Night in the Woods is a bizarre game that takes place in a small town. A young cat, Mae, is returning home after dropping out of College. She is a troubled youth who hasn’t really lived the life she had hoped she would. Leaving college to return to the home she never thought she would have her finding herself in a strange yet familiar place.
Nothing much has changed in her hometown, the people rarely do when someone leaves. Life often becomes something that is so routine and it always surprises those visiting. This town is filled with people who know Mae and but aren’t all too fond of her. She was a troublesome child and now she is back, so people are bound to talk. Mae doesn’t really act like she cares about any of this but of course, she does actually care.
Mae has a few friends, friends she has always had. Her friends are wild and crazy and two are in love, while the other has to be more adult than any of them. It is troubling for Mae to see that the world she lived in for so long has changed. There is something visceral about these people, they are real and have their own problems and ideas.
Mae quickly joins back into the band they had when they were kids. This brings up a fun rhythm game where the player must play songs, that funnily enough neither they nor Mae knows. The songs do start out rather easy but there are a couple songs that are honestly too fast to complete. Though players can always practice and master these songs in Mae’s room.
This game includes some platforming elements too, and they which adds to the gameplay. Mae has always been a trouble maker and even now that she’s back she soon finds trouble. Mae can jump pretty high but she seems to slide rather easily. It’s as if she can’t help but fall off platforms, though(and) some platforms are rather small.
Night in the Woods gets rather dark and it which is a good thing for the story. What seems like a simple game about a cat coming home becomes a trippy and unsettling story. This game is filled to the brim with interesting ideas. It uses depression well by showing how people cope with it in negative ways. Mae might seem decently put together but she is far more broken than she lets on unless she’s drunk. Playing this game made me feel one with Mae, and when she hurt, I hurt.
The characters she interacts with are also very deep, and even them hurting affected me. Night in the Woods is a tapestry and the characters all feel deeply and have been affected by reality in different ways. Sometimes this game made me want to cry but I managed to keep my eyes dry. It’s a touching and emotional story and one that could only have happened with Mae’s return.
The story does also get rather eerie and murder-y. I honestly never would expected murder and fascism in a game like this but it all works together to make this game great. Possum Springs isn’t the great place Mae thought it was when she was young and she learns that (when she comes back), that is okay. She also learns that people she knew have changed and in the end, she herself changes too.
This game has two endings depending on who the player chooses Mae to hang out with. Gregg and Bea are both very different people and it will take the player two playthroughs to see both endings. These characters are both important to Mae and I do enjoy that they each get their own ending.
All in all, Night in the Woods is a good game. It’s a game that touches on tricky subjects but does it in a way that makes the player feel good. The game itself is a beautiful one with great writing and a wonderful story. While it might seem like a simple game, don’t let the exterior fool you, this game is dark and rightfully so. Mae Borowski is coming home, will the player help her figure things out, or will she be alone in this weird autumn.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided