sleep battle pass is insane

EDIT: 7/27/23
Played every day since release for around a week or so before taking a step back and saying to myself "Why am I doing this?"
I don't need a sleep tracker because my CPAP machine does that already, and it's not really fun as a game. I liked collecting the pokémon at first, but you quickly realize there's not much point in doing so. You can't battle them or anything, and the only difference in them is the type of ingredients and berries they collect, and their skills. Neither of which really matter that much. I also found myself checking it way too often than I'd like, once at each meal time to feed Snorlax, throughout the day some to collect berries and level up pokémon, at night to track sleep, and then in the morning to catch pokémon. The morning routine is simply too long, I feel. As someone who has a job to go to in the morning, I don't really want to spend what time I have in the morning going through a bunch of menus just for the chance of catching a pokémon! The monetization is pretty aggressive too, you can only realistically get one pokémon a day if you're not paying anything, and that's if you're lucky. Locking the diary function behind a $12 a month Sleep BattlePass™️ is absurd. All in all, I don't really get the point of it. It's certainly not the best sleep tracker out there, and it's definitely not the most engaging as a video game. If you want a Pokémon mobile game, there are a few others that are at least somewhat more engaging. To be fair, though, I really don't know what else they could have done with this concept. Tracking sleep and playing video games don't really mix. Perhaps one day far in the future we can all hook ourselves up to some machine that will let us catch and battle Pokémon in our dreams, but that time is not now.

Feels like they took the "game" part too far. Why's there lengthy tutorials of generic mobile game mechanics in a fucking sleep tracker? At least a portion of real casual consumers wouldn't use this at all based on that alone, but as a sleep tracker it also doesn't have a dynamic alarm clock or various soundscapes to help you sleep like other apps do. They announced this was coming like 4 years ago, how was this what they launched with? Boggles the mind quite frankly.

But gamefying various real life tasks keeps me alive so, they got me.

OK so, as for the game itself FINALLY releasing after it being seemingly cancelled for good alongside Detective Pikachu 2 after they were both revealed in the Pokémon Press Conference in 2019, I think it 𝘪𝘴 great to see it come out at all.

Especially considering how they positioned it in it's reveal, being snuck into a Pokémon GO Milestone sizzle real. As this being a rather 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 game to Pokémon GO. With Pokémon GO being positioned as the game you play when you go outside, whereas Pokémon Sleep, being positioned as the game you play when you 𝘦𝘯𝘥 your day. So in that mindset, yeah, it does make sense why they'd attempt this with the goal of a somewhat companion game to another game while ensuring the two would be RADICALLY different. Because, yeah. As it currently stands from my experiences and from what I've seen, there really isn't a 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 quite like Pokémon Sleep.

And I feel that there would be some debate as to whether this could even be considered a "𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦" per say. Because a lot about it feels like essentially a sleeping app. However, taking into account other things in general in nature of life that 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 been turned into gaming experiences before, like fitness, something like the heart measuring meters in Ring Fit Adventure, is especially doing a similar thing to what Apple Health does after you exercise. Only also, adding the exercising to an RPG experience, making Ring Fit Adventure quite unique as both a legit exercising tool, as well as a stand out game among the other fitness games out there.

Different comparison points for sure, but that definitely does show that something like that 𝘤𝘢𝘯 be turned into a game built around it. Now, of course, a key difference between that and Pokémon Sleep, is that, you're actually 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 when doing the exercise. Where as here, as the title suggest, you're sleeping. Making it a bit questionable how this would attest as an interactive experience if you're not 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 with it, but rather 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 alongside it. Though to that I'd say, that sleeping to it, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 be interacting with it. With how not only does it try to 𝘱𝘶𝘵 you to sleep, but also with how it reads HOW you sleep and applies it to it's "mechanics" one could say.

With how there's VASTLY different ways people sleep by nature (face above face bellow, sideways, curled up, etc) as WELL as the amount of time someone would spend on either regular sleeping or a nap, that, by nature, makes everyone's experience with Pokémon Sleep unique. And Pokémon Sleep TAKES said uniqueness of every sleeper into account. With how it associates a type of Pokémon to specific Sleep Types as it calls them and how that matches with you.

And with how it detecting how you sleep, as well as the sounds you make, adds to a beating goal of completing a Pokédex, much like most Pokémon games, makes it so that you may think about switching the way you sleep in order to GET said Pokémon. So far I've only done one Sleep with this game, so I'll definitely come back to it once I've had more time with it, but so far after that session it has 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 put me to think about the ways I can 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 my sleeping routine in order to complete the Pokédex. maybe sleep facing up, take more naps than usual, sleep 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 than usual, etc. Something that I wouldn't have 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 had this been JUST a sleep tracking app. But BECAUSE of it's interactivity and how different Sleep Types apply to 𝘪𝘵, what you're working towards and the rewards you get (the Pokémon you catch, not to mention there being SHINNIES you can obtain), I would truly say that, yes, this IS a game. Offering an experience quite unique for what it sets out to do, and while I haven't dived deep into it yet, for the first Sleeping session with it, I really liked my time with this game so far.

Now, as for 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 aspects of the game itself 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 the sleeping, what else is there? Well, for starters I really like the presentation this game has. Every Pokémon and part of the environment having this Line-less style, in addition to each and every one of them having their own unique sleeping animation tied to their sleep type (with so far 4 different sleep types variables for EACH Pokémon) is a nice attention to detail. And there's even also a Curry Dex in a way, returning from Pokémon: Sword & Shield, being the main food you give to Snorlax, with the rest of the Pokémon getting Berries. And I think it's a nice addition to have as an 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 side objective for this type of game. And it fits in pretty well.

I also really like Professor Neroli's design. It's simple but cute and I like the way he sticks out from other Pokémon Professors, even considering Spin off Only ones like Nia from Pokken Tournament. His vibe applied to studying the sleep styles is quite charming and I love his personality and how parts of his design align with his passion for the side of sleeping like the Snorlax Sleep Mask.

Now, when it comes to the tutorial side of things, yeah. it IS quite heavy tbh. More than I was expecting. And some of it 𝘸𝘢𝘴 a bit too long all things considered, especially when I just wanted to go to sleep with it. But the latter middle parts of it preparing you to sleep with the right instructions, I think makes perfect sense and were well done all things considered. With the 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 specific steps this app detailed to require when it's trailer released, it's nice that they made sure that it was everywhere and easily understood by everyone trying the app out.

Now, as for the bad side of thing of this game so far, yes, there 𝘪𝘴 a part emphasized on Micro-Transactions in here. Even having a "Sleep Pass" which, I NEVER had expected to hear those words ever in my life, but, here we are. All things considered so far it's not something that's required or seemingly pushed to be THAT necessary. One night in and so far I'd be totally content with how it is right now without payment. Although, I sort of said the same thing for Pokemon GO, and a few months later the signs of pushing me to pay more were starting to show more easily. So like I said, it'll all depend with my time spent with it and how it goes from there.

And also, idk if this is just me, but so far I'm a bit disappointed with how the Curry Dex of sorts is handled. I thought there would be some cool mini-game with the touch screen having to cook it, similarly to how it's done in Sword & Shield, and ESPECIALLY considering that the developer's last game (SELECT BUTTON) was Pokémon: Magikarp Jump, a solid game working with a restrictive concept of just using Magikarp's Splash, and turned into a solid high score based game, so I hoped for something akin to that applied to the Curry cooking portion, especially when, again, taking into account it being like that in Sword & Shield to begin with. But instead the only option I was able to select was the automatic one, which turned into a loading screen I wasn't able to get out of. Now, there IS another option I wasn't allowed to choose the first, time, but on-wards after that I can, so maybe THAT one 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 have the mini game of sorts I'm hoping for, but I'll just have to wait and see.

And, this isn't really a critique with the game, more so something I found
𝘰𝘥𝘥, being that, due to the setting of the game it's sets it so each and every time per week you have to go to a different Island to sleep and gather different Pokémon from each island. And like, this isn't a 𝘣𝘢𝘥 setup by any means and it fits well with the research topic at hand here, but also, I question if it really had to be this way, when it could have been something more like Pokémon Snap, where multiple time is spent on one island rather than just one Photography section. And I feel like that would have helped the UI of the part progression feel a bit more organic. Because as it is, the island swapping part when it comes to the UI, while perfectly fine, 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 feel a bit sluggish, whereas with how it was in Pokémon Snap, I feel that it might have been a bit quicker and more organic feeling.

And while this hasn't impacted me, seeing on the patch notes that people were having issues where the app stopped functioning after something like receiving a friend request from someone with over 50 friends, feels a bit iffy. Hopefully they can figure out the stability of this game so that it stays consistently solid.

And, another thing to note when it comes to this game, is that as you may be able to tell by it's name, being that, by it's inherent nature, it's not a game you're going to play constantly. It's a game meant to be experienced a few times a day. Which fits into the perspective with how they positioned and developed this game with in mind. That of being a 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 piece to Pokémon GO. And even though you may not even like or even 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 Pokémon GO, it's companion like design will be very apparent to you once you play it.

Will this be BIG enough to stick around 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 Pokémon GO? That remain to be seen. And how did this game took about 4 years to come out I have NO idea. My guess would be that when trying to figure out the concept they had to scrap and restart it multiple times until they got the right structure for this project. In which I 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 say they succeeded. And maybe also the fact that this game being rather difficult to think about 𝘩𝘰𝘸 to show it and release it, that in tangent may have also affected the 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 to show it and release it.

And now, as for why Detective Pikachu 2 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 likewise took 4 years to come out?...idk I guess we'll find out in a developer interview or something lol

But all things considered, this is a pretty unique and solid little game. And an idea that I'm genuinely surprised by it's creative use and implementation and hopefully it inspired of other uses of Sleeping as a game mechanic in the future in other games. And it's a game that I feel everyone should give a try at least once. And I'll definitely stick by it for the following nights whenever I can and I'll update this with my thoughts after a good couple of sessions.

....is this a "game"? I guess that's up for debate, but I see this more as a tracker.

I've been playing this since day 1 expecting very little. It blowed pretty hard until recently (I'm writing this as of January of 2024, and it's had multiple refined updates since its launch).

Before the big updates, I had to rest my phone on an ice pack wrapped in a towel. Yeah. It was that bad. I dont know why, but I still wanted to keep going. I guess I was holding out for it to fix itself (which it did, since I no longer have to use an ice pack. I made sure to gently pester the developers of this game about the heating + crashing problem)

Honestly I like how simple this game is. I dont have to be "the best" at anything, I just need five little guys with me to help track my sleep. That's it. I will say the rewards for leveling up suck pretty badly, and you'll want to be saving up all your Pokemon biscuits as much as you possibly can (which is really hard when you need to record and befriend Pokemon to progress to new "sleeping areas"....)

Anyway, I think its a cute way to track sleep. That's all it really is. Its not very deep or complex, and I only need to open the app 3 times a day. It's relieving to have a game not pester you constantly to keep it open and keep playing, so I like how lax it is.

Also for some reason I get an insane amount of shinies. I've gotten about 6 so far and I have no idea why. I've never gotten a shiny in all the years I've played Pokemon so I suspect they raised the shiny rate to attract players? maybe? It's cool but strange.

Similar to the Wii Vitality Sensor, Pokémon Sleep became a meme for presenting a silly premise in the nintendo realm and then disappearing without a trace for multiple years.

But, some memes die hard and Pokémon Sleep finally got out of bed to say "I lived" and came out.

I could immediately tell it was made by the Magikarp Jump team from the art style and frankly the predatory strategy of encouraging kids and adults to become a money whale to just get these sleeping creatures to evolve and be healthy.

It was a decent time for awhile seeing some of the creative sleeping animations for several of the cute monsters when I got out of bed, but the glitchyness of the interface booting me out (and eventually not logging my sleep at all one night) and the difficulty managing more than 6 Pokémon started to annoy me as the weeks past.

For now on I'm gonna stay up as late as I want now

Very weird and interesting idea. I like the visuals, seeing the pokémon sleeping is very cute, but after a week playing I think I'm going to leave this game for a few months/years until it gets more complex and there are more things to do, because in general you get bored fast. Maybe something that will motivate me to come back will be the possibility of transferring your monsters to Pokémon HOME.


As a Pokémon fan, it's fun to see that there's a pokédex to fill out and that you can build your teams - I got a shiny Bulbasaur very quickly!

Finally, a game that motivates good sleep, makes you healthier, is ultimately a good thing, right? Especially for those like me, night owls who need to get used to getting more sleep. I just hope they're not recording our sleeping hours to manipulate our data in some sinister way....

It’s basically a combination idle game and sleep tracker. Is it good at what it does? Well, I am trying to be more conscious about my habits at least, and it is nice to have some silly bullshit to do to help me wake up in the morning. It’s definitely based on a “one size fits all” kind of mentality, though.

The microtransactions are definitely kind of whack though lmao. I hear that sleep apps generally have some kind of subscription fee but I never really looked into them before so I don’t know how this compares on that front, but “you can buy extra diamonds!” is truly bizarre.

I can’t really say anything too bad about the experience proper though. Like I said it’s an idle game that’s not too different from Select Button’s last mobile Pokemon outing, Magikarp Jump. The main gameplay loop boils down to selecting a team of Pokemon that will collect the best berries and ingredients to power up your Snorlax and attract more sleeping pokemon to observe and try to befriend, which isn’t thrilling by any means but as something to do to keep your hands busy? It’s alright. Plus it’s just really cute and it does some interesting things, like how the Totodile line’s most common pattern is Actual Gator Facts. Plus there is no actual failure state short of maybe the game giving you a bad grade in sleep, but listen, buddy, I know. You still rewarded me with cute Pokemon though so I can’t really give much of a fuck.

Anyway I hope they keep supporting it instead of this being It. I wanna see Maushold.

EDIT: also damn after the first area the music is weirdly good as hell, the beach and the hollow have some excellent tunes

Had a nightmare the first night I tried this. Still got a Bulbasaur the next morning, which was kinda neat. Funny idea this game, but it asks for too much time.. the systems are a bit convoluted and the tutorial dialogues drag out. It also kind of gives your phone too much of a workout. As far as sleep tracking accuracy goes? There are better options, albeit less gamified. Also, this game weirdly stipulates that "8.5 hours" is the ideal sleep length for a young adult... and this is needed for maximum "points" on a given night, which is strange. Overall, this is an odd package that would have ironically benefited from being more simple.

I have been using the Pokemon Sleep app for 100 sleep sessions as of the time of me writing this review. It’s an updated version of a review I wrote after 30 sleep sessions. I feel that this game is better understood the longer it’s played and some of my thoughts on it have changed as a result.

Pokemon Sleep is a combination of a sleep tracker and a creature collecting game that doesn’t perform fully as either, but ends up inhabiting a unique place between fun and function. The gameplay loop fits itself neatly into a person’s natural daily milestones (sleeping and meals) and it feels nice to check in on my Pokemon throughout the day. Sleep’s 2D art style and the music is incredibly charming. I can tell a lot of love and imagination went into every aspect of this game’s presentation. The Pokemon on your team walk around the research site, react happily when you tap them, and perform tasks on timers throughout the day. It scratches the same itch that virtual pets do and that endeared me to the game immediately.

I am in love with the premise too: The Pokemon world’s dubious idea of research this time involves setting up camp on an island, cooking human food for a wild Snorlax according to its preferences, and then taking photos of the Pokemon that are drawn to its mysterious thrall overnight. You catch Pokemon like you do any wild animal (by feeding them) and in return they bring you berries and ingredients to give to Snorlax, some of which are packaged or processed foods that could not have been foraged. Nature is amazing.

Mechanically, the game has a lot more to it than one would expect. Some aspects are a little convoluted and it could probably stand to be streamlined, but navigating synergies between Pokemon and their Skills and Natures makes for genuinely interesting team building over time. Multiple zones means multiple teams that are always in need of updating if you’re the type of player who wants to engage with it. The RNG factors can be frustrating in the first few weeks of play (player experience can vary drastically for better or for worse) but it feels less punishing as time goes on and your Pokemon level up.

After 100 days with the game, the creature care and team building are what I’m primarily interested in. As a sleep tracker, I have found the novelty to fade. I like this app better as a game and at this point I kind of wish I didn’t have to deal with tracking sleep for it. Unfortunately, Pokemon Sleep requires me to interact with it during times I don’t want to look at my phone: bedtime and first thing in the morning. I was relieved to discover that putting my phone in Airplane Mode during sleep sessions was possible without compromising data (I sleep poorly with my phone next to my head), but I’d still prefer to put my phone anywhere but in the bed with me. This has grated on me over the course of 100 days, not the RNG factors in the game mechanics which was my primary complaint in my original review. This is ultimately why I think I will put this game aside at some point in the near future.

I commend the game for a lot of things, most notably its art/music, its low maintenance events, and the way it’s kept its monetization out of the way and completely optional for those familiar with the forward thinking and resource management required in free to play games. You can play Pokemon Sleep in peace, as it should be. If you’re against monetization on principle though, this game likely won’t be an exception. If you’re looking for a full featured Pokemon game or a full featured sleep tracking app, Pokemon Sleep isn’t any of these things either. If you can’t tolerate the slow no-binge pacing of games intended to be played daily, if you don’t enjoy idle mechanics, or if you are put off by multiple currencies and shops, this game probably won’t change your mind on any of that. Pokemon Sleep is a game that needs to be played as intended (casually, daily, and long term) to see and appreciate what it's really offering. It won’t be an app for every Pokemon fan.