I usually can't deal with these more narrative, story-driven games that are very low on gameplay and very high on slowly walking back-and-forth in a straight line and just talking to people, but I was pleasantly surprised by Night in the Woods. It still does have a lot of that and falls into a lot of the same trappings as a lot of similar games that have lost my attention, but I feel it also does more to mix things up and keep things interesting.
The characters (with the only real exception being the protagonist) are all interesting and likeable and make you really wanna hang out with them, and the less fleshed-out NPCs are often at least funny or charming in a way, or expand on the world around you in a way that makes you want to talk to them and see everything. I was surprised at how much genuine lore and background there was to the location of Possum Springs, and how in-depth you can go in its history and politics by engaging with the optional content.
The game looks gorgeous, with so many vibrant and colourful locations and a ton of varied setpiece moments it'll show you before it's over, and it's often throwing silly but novel little minigames at you to keep you on your toes, almost always well-explained - or at least immediately obvious enough to you that you should never hit a roadblock or find your progress halted. It also has an impressive soundtrack for such a comparatively small game, able to evoke nostalgia and comfort in the same way an Animal Crossing game would, and still be super foreboding and ominous when it needs to be.
I could have done without the dream sequences, none of which are gonna make any sense until you get to the end of the game - by which point you've probably forgotten all of them and which are absolutely the embodiment of the good ol' "walk around the place slowly in a straight line" problem, and I found the handling of some of the game's themes (in particular, mental health) to be pretty botched in contrast to how well it deals with nostalgia and growing up, or...Not growing up. At the very least, whilst I don't feel it gets across Mae's whole mental health issues very well, nor does it justify her more questionable actions particularly well, I at least don't feel it was offensive at all.
Night in the Woods crumbles under its own weight a bit. Its ending is pretty shaky and some of its messaging is obtuse, but I found its charm, uniqueness and the genuine intrigue its main story presents before it falls flat helped me get through it pretty easily, and I really don't regret playing it at all, even as someone who usually can't stand the kind of game it is.
My favourite character was Gregg :)
The characters (with the only real exception being the protagonist) are all interesting and likeable and make you really wanna hang out with them, and the less fleshed-out NPCs are often at least funny or charming in a way, or expand on the world around you in a way that makes you want to talk to them and see everything. I was surprised at how much genuine lore and background there was to the location of Possum Springs, and how in-depth you can go in its history and politics by engaging with the optional content.
The game looks gorgeous, with so many vibrant and colourful locations and a ton of varied setpiece moments it'll show you before it's over, and it's often throwing silly but novel little minigames at you to keep you on your toes, almost always well-explained - or at least immediately obvious enough to you that you should never hit a roadblock or find your progress halted. It also has an impressive soundtrack for such a comparatively small game, able to evoke nostalgia and comfort in the same way an Animal Crossing game would, and still be super foreboding and ominous when it needs to be.
I could have done without the dream sequences, none of which are gonna make any sense until you get to the end of the game - by which point you've probably forgotten all of them and which are absolutely the embodiment of the good ol' "walk around the place slowly in a straight line" problem, and I found the handling of some of the game's themes (in particular, mental health) to be pretty botched in contrast to how well it deals with nostalgia and growing up, or...Not growing up. At the very least, whilst I don't feel it gets across Mae's whole mental health issues very well, nor does it justify her more questionable actions particularly well, I at least don't feel it was offensive at all.
Night in the Woods crumbles under its own weight a bit. Its ending is pretty shaky and some of its messaging is obtuse, but I found its charm, uniqueness and the genuine intrigue its main story presents before it falls flat helped me get through it pretty easily, and I really don't regret playing it at all, even as someone who usually can't stand the kind of game it is.
My favourite character was Gregg :)
goodchicken
2 years ago
good review!