Night in the Woods: Weird Autumn Edition

What can I say, it's extremely fresh a lot of fun and it has a great story so far. This is exactly the kind of game that attracts me to GOG and independent games. The gameplay is a strange mixture of 2D platform, mini games and adventure, done in a very unique way. It's actually quite hard to categorize. If you want something new - give it a whirl. Oh yeah, runs perfect on a circa 2013 Dell multimedia laptop.

It's a story game, so take from that what you will. If you enjoy games like Life is Strange, Oxenfree, or Kentucky Route Zero you'll get a lot from this - not so much if you're more a shooter person or a strategy gamer. Can't recommend it enough, though, if you're into story games. The characters are easy to like, and more fleshed out than you really see in video games; none of them are stereotypes. The basic experience is just hanging out and getting to know your buddies - on top of that, investigating a weird mystery series of events in town. + replayability - you can pick to do a few things each day, and the story changes based on who you choose to spend time with. It's literally impossible to do everything in one playthrough. + cool minigames. Specially Demontower! - Checking out town daily is a bit tedious, but it's how you unlock all the story nuggets. Seriously, though, if you're having trouble deciding check out the free "supplementary" game Lost Constellation. If you like the art and writing there; you'll like this.

[Played on PS4] If anybody asks me what reaching adulthood (i.e. my 20's) in the 2010s was like, I'll immediately point to this game. Society looks like it's falling apart, there's nothing in my hometown and my friends are all smartasses and so am I and I love them. This game is very story-focused and revolves around a college drop-out named Mae who returns to her suburban home to a few friends, surprisingly chill parents and jack else. Then some spooky stuff happens. Eventually. If you're playing for spooks, it's gonna be a bit of a grind. Good spooks though. This has some of the creepiest moments in a not-really-horror game I can recall. Not scary or shocking, just downright creepy. Your enjoyment will absolutely hinge on how well you identify with these characters. All I can say is while I don't parallel too strongly with any of the major ones, I definitely have friends like this, and we definitely talk like this. There's awkward pauses, bad jokes and smarminess; and it takes a while for us to open up and get serious. The laughs and occasional tears with them are what kept me engaged, anyway. There are little stories to find around town too which I at least found compelling. Any time I realized I had kicked off a "side quest" I tried to see it through, and it paid off. I was also impressed by how well the dialogue seemed to be shaped by previous choices, even though the actual story is pretty linear. If it's an illusion, it's a good one. It does have some pretty decent minigames to break up the mechanical monotony (including a game-within-a-game called DemonTower, which is actually really compelling), but at the end of the day it is a story-driven adventure about broke, 20-something suburbanites. I like one of those and am the other one, so it may just be up my alley. If that all sounds interesting, check it out. I, for one, think this game absolutely nailed everything it tried to do. Oh. One last super important thing: Gregg rulz ok

A game that makes your time invested in it worthwhile as it has a really good ending, but you’ll need some patience to get there. I really liked the art style and setting, with its vibrant colours and relaxing atmosphere. The music is a real treat, mellow and pleasant and always fitting with the mood. The little touches in the background animations and the simplistic yet emotive character expressions are fantastic. I did enjoy spending my time in the small town, which is a good thing as the game is pretty slow and for the majority of it, there doesn’t really seem to be a story. The character’s relationships develop over the days and each day brings something new, but they get repetitive as they follow a similar format. When the plot does decide to kick in, it’s over before you know it, and it does detract from some of what has gone before. I also don’t know why they decided to make some of the choices binary – a second play through to see everything doesn’t hold too much appeal. The platforming and mini games add some variety and challenge to the game, which although makes a refreshing change, they are very difficult to win. The light hearted moments are genuinely funny and I did feel nostalgia for my younger days. Although it surprised me in a number of good ways, I was often bored due to the slow, meandering progression system and lack of overarching plot.