When the City Sleeps

Use A to Bark, S is dagger, and D is for melee. Use the arrow keys to move and jump. Explore the city and stay safe in When the City Sleeps game.

“When the City Sleeps” is an innovative shoot ’em up game developed by Harmonix, known for its integration of music-driven gameplay. The game features a unique mechanic where the gameplay and music are tightly interwoven, with enemy patterns and actions synchronized to the soundtrack. Players control Poe, a dream exorcist, who navigates through the nightmares of the residents of SanLo City to cleanse them from demonic presences. The action is intense, requiring players to dodge and weave through a bullet hell environment while managing Poe’s position and attacks precisely.

Poe is aided by a set of ghost familiars, each offering different abilities that can be strategically deployed across the game’s levels. These ghosts can be attached to special nodes in the environment, altering their effects based on the node’s properties. This system introduces tactical depth to the game, as players must choose the right ghost and node combination to survive the increasingly challenging scenarios. The game’s visual and auditory elements are designed to immerse players in its rhythmic combat, making every battle a dynamic experience that is both visually and sonically engaging.

Developed by Harmonix, “When the City Sleeps” reflects the studio’s expertise in rhythm games, bringing a fresh perspective to the shoot ’em up genre. The game was met with mixed reviews, praised for its creative approach but critiqued for possible repetitiveness and balance issues. Despite this, it stands out for its artistic style and the novel integration of music into core gameplay mechanics, offering a unique experience for fans of the genre looking for something that challenges both their shooting and rhythmic skills.