Game Review: Night in the Woods (Switch)

February 22, 2018 Troy Comments 1 comment

Have you ever wondered what the characters from Animal Crossing would look like in Life is Strange style game? Well, look no further than Night in the Woods!

However, the game is more than just a simple strange pairing! Night in the Woods is a single-player, adventure title where you assume the role an anthropomorphic cat named Mae. Mae has recently returned to her home town to find some surprising changes. You interact with her childhood friends, Bea and Gregg, and Gregg’s boyfriend Angus. You start each day getting out of bed and exploring the town. You can choose then, between your friends, what you’ll be doing that night. You also get to choose Mae’s response to what characters say to you. The game explores themes of: religion, mental health, small town America, and a coming-of-age story. This game was developed by Infinite Fall and released on other platforms in February 2017. The Nintendo Switch version includes the game, plus additional content titled: Longest Night and Lost Constellation. So, how did this game do? Let’s jump over to Possum Springs and find out!

Story

Mae is 20 year old college drop out who returns to her hometown of Possum Springs. She is very mysterious about what made her come home, but her parents accept her back with open arms. Her Dad, a butcher and her mom, a church clerk, both have a very close relationship with Mae. The town is littered with unique NPC’s. Mae can choose to interact with many Possum Springs citizens and objects in the city. During her first day back, she finds out her longtime friend Casey has gone missing. She meets up with childhood friends Bea and Gregg. While Gregg, and his boyfriend Angus, are happy to see Mae, Bea seems a bit resistant. Over the course of the game, characters backstories unfold and your able to piece things together. Meanwhile, the gang finds a severed arm! Mae’s aunt, a policewoman, is investigating the mystery. Every night when Mae goes to sleep she has terrifying dream that involves ghosts, music, and traveling through a wrecked town. As the dreams become more intense, Mae becomes more obsessed with this “ghost” that she sees everywhere. Her friends do not believe the figure to be a ghost, and Mae’s grasp on reality starts to deteriorate. You’ll have to play the game to witness the ending and the mystery of the town, but there is a twist and it doesn’t disappoint. The characters are so fully developed that you immediately become invested.

Gameplay

A Night in the Woods is a 2D side-scrolling adventure title. You control Mae and interact with the world and characters around you. You also get to choose between two or three responses that Mae can say. Mae has a laptop that has a fun mini-game in it as well. It’s a dungeon crawler that you can choose to play as long as you’d like! You can also choose between Gregg and Bea on who you hang out with more. This will ultimately change the ending. There are few other side quests you can that don’t directly effect the main story.

Entertainment

This game is packed full of content. Other than the main game, it has two bonus adventures, plus the charming mini-game built in. There are a lot of characters to talk and you can replay to get a different ending. I like Night in the Woods because the characters are very fleshed out and the world is fun to look at. I did notice that some scenes had little to no music it and that was very distracting. However, when the music was playing it really created a cool ambiance. While this is a one-player game, I think people can get enjoyment from watching others play. I really enjoyed this game and I wanted a lot more when I finished! I think it possesses great replayability. Have fun and explore Possum Springs! This game also does a wonderful job talking about mental health in such subtle and honest way. The developers did a wonderful job about making characters of all sexual orientations feel natural and just-so. This cartoony game is actually of the most honest titles in years.