I had to sleep for 6 hours to catch Pokémon – This is how Pokémon Sleep plays out

In Pokémon Sleep, you catch Pokémon while sleeping – literally. MeinMMO author Max Handwerk got to try this out once.

If there’s one thing I’m truly terrible at, it’s sleeping. I wake up too easily, sleep too late, and generally too little. At least that’s what my morning dark circles and rather depressed mood until the first coffee suggest.

Accordingly, I was quite tense when I was provided with a phone featuring the new app Pokémon Sleep for a night this week.

The basic ideas of the app briefly overviewed:

• You start the app and let it run next to your pillow at night.
• The app records your sleep. This happens via audio and movements.
• The more you sleep, the higher your sleep score will be.
• This score is then calculated with the strength of a Snorlax that you can find in the game each week.
• This results in a so-called sleep power, which attracts other Pokémon.
• Additionally, it records whether you have light sleep, half sleep, or deep sleep.

Depending on the sleep power, Pokémon will be attracted, which you will find around Snorlax in the morning after waking up. Your sleep type determines what kinds of monsters you get. And those, in turn, you can collect in various sleeping poses.

In simpler terms: Sleep a lot, sleep well, and you will get numerous Pokémon that you can record in your SleepDex. It’s a collecting game that runs alongside your sleep. This is summarized by the trailer – and I describe my experiences below.

A night with Pokémon Sleep – These were my results

Placed the phone next to the pillow, rolled to the side, dozed off – I admit, in terms of tests, Pokémon Sleep was the easiest game I’ve ever had to try out. At least at the start, because the interesting part actually comes in the morning.

When I woke up, I grabbed the app and let it tell me how I had slept. Pokémon Sleep indicated that I had slept a total of 6:20 hours, most of which was in light to half sleep. Not impressive; I was awarded 75 points.

Compared to my morning state – relatively tired and a bit grumpy – this matched. This is standard for me, as already mentioned, but maybe the app teaches you something about your own sleep behavior.

I could then see the reward around Snorlax:

• Two Houndours in different poses
• one Pikachu
• one Bulbasaur
• one Mankey
• and one Caterpie

They had gathered there and were also just waking up.

This “waking up in the morning and checking what has gathered” – that moment I quite enjoyed. I was immediately struck by my collector’s instinct and thought, ‘next time, I’ll definitely sleep for 8 hours’ for more Pokémon.

The game is really cutely designed. The graphics, the design of the Pokémon, everything creates a relaxed and slightly sleepy atmosphere, which fits well not only for falling asleep but also for waking up.

What I didn’t expect were the many activities that were now on the agenda. While I couldn’t do much on the evening of the test, suddenly in the morning, it was time to work a bit.

• A professor named Neroli guides you through the game and shows all kinds of features.
• I received berries from helper Pokémon that I should feed to Snorlax so that it gets stronger.
• You can recruit these helper Pokémon from the monsters that gathered in the morning. They bring various abilities with them and can also evolve.
• A cooking element is also present in the game, with which you can feed Snorlax with additional meals.
• There are various items, such as smoke, that can attract more monsters overnight.

Pokémon Sleep is therefore not just “sleep, collect”, but a bit more. You have something to do, can engage more deeply with the game, and improve various values as well as collect items.

The main aspect of the game: The sleep aspect is obviously in the foreground. And I admit: that’s something I have to get used to first.

Many people already track their sleep at night with gadgets like smartwatches and the like. I’ve always avoided that so far.

If you want to play the game, you have to accept that your sleep is monitored. The game detects how deep you sleep and can even play back audio snippets from the night for you the next morning. This way, you can find out if you might have been mumbling or snoring. Whether you like this is something you have to decide for yourself.

Furthermore, the game must run overnight, ideally with a cable to ensure sufficient power – and the phone should lie on the mattress next to you instead of, for example, on a nightstand. This might not be for everyone either. By the way, the game cannot be connected to a smartwatch, but it can be connected to the new GO Plus+. This offers a way to set the phone aside.

However, if you have an interest in sleep research and your own behavior, Pokémon Sleep offers a way to connect the whole thing with some playful elements. Particularly the exchange with other testers in the morning about what had appeared where was enjoyable. Pokémon collectors will definitely get their money’s worth here.

Is there a connection to Pokémon GO? Through the GO Plus+, there will be a certain connection, and you are supposed to receive rewards in both games for achievements in the respective other game – such as Stardust. Additionally, there will soon be an event in Pokémon GO that fits Pokémon Sleep.

What do you think of the Pokémon Sleep app? Is it something for you, or can you not relate to it at all? Let us know in the comments!