Night in the Woods Review

Night in the Woods

Release: February 1, 2018
Publisher: Finji
Developer: Infinite Fall
Genre: Adventure, Indie, Platformer, Switch Reviews
PEGI: T
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When the credits rolled on Night on the Woods for Nintendo Switch, I watched them, scratched my head, and thought “Yes, but what did that all mean?” I’m still trying to figure this game out. What does that mean for review though? Did I like this game?

On the surface, Night in the Woods is all about a girl, who happens to be a cat, who lives in a world of animals and who just came home from college. She is dealing with some heavy issues like depression and anxiety. She spends time with her friends, writes in her journal, has weird dreams, and uncovers a mystery. But I don’t think that Night in the Woods is only about depression, anxiety, and mystery. Maybe I’m reading too much into the game, but there seems to be some deeper meaning thats completely alluding me.

And yet I really love this game. I don’t completely understand it, but the story is so good.

In Night in the Woods, you’ll be controlling Mae, a cat who is a bit lost in the world. She reconnects with her friends by visiting them each “day” and doing some different things with them. Sometimes you’ll go to band pratice or you’ll commit a crime. You just never know what Mae and her friends will get into and get out of. Night in the Woods may sound like a simulation game and it does kind of have that feel to it, but mostly its an Adventure game.

Mae wanders around a lot talking to people and interacting with objects. There is no touch screen support for this game and thats a shame. I think some of the game would have played great with that. There is, for instance, a personal computer that Mae can access that seems perfect for touchscreen interaction. That said, the analog stick and the button controls do work well in this game.

There is also a bit of jumping in Night in the Woods. The game isn’t a platformer, but it has some neat platforming elements here and there. The jumping works well.

And while Night in the Woods does have a retro hack’n’slash game and a rhythm game included, these are all side distractions. Even the platforming in just a side thing. Night in the Woods always comes back to just talking and interacting with things. If you love Adventure games, you’ll love Night in the Woods. It has a great story. I’m not sure what the story totally means, but I do love the story and I love the dialogue.

Night in the Woods is absolutely a game that you’ll want to play from start to finish and then go back and play it again. Oh and don’t forget to check out the Extra section on the main title screen. There are two little extra games to play there!

I had a lot of fun with this game. I also think the game’s graphics are really great.

At first glance, Night in the Woods graphics may seem pretty simple. The art style is drawn in such a way that gives off that vibe. However, as you explore the gaem’s world you’ll see just how much work was put into it the graphics. The different areas in Night in the Woods have some much detail to them and feels very alive.

Basically, you’ll feel like you’re playing an animated movie. The game looks great on the TV and in handheld mode. You can easily play game either way. I’m especially happy that the dialogue is very readable on the TV and in handheld mode!

As for the game’s music, its very good too! Night in the Woods has a good range of music and even has a neat rhythm mini-game included with cool music for those who like such things. Night in the Woods also has good sound effects. I think the only thing that might have made the game better sound wise would have been voice acting. I can easily see some cool voice acting making this game even better. That said, Night in the Woods is an excellent experiance and I highly recommend it.

I still don’t totally understand Night in the Woods, but I do think that its story is wonderful and that Adventure game fans will love it. However don’t let the game’s wonderful graphics fool you into thinking that Night in the Woods is an all ages game. This game deals with some very serious issues like depression and anxiety and it doesn’t hold back on dealing with other issues that college age adults have to deal with. Night in the Woods is, without a doubt, for older gamers.

It should also be noted that if you’re looking for a game thats about gameplay, then you are barking up the wrong tree here. Yes, there are so cool gameplay bits in Night in the Woods, like a retro hack’n’slash game and some platforming, but overall Night in the Woods is about the story. And the story here is really realy great.

You may scratch your head in the end and wonder what it you just played, but I think the game is worth that. So why are still reading this review?! Go download Night in the Woods now!

Thanks to Finji for providing a review copy of this game. Night in the Woods is currently available on the Nintendo Switch eShop!

Trailer