Night in the Woods: Weird Autumn Edition

This game won an award for its narrative - and it thoroughly deserves it. Jumping and running around town every day to root out all the little bits of story goodies can get a bit dull, but in the end it is so worth it.

I really enjoyed the narrative aspects of "Night in the Woods", but I would like to point out that it plays out incredibly slowly. There is a lot of filler in just moving from A to B and I could feel every minute of it. Its still a good game, but it may try your patience just a little.

I really wanted to love Night in The Woods. I loved the two supplement games. Surely this one would have been just as good, no? No... The pacing is way off. At first nothing happens for a very long time. Yes, you kinda soak in the atmosphere. Nice enough, I suppose. Soon it starts to drag on. Day after day, you develop a routine. You talk to people, but the choices don't feel meaningful. Very quickly the feeling sinks in: I'm not in a game, I'm in a visual novel. Choice is an illusion. After what feels like forever, things start happening, and I get happy that the game is starting... and then it ends. Just like that. Was the first 80% of the game just padding? Did they run out of money for the last 20%? The mechanics are not really present. This felt much more like Dear Esther, as opposed to any platformer. Yes, the third jump is higher. You sometimes use a baseball bat too, on inanimate objects. That's about it. Fine. Many things feel explained poorly or don't really lead to anything. Why does Mae get sick? And then recover suddenly? What are the dreams about? The pentagrams? Who is the Janitor? Nothing wrong with mystery, but when almost nothing is revealed the feeling of wonder turns into confusion and frustration. Am I watching Lost? The characters are distinct enough and fairly likeable. I feel like they could have benefited from voice acting, though that wouldn't have been cheap. The facial expressions are amazingly effective, I found. Good. Lost Constellation makes for a much better game. Things you do feel important, there is no meandering fruitlessly around for hours. There is magic and mystery all around you from the start. You even get to throw snowballs. Here the magic starts late in the game and ends very abruptly. Too close to the ground for most of the run, then flying too high until it suddenly crashes at the end, NITW sadly outstays its welcome. Maybe this would have made a better movie, or a TV series. A good novel. As a game it fails. :(

One of my new favorite games. Extremely recommended if you are into story-driven games - ESPECIALLY character writing. You might be disappointed if you are more into complex plotting or big twists. The game seems cute and cuddly from the outset, but the story it tells is about very real issues: psychological problems, economic decline, existential crises, dealing with dead-end jobs, etc. The characters (especially the main four) are written extremely well and feel real & relatable, especially if you are under 30. There is a lot of humor in the game as well as human warmth - which is perfectly juxtaposed to the heavier and bleaker themes. The plot is well thought out and satisfying. Gameplay mainly consists of wandering around town and talking to people + some light platforming, exploration and minigames. This is NOT a game which requires skill. You can fail every minigame and still progress the story. However, it is not a detriment - these game design decisions work in tandem with a story being told. You will probably not enjoy this game if you want something that tests your skill or if you want a plot-focused story-driven experience. There is a mystery plot in "Night in the Woods", but its purpose is to reinforce the game's themes - it is not the focus. Characters are. However, if you are interested in a character-driven drama about quarter life crisis which will make you laugh and cry in equal measures, give "Night in the Woods" a try. TL;DR: Story driven, character focused adventure game. No puzzles or any activities which require skill. Story is NOT plot driven - all the focus is on character development, themes based on real-life issues and mood. Very well written, both funny and tragic. Wonderful niche game.

This game left me speechles. Loved every second of it. I actually felt a emptiness in my heart after it ended like a good story does to you. I will definetly play it a couple more times to explore it more. I'd definetly recommend it to anyone who likes a good story, chill vibes and indie games.