The Science of Staying Awake
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
You ever sit in class sleep deprived to all hell and wonder how long before you start going insane? You ever come home to find some some unidentified disheveled creature-guy-thing in your bed?
College is tiring enough. You really don't need this. Unfortunately, this already got attached.
- choice-heavy story
- fully gender neutral protag
- vending machine.
- CG gallery
- achievements and unlockable secrets
- "badges" for unlocked endings
- a pathetic little guy.
Genre? Horror, but in an affectionately cheesy, 2010 creepypasta fanfic way. Some romance elements.
Contains stylized blood and gore, violence, flashing images and sudden loud noises, occasional strong language.
Detailed content warnings list (with spoilers):
flashing images and textpotentially unsettling images
intentional "glitches"
loud noises
jumpscares
screen shake
unreality
mild fourth wall breaking
stylized blood, gore, injury, violence
falling down the stairs
head, mouth, nose and abdominal trauma
cannibalism and consumption of blood
obsessive/yandere behavior
self destructive behavior
nonconsensual kissing
light bondage
player character death
mentions of death
implied stalking
Accessibility features:
captions for sound effects and music (toggle in preferences)
optional OpenDyslexic font (shift+A)
adjustable text size and line spacing (shift+A)
an option to disable jumpscares
Download
Install instructions
How to run:
1. Right click the .zip file and select extract all
2. Open TheScienceOfStayingAwake.exe (or TheScienceOfStayingAwake-32.exe if you have an old 32 bit computer)
Development log
- Kofi!Jul 09, 2023
- 1.2.2 - Jumpscare toggle addedJun 09, 2023
- Jumpscares and gore in TSOSA - opinion pollJun 05, 2023
- 1.2.1 - mostly bug fixes, minor achievement changeMar 15, 2023
- Discord serverMar 08, 2023
- TSOSA now available on MacMar 06, 2023
- 1.2 - New route, sanity overhaul and moreMar 05, 2023
- 1.1.2 - Tiny patchFeb 06, 2023
Comments
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oh boy why do i feel like this game never ends, have play it for so long but i still need to find more edssssssss
Loser boy, 10/10 great experience!!!
THIS IS DELICIOUS SOUP!!!! Vance is a stinky boy and i love him sm like omgg i wish i could hold him like a hamburger! 1000000000000000/10 would recommend! keep up the good work Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ
"Get out of my car now"
I was completely mesmerized by him！Vance baby, you are a sweet little owl.😭 can I try to translate this game into Chinese and share the Chineseization patch for this game? People can add the patch into the original game to get the Chinese translation. My English is not very good, but I really want to share this game, he's so cute.... thanks for making such a great game
Yes, that would be wonderful! I can even add the patch myself to make it available in the base game if you just send me the complete files :]
My email is: viscereyedev@gmail.com
I've finished the translation, but there are two endings I can't access, so I can't test if part of the text works. Is there an ending guide for the game I can refer to please.(◦˙▽˙◦) (I've emailed the patch file)
But since I don't have a mac computer so I can't make a Mac version of the Chinese patch. QwQ
i need to know where i can find more Vance content. he is baby and i want his happy ending right now or i will cry
I just 100 completed the game in endings and achievements, it was so good :D Vance was so cute but scaryyy i loved it!! ^^ It was a very cool experience ngl I had a lot of fun. I lovelovelovelove Vance fr fr scary yandere<3
Just a thing that when I go to 'Extras' in 'Secrets' when I click the 'Unused kiss description' my game closes itself idk why xd
I really loved the game soo much it was a very unique terrifying experience keep up the work
dumbest question ever probably but i havent been able to get the 'budget buffet' achievement. ik youre supposed to get everything from the vending machine and ive completed the game multiple times while getting every option from the machine. i also tried playing through and picking an option then reversing and picking each vending machine option by going back then continuing... just not sure what im doing wrong >.>
I really like how long this game was, especially because it never felt old or boring as it always kept itself perfectly paced while having tension remain throughout.
The character design is also really creative, and I think both the style and design work flawlessly to match the themes and tones, really adds a lot to the experience :D
I was both thoroughly entertained as well as enthralled with everything this game had to offer throughout, and I look forward to see any potential projects or creations you may release or plan for the future!
this game moved me in such a raw and emotional way i don't think i'll ever be able to fully articulate ...thank you so much for allowing to experience this absolute gift 😔😔
The game is literally Rebzyyx
unrelated to the game, (which i loved, vance is so cute) but jtlyk, the discord link in your neocities is expired! you can make a permanent link so it's not an issue in the future. i'd explain how but. i suck at explaining these things lol
oh, thank you for the heads up!
the neocities is a bit dead (i'll get around to reviving it... someday, probably), but here's the permanent link:
https://discord.gg/4zkFEP6bqe
How can I just find this game?? It's sosososososososo cute. I really enjoyed this nice work. Though I haven't got all the endings?
I got 18 endings and if theres 2 more i cant find them- (I have all the achievements and CG's because i wanna 100% this game-)
Me interesa mucho pero me gustaria poder jugarlo en mi movil, podrias sacar una vercion de APK? No creo ser el unico con este problema y estaria muy agradecido si lo hicieras
THIS WAS SO GOOD love this silly little creature
AMAZING i need to see more of him!!
he's so silly HAHASHDSHFDSIB HS i lov him
Adore cada final del juego. Ahora tengo una nueva obsesión (que no creo que acabe ya que no puedo conseguir el segundo final secreto jaja)
Amo la estética del juego y el diseño de Vance. Mi final favorito son todos en los que Vance esta feliz ja.
Gracias por crear el juego, ojala hagas más en un futuro <33
I LOVE HIM SO MUCHHHHH
back agajn just to say that im fallingf in love wigh this game again . . . keep up the good work ( ＾ω＾ )
aw thanks!
^_^
Loved it so so much!!! Hes so pathetic but adorable! I love your artstyle and I 100% the game!
whoa nice, thanks :D
goes hard af
Это было шикарно! Буду ждать ещё игр от вас! :) / It was awesome! I will be waiting for more games from you! :)
AMAZING, so cute and also violent, its a great mix of stuff so you still feel for him and love him and still keep all the violence and stuff. How many endings are there? i have 17 unlocked, is that all of them? I have been trying for a while.
real good
The description describing this as a creepypasta fanfic-esque game was somehow so accurate? It was a touch funny at times, relateable at others, and admittedly nerve wracking at some points. It was...an experience, and I'd gladly go through it again.
Even though, can we talk about the achievements page? That really helped when trying to collect all the endings. Good job, dev!
I dont understand a shit but god i love this
one of my all time fav characters now... broke my heart when he cried </3 luv vance sm. and ah wait do you maybe think youll add more to the game? so sorry if its been listed somewhere or you get asked super often..
how many endings are there
19
Marvelous game to say the least. I loved it.
glad to hear it :D
tbh I would see him every now and then or even right at the time I'm typing .... it's pass midnight and I'm a bit insomniac-
e why i'm typing this lol. but anyway he is so cute!! I like how he got only eyes sometime
get some sleep!
I LOVE HIM
he is so darn adorable!!
офигенная игра очень сильно понравилась :3
Дзенки :]
i absolutely adored this game!! aaaghh!! vance is so adorable <3
Thanks :D he's just a little guy
hihi sorry i replied literally a year later but i still think about this game and treasure it greatly. love ur stuff :3
Loved it!
Awesome video!
"Thank you for letting me feel real" I will never forget those words, I can only imagine how Vance feels... poor baby, although he really scared me lol
"Tanget Lines. Meeting once and then never again, only ever getting further away" I DON'T BELIEVE IT, WE'LL SEE ME AGAIN OR I'LL CRY!!!!
This game made me fall in love, feel fear and at the same time feel sorry for Vance, so many emotions and feelings... I just wanted an ending where we could be together without him hurting my sanity, really I'm sad right now.
That means a lot :) (Poor guy, I know... no happy endings for him)
I would love a sequal or somethin, I love vance sm
Thank you :D
I really like vance and that kinda concerns me. I dunno why I like him. I think I like being obssesed over
Sweet, sweet attention (in unhealthy doses) <3 I'm really glad you like him!
"Horror, but in an affectionately cheesy, 2010 creepypasta fanfic way," is such an apt description. Can say truthfully that I didn't expect to love this game so much- from Vance's adorable, pathetic, terrifying self to the striking writing. There's certain scenes (a mouth full of blood, flesh sharing, etc) that I just know are going to stay with me for a long time, they were so good! we love a cannibalism as intimacy moment
His "creepypasta" facial expression is my favourite? & Vance's violent desperation is cute... I'm going to rotate him in my head for a long while. Thank you so much for your hard work and for sharing this pathetic catboy with us. I'll cherish the time spent with him and surely return to this game again in the future.
That means a lot! Nothing more romantic than some good old cannibalism :P