Template:Spoilers
Sleepers, also known as Sleepwalkers, are one of the types of enemies found in The Blackout Club (game).
Background
Sleepers are actually the resident adults of the town of Redacre, who have been coerced into working for SPEAK-AS-ONE during the night in their sleep. According to SAO, Sleepers are "unwitting servants" who "serve us in the body"[1]. From parents to teachers, most if not all adults have fallen under control. Due to being asleep, they cannot see, but have exceptional hearing and dislike being disturbed from their work. Sleepers are often found mumbling weird stories, sometimes speaking the same words simultaneously with other Sleepers. Unlike Lucids, Sleepers are unaware of the events in Redacre and what they do as a Sleeper at night. Sleepers wake in the morning with pains, aches, and bruises, but have no memory of what they did the night before. It is likely some Sleepers have even attacked their own children or dragged them to the Shape without ever knowing.[2].
Appearance
Though all Sleepers are functionally the same, cosmetically, there are two types of Sleepers.
Pajama Sleepers
Found on the surface of Redacre, some Sleepers wear their pajamas and a special CHORUS-branded sleep mask[2] that emits a blue-ish glow around the edges. There are two versions, a "mother" and "father", wearing various colors of satin pajamas.
Elite Sleepers
The heart monitor visible on the arm and chest of a Sleeper.
Found in the Maze and sometimes on the surface, Elite Sleepers wear specific "uniforms" and appear to be a more assimilated member of a cult. They wear red elbow-length gloves, red pants outfitted with knee-pads, and black boots. Under their white aprons are red suspenders. Various tools with red handles are stored in the front pockets of the apron. These red and white clothes help them to labor on the Instrument. These Sleepers also have a heart monitor with indicators on their arm and chest which changes color depending on their mood and level of alertness:
- green (idle)
- yellow (alerted)
- red (attacking)
The Elite Sleeper's clothing removes all identifiable traits of the person underneath; it is one of the reasons why The Blackout Club members have a rule against killing sleepers - "It could be your Mom! Or worse, mine!"
Behavior & Strategy
Sleepers normally lumber around a set path in randomly generated patterns that changes with each mission. Unless alerted, these sleepers will stay on that path. Carefully watch Sleepers to get a good idea of the path they wander. Once alerted, Sleepers will try their best to go to the source of the noise and may follow a different path to find the culprit. Sometimes, Sleepers will stay in one place to scrub the floor, allowing easy access to those who wish to sneak around them. They are the most abundant enemy in the game.
The chest monitor and right arm changes from green, to yellow, to red, as the sleeper goes on alert and then to attack.
Due to being completely blind, the best strategy to avoid conflict with a Sleeper is to crouch and sneak around Sleepers without them ever being alerted of a presence. However, due to their exceptional hearing, one has to pay attention to the surface of the ground, as walking on different surfaces will make more or less noise (i.e. walking on carpets makes little noise while walking on the pavement will create sound even when crouching). The device on a cult Sleeper's arm can tell one the mood of the said Sleeper and if they detect the player or anything else suspicious, sometimes from a great distance.
An idle Sleeper will walk around, patrolling the area with their arms out and their heart monitors emitting green light. If a SLeeper detects a player or any suspicious behavior, they will go on alert and their heart monitor will turn yellow. Sleepers on alert will hunch over slightly, their arms sticking out looking for something to grab. Sleepers whose heart monitors are emitting red light are ready to attack the player and confident of their presence. Sleepers on attack will run towards the player or the location of the suspicious activity with their arms out ready to grab any meddling Club Member they find.
Sleepers can be easily distracted by Noisemakers or by throwing other distraction objects. They can also be stunned by a Prank Caller, however, they can break out of the distraction if they hear too much noise. Sleepers can also be taken out by hopping on their back, which proves exceptionally useful when using the Takedown Major Power. Once on the ground, Sleepers can be pinned and held in place. Using a Tranquilizer Dart (either with the Crossbow Hero Item or by stabbing with the dart at close range) or a Sleep Tripwire will permanently knock out the Sleeper for the night. Throwing a Foam Grenade at a Sleeper will temporarily slow them down when being chased.
When caught by a Sleeper, there are a variety of items usable to help escape: Stun Gun, Flash Bang, and Tranquilizer Dart. Alternatively, if a player has no escape items, they can push off the Sleeper at the cost of a portion of their Health, which will shorten their total Stamina until healed with a bandage. A teammate can also hop onto the back of the Sleeper to free a grabbed teammate. If a player has too low health and grabbed, they will be dragged by their feet to the nearest Red Door to be suppressed by the Shape. There is a small window of opportunity to grab an escape item from trash bags while being dragged. Successfully grabbing an escape item allows the player to temporarily stun the Sleeper dragging them and get away.
In the presence of the Shape, Sleepers will kneel like Lucids and sometimes chant "SPEAK-AS-ONE, SPEAK-AS-ONE, SPEAK-AS-ONE..." repeatedly.
Quotes
For quotes Sleepers say during missions:
- See: Sleepers/Quotes
For special quotes Sleepers say when idle during missions that give insight into the strange happenings of Redacre:
- See: Sleepers/Stories
Gallery
An Elite Sleeper wandering around West Hoadly.
Male Pajama Sleeper.
Female Pajama Sleeper.
Elite Sleepers in the Maze playing the Instrument.
An Elite Sleeper working in Nerve Center.
References
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Delaney, Mark. "Among Demons and Deities: An Interview with The Blackout Club's Jordan Thomas, GameSkinny, 16 July 2019.
Trivia
- Listening to Sleepers while they're not alerted sometimes gives insight into what's going on in Redacre.
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