Recent reviews by SpottedTale

I really, really, REALLY wanted to like this game.

Like, I adore the art style and how it's clearly inspired by Hieronymus Bosch, Albert Durer, and other 14th/15th century European artists, both in its wood cut/early print style and its surrealist Christian subject matter, and it's no doubt the highlight of the game. The scenes are gorgeous - in a kinda grim, bizarre way - and while the first few scenes are maaaybe a little on the uninspired side, they quickly become aesthetic treats full of classic Medieval symbolism and the kinda funky creatures and landscapes Bosch and others were known for. The ambient sounds usually support this too, though some do have an annoying repetitive aspect (a crow constantly cawing, Henry the protagonist is ALWAYS coughing like a little Victorian orphan boy for some reason, etc.), and, while sparser than I think it should be, the music is rather beautiful and thematic. The narration by Nergal is also serviceable to captivating, and it fits the overall mood.

If that's where it all ended, that'd be great! If I could roll back time, I'd buy the artbook and soundtrack DLC and be happily on my way. Hell, make an animated or even stop motion mini-film out of this or something!

But this is a GAME, and unfortunately the gameplay is dull and aggravating enough to actively detract from enjoying the art aspect. Like others have mentioned the game is short - the main game is 15-20 scenes/puzzles, while the story add-on is only '3 additional scenes' - which wouldn't be an issue if the story was fantastic (it's only 'okay' if not a bit nonsensical and simple) or if the puzzles were crazy good. They're not. Every puzzle is either way too easy and not unique in the genre, or it's illogical to the point of difficulty unless you just trial and error through them. They also decided to add two action-y segments which have no right being in the game and are HORRIBLE to control, especially the second. None of the puzzles even really fit the story or themes, they're just kinda 'there' minus maybe the latter third, so again, they're just jarring against an otherwise captivating landscape. Which is...not a good feeling for a point and click puzzle game.

So if you like the overall style of the game, just buy the artbook and support the artists who contributed some truly amazing work to this. But as a game, it's really not worth even the four hours it took me to 100% all achievements. It's an aggravating, unfortunately boring experience that sapped any excitement I had for the story or themes.

A great game, and one I can definitely recommend (with a caveat)! The style is colorful and fun, the characters are a blast (well-written dialogue and narration, fully voiced, and some great designs), and the gameplay itself - while somewhat of a simpler hack n slash - is still really responsive and has some fun combos and abilities to unlock. The story is passable (if not a little bit of a "world is ending" cliche, but some of the endings are fun parodies of this, too), and the music, while nothing too special, is nice enough that it doesn't get old. Which is great!

Because the one downside to the game is that it's *repetitive*. Really repetitive.

That's my one little caveat - if you don't enjoy fighting the same 4-5 mob enemies (there are no "boss battles" in the game) through the same 4-5 zones (there's some path variation, but you'll hit all those after the third story path), then this game is definitely not for you. The writing and charm of the characters is the game's saving grace: I played through all endings (there's a little over 50 if I recall) because I enjoyed seeing where everyone ended up and how absolutely *everything* goes wrong along the way, but it's definitely a bit of a slog. That being said, you can get the "true" ending after only doing 4 of the different paths, so there's that as well if you don't mind a bit of a shorter experience.

So, overall? If you enjoy simple hack n slashers, fun characters, and finding all the different endings in a game - get it! If you hate repetitive combat and don't care to listen to the same bits of narration over and over (most of it is skippable other than the initial "intro" to the story - I can probably recite that one from memory now) - avoid it!

Not enough good things can be said about Night in the Woods. I'm 22 years old, sitting in my bedroom at 6 AM after playing for 8 hours straight, and I'm crying, and with a game like this I'm not ashamed in the slightest to say so. Night in the Woods is an absolute experience and has easily become one of if not my favorite game.

On the surface the game is about 20 year old Mae Borowski after she returns from college to her hometown of Possum Springs and the (mis)adventures she has with her old childhood friends, with some pretty intense twists spread throughout. Gameplay is pretty minimal: there's a bit of platforming and a few minigames spread throughout, but overall it's really an interactive story that took me about 13 hours to complete, though this included me poking around at every corner so the main story is probably more along the line of 6 hours or so. The art style is simple but fun and fitting for the tone and can get really beautiful for some of the scenes, and the music is absolutely phenomenal. But where the game really shines is the writing. I don't think there's a single unmemorable character in the whole game and the dialogue is a mix of funny, heartwarming, and just feels genuine and relatable. For this alone I think the game is completely worth it at its price.

But at its heart Night in the Woods is just so, so much more than a silly adventure story. Though more subtly at times the game touches on a lot of bigger subjects like depression and anxiety, religion, social and family expectations, childhood nostalgia, fading communities, fate and morality, and overall dealing with change and moving forward through life. And it's all done in an incredible way. No points are forced or painfully obvious and the game really just makes you think about the world and your own life. Especially if you're like me and you're either freshly in or out of college, in between points in your life, or just grew up in a small town, the game can touch suprisingly deep. I was surprised to find myself relating to Mae more than I could have expected, and I was stunned just how much of what I've been feeling for the past 4-5 years was put into words in a genuine and honest way. Honestly, Night in the Woods has impacted my life more than any game I've ever played and more than most movies and books I've watched or read, and it's games like this that really convince me that video games are an art form.

So overall if you are reading this, please, please, PLEASE don't hesitate and buy this game. It's beautiful. It's emotional. And it's something I'm so thankful I got a chance to experience.