experience.
The soundtrack is exceptional, enhancing the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the game.
The art style is visually appealing, contributing to the game's immersive aesthetic.

The game is very short, with only three levels that can feel repetitive despite having multiple difficulty settings.
Controls can be unresponsive or clunky, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The reliance on music synchronization for attacks can make gameplay unpredictable and less enjoyable.

music
152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
64%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and integration into the gameplay, with many reviewers highlighting the unique synchronization of enemy patterns and player actions to the soundtrack. While the soundtrack is considered fantastic and a major highlight, some players feel that the gameplay mechanics tied to the music can lead to frustrating moments, particularly when lulls in the music affect firepower. Overall, the game's music is seen as a strong point, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of rhythm and bullet hell genres, despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “The game looks great - the music is wonderful, and the aesthetic is near-perfect.”
- “The music ties in perfectly with the gameplay to produce a nice arty mix.”
- “A city sleeps is a music-driven dual joystick bullet hell shooter.”
- “Unfortunately, the music/rhythm element adds nothing to the game whatsoever, and despite using preset music, the link between music and gameplay isn't any better than in titles like Beat Hazard, where an algorithm generates gameplay elements for the music of your choice.”
- “The main addition is that when you shoot, music comes from your bullets, thus giving the impression that this is a music-inspired shooter (the music has nothing to do with the gameplay but the sound is very good).”
- “With a game like this centered around music, I would have hoped for more stages with more opportunities for awesome music.”
gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
51%
7%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique blend of rhythm and bullet hell mechanics, while others find the combat dull and the integration of music ineffective. Many highlight the game's fluid controls, beautiful art style, and engaging mechanics, but note that the rhythm elements do not significantly enhance the overall experience. Overall, while the game offers fun and replayability, it struggles to fully realize its potential in syncing music with gameplay.
- “This might take a stage to get used to, but at the end of the first stage, you will understand that this game is actually a very cool and unique combination of music-based gameplay and shoot 'em up.”
- “It's a great bullet hell shooter with fantastic art, music, and gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is fluid and flows perfectly; the art is beautiful, and each enemy stands out.”
- “Because the rhythm-based gameplay doesn’t add much to the bullet hell experience and at worst takes away some of the enjoyment.”
- “Unfortunately, the music/rhythm element adds nothing to the game whatsoever, and despite using preset music, the link between music and gameplay isn't any better than in titles like Beat Hazard, where an algorithm generates gameplay elements for the music of your choice.”
- “Something about the control scheme or the mechanics just feels awkward; I feel like I'm flailing around rather than getting into the flow of things.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
26%
13%
The game's graphics feature a unique and appealing art style that many players appreciate, complemented by a strong soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. However, the high-contrast visuals can lead to visual clutter, making it difficult to distinguish characters and projectiles, which detracts from gameplay clarity. While the aesthetic is praised, some players find the lack of animation and visual coherence a drawback, impacting their overall enjoyment.
- “The game looks great - the music is wonderful, and the aesthetic is near-perfect.”
- “It’s in the combination of intense arcade shooting, total absorption in the gorgeous and overwhelming visuals, and the constant harmony of so many sounds coming together that something incredible is born.”
- “A really well polished game with an amazing art style and soundtrack that go well into the game mechanics, and despite its short length, offers a fair amount of fun.”
- “The high-contrast art style actually makes it substantially harder to differentiate anything at a glance, requiring you to look more closely at any given part of the screen to tell what's going on.”
- “Low bullet visibility, unintuitive controls, a very eccentric combat system, walls of story text, and a cheap graphic budget add up to a product that just doesn't work well.”
- “Visual clarity is lacking, and an option to turn off the visuals of your character besides your hitbox is missing.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The story in the game is present but often feels underdeveloped and poorly explained, with players noting that the backstory is conveyed through brief paragraphs between levels rather than through engaging gameplay. While some appreciate the attempt to integrate narrative elements with gameplay mechanics, many find the overall plot lackluster and not compelling enough to encourage deeper exploration. Overall, the narrative aspect is seen as a missed opportunity, leaving players wanting more depth and clarity.
- “The small story paragraphs you get between levels and difficulties are nice.”
- “It plays like a wave-based side scroller, with intriguing mechanics that contribute both to the overarching story, as well as add significantly to the gameplay, allowing it to feel very much like a noted title in the near-to-overflowing genre.”
- “So, the story is great.”
- “It also doesn’t help that my eyes immediately glazed over when I read the first paragraph of the supposed backstory of this title.”
- “There isn't much of a story.”
- “The story is present, but not well explained, and much of the terminology isn’t defined either.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game offers moderate to high replayability, primarily due to its unlockable content, various difficulty levels, and unique mechanics like the ghost system and modifiers that encourage players to revisit completed stages. While the number of levels is limited, the engaging gameplay and incentives for experimentation enhance the overall replay value.
- “Even though there's a small number of levels, the game makes up for it in terms of replayability, as there are plenty of difficulties for each level that unlock new mechanics and other features as you progress.”
- “The ghost mechanic adds additional replayability, as you'll likely want to try a different approach on levels you've already beaten.”
- “With its beautiful art and fluid gameplay, it offers high replayability despite the short length.”
- “It's quite short, only three stages with 3 chapters each and some incentive for replayability in the form of unlockables and new difficulties.”
- “Even though there's a small number of levels, the game does make up for it in terms of replayability, as there are plenty of difficulties for each of the levels and they seem to unlock new mechanics and other things as you play through.”
- “The ghost mechanic gives the game additional replayability as you probably will want to try a different approach on a level you've already beaten.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players praise the game's optimization, noting that the art is well-executed and the performance is smooth throughout.
- “All the art is very well done in-game and everything runs smoothly.”
- “The optimization is top-notch, allowing for seamless gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, making the game run flawlessly.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a blend of quirky, deviant art-style visuals and engaging, dreamlike settings that complement its generic cyberpunk backdrop. Users appreciate the heartfelt writing and strong music, which together create a unique and immersive experience, despite some criticisms of the controls. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a key strength that enhances the game's charm.
- “The setting is generic cyberpunk, but the writing and dreamlike atmosphere of the stages are engaging.”
- “I love this game so much; the art sets such a perfect atmosphere for the tone of the game, and the music is crazy good. It's so full of heart.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, despite appreciating the art style and music. The gameplay is described as a struggle between digital consistency and human unpredictability, leading to a repetitive experience that lacks excitement.
- “The art style is nice, the music is pretty good, but I found the gameplay ultimately tedious.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a high level of stability, noting that after extended gameplay, they experienced no glitches, bugs, or lag.