Night in the Woods

I absolutely adore this game and I find myself always thinking about it when I am struggling with burn out and anxiety. Playing this game felt like taking a break from my personal troubles and it feels as if I am resting with Mae. I enjoyed getting to experience her journey of dealing with mental health and finding peace by interacting with her community and loved ones in her hometown. Additionally, I enjoyed the plot of the mystery going on in her hometown as well as some other notable experiences such as her dreams, playing the bass, and playing demon tower which was surprisingly challenging. Overall, this is a very cozy game that I find is best to be enjoyed on a cold autumn day or to simply rest when the times feel difficult. [b] 9/10

at the end of everything, hold onto anything i've played through this game many times on many different platforms, and i can confidently say that this is probably the most impactful story i've ever personally experienced. give it a try, it might change your life too

I started the game expecting it to be "meh" in spite of the positive reviews from friends and other players and much to my surprise I was quite ignorant from the get-go. In fact, after finishing the game I must say, it's very good, I like the story, the characters, the animation etc. Gregg is my favourite character. 10/10 highly recommend!

This is the best game I've ever played. 10/10 story, 10/10 art, 10/10 character development, 10/10 everything. I've never related or connected to characters as much as in this game. GREGG RULZ OK

10/10 music 9/10 game with story as tragic as its creators, exploring philosophy, death, God, friendship and the decay of small towns. this game is not for everyone people from he city will find it difficult to understand because it focuses on small things and dialogues that seem to have little value, but it makes it human and gives a soul to this game

[h1] PROS: [/h1] [list] [*] Interesting story with a compelling mystery that keeps you curious until the end. [*] Beautiful and unique art style that gives the game its own identity. [*] Smooth and responsive controls. [*] Fantastic soundtrack with several memorable songs. [*] Challenging bass mini game that feels satisfying once you master it. [*] Wholesome, well written characters with relatable personal stories. [*] Gregg is the best friend! [*] Some interesting mini games, [*] Multiple endings and choices. [/list] [h1] CONS: [/h1] [list] [*] The tower mini game dash sometimes suffer from noticeable input delay. [*] Objectives are often unclear, leaving you wandering around without knowing what to do next. [*] Lack of voice acting makes some emotional scenes feel less impactful. [*] I expected a darker atmosphere and a stronger focus on the central mystery. [*] Some bass songs have a huge difficulty spike that can become frustrating. [*] There is WAY too much backtracking and walking, and the lack of fast travel makes it even worse. [*] Completing the game 100% requires two full playthroughs and two additional partial runs, which becomes repetitive and tedious. [*] You can't skip the credits. [*] Some story moments require too much suspension of disbelief. ([spoiler]For example, the characters decide to chase a possible killer into the woods at night without bringing any weapons or asking for help.[/spoiler]) [/list] [h1] OVERALL: [/h1] This is a game that shines because of its characters, atmosphere, music, and emotional moments. The cast is incredibly lovable, and it's easy to become invested in their friendships and personal struggles. The writing does a great job making the characters feel genuine, and there are plenty of memorable interactions throughout the adventure. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't live up to the storytelling. Around 80% of the game consists of walking back and forth between the same locations, often with little happening in between. Without a fast travel system, the constant backtracking becomes exhausting and hurts the pacing. While the mystery is interesting, I was hoping for a darker tone and more focus on the supernatural elements instead of spending so much time simply traveling across town. If you only plan to finish the main story once, you'll probably have a decent experience. However, completionists should be aware that earning every achievement requires multiple playthroughs, and the repetitive structure makes each additional run less enjoyable.

TL;DR: I enjoyed Night in the Woods purely for its vibe and occasionally profound writing. I can't recommend it though because the plot doesn't deliver on paying off for me. It always felt like it was building up to something that never actually happens. I'm a big fan of walking simulators (Firewatch, Life is Strange,. Edith Finch) and I love fall-themed stuff, so the vibe was definitely up my alley. To top it off, it's angsty, midwestern emo kids that are drawn as cute animals ripe for a tumblr fandom to form around them. It's a mid 2010's game made on the outs of Millenial optimism of stomp-clap-hey fame. Everything in this game will resonate with the depressed and burned out youth of today, as it tells a tale of malaise, nostalgia, and worry that the future promised to us by movies and TV will never come be. As one of these mentally ill youths, you return your small working-class town after dropping out of college. You then go around town, talking to people, hanging out with friends, and putting pieces together for what the overall plot is. The gameplay itself is fairly low-energy and sometimes boring. There's a slight bit of easy 2D platforming while a majority of your time is spent reading dialogue and talking to other people. The game is a pleasure to look at and listen to, and along with entertaining dialogue which I think are the selling points of Night in the Woods. Past those laudable aspects though, the plot felt lacking to me. Perhaps that was intentional with demonstrating the aimless life direction of a college dropout, but I'll elaborate on this. The plot for Night in the Woods feels more like a collage of nostalgic coming-of-age memories loosely pieced together with infrequent promises that these moments contain choices that matter to the overall plot direction and forthcoming conflict. It kind of feels like Mixtape in this regard, where you're playing through events to give you "vibes": Drinking too much at a party, sneaking into a restricted building, or playing in a rock band with your friends. While these events are pleasant, it was difficult for me to care about them as I was being barely drip-fed bits of information about how they actually progressing the plot When the conflict is finally revealed, it is overdue and there are many questions left remaining, and then the game suddenly ends 30 minutes later. It felt very much like the mystery conflict was stapled on and unrelated to the other events of the story, so I felt unrewarded for my patience in giving the game 8+ hours to build up to its first major rising action, which ended up actually being its climax and abrupt ending. I will also say that I do not have mental illnesses or am neurodivergent. People who happen to be may relate to the mental illness the characters relate in the game and have that be a much more intense and connecting part of the experience that I did not have. Oh well, just not for me I guess. Lots of you liked it, and good on you :)

One of my favorite games of all time! beautiful story, relatable characters, amazing soundtrack, and so much more. Genuinely cannot give enough praise for this game

[h1]Good enough story but too overrated, slow.[/h1] Night in the Woods had a slow start, very slow, and it takes a while to even start with the mystery of the game. It feels weak at times and doesnt feel like they did much with it. The experience is improved by talking with whatever characters are on the city, exploring whatever changes it happens, but they dont really make noticeable changes in the story. However, there are still good side plots happening, creating good parallels between these stories and real life. NitW has a unique style with a good soundtrack, pretty good The story's ending feels forced and not as satisfying, could've been better.

Great game, $9.99 is a steal! playing through it for like the 4th time on steam