Night in the Woods (PC) Review

It all starts with a young (feline) girl, Margaret 'Mae' Borowski, wondering why her (also feline) parents have not come to pick her up after coming back from college, meaning she ends up having to take an eventful trek on her own at night in the woods, eventually being reprimanded and subsequently escorted by her Aunt Molly back home. Following a rather terse encounter with the 'rents, it is off to bed, ready for a new day… and so begins the pattern that continues throughout, with Mae waking up, checking her laptop to chat with friends online, and then talking to her mother before heading out on various escapades during her reintegration into Possum Springs, before finally catching up with her father - and sometimes watching TV with him - before checking the laptop one final time and then getting ready for bed. It really is a day in the life of Mae.

The central filling sandwiched by mother-father encounters is where all of the core action comes about. As Mae, you can leap onto cars, overhead power lines, window ledges, and more, as she explores every nook and cranny of the sleepy town, interacting with the numerous people around - old friends, newcomers, grown ups that remember why she left town in the first place and even encourage their kids to steer clear of her, plus even an old teacher that shows her the stars (literally, not in a weird way…). There are also plenty of departures from the town setting, with Mae heading to a pretentious party and embarrassing her once close friend, checking out an abandoned (possibly haunted) building, doing a bit of 'mall' walking (and shop lifting whilst there), plus heading to various other places that reflect what someone might do in real life when returning to their roots. There may be unusual animal characters included, but there is a "real" feel to this.

Just as Mae and her parents are cats, the townspeople in Possum Springs are all animals, centred round common North Eastern American wildlife, meaning there are other cats, as well as dogs, bears, raccoons, foxes, squirrels, and so on; no giraffes, lions, badgers, rabbits, or crazy dinosaur-like folk, though… It is quite the eclectic mix anyway, and sometimes detracts from the gravity of the subject matter being discussed, yet at the same time gives the game a wider appeal that might not have gelled with pure gamers in quite the same way. It is a delicate balance, but the developer pulls it off expertly.

For those wanting more than just a gentle meander through a story, however, there are plenty of mini-games included in the mix to keep things fresh. Expect Guitar Hero-esque band sessions, baseball-like swinging/smashing of light bulbs antics, timing-based events like shoot-water-at-passers-by or attempting to half-inch store goods, and even a sub-mission to grow the local rat population by feeding them stolen pretzels, amongst other entertaining/weird (delete as applicable) asides. Some of them work, others do not add much (in particular some really strange dream sequences that just confuse matters), but they are all carefully slotted into the adventure to break things up into more manageable chunks in order to appease those that do not merely want to read what some may view as a mere moving picture book with a smattering of interactions along the way.

There is a special vibe that runs throughout, some of which comes from its visuals. Night in the Woods takes on a South Park approach, with flat characters set against a 2D backdrop, although with more limb movement thanks to an 'independent animation' approach where different character parts are created and then stuck together afterwards (there is even a mini-game later on that allows for a creation to built in such a fashion!). It all works extremely well at sticking with the simplicity theme, whilst not detracting from the core - the story. Everything, after all, revolves around Mae and her transition from one world into another and the difficulties faced in doing so.

Things change, time passes, and people move on …or stand still, stiller than expected because of traumatic circumstances that are perhaps not apparent to those on the outside. Life is not as easy for some as it is for others, and coming to that realisation can be tough for those hoping to slide back into the comfort of their past, Mae especially, given her own issues before leaving in the first place, what transpired leading up to her return, and the happenings for those that remained in Possum Springs whilst she was away. Night in the Woods expertly navigates these tumultuous topics, evoking strong emotions throughout, be it the relationship with family as someone grows older and - supposedly - more mature, or the dynamic between friends as they move on with their lives.

As with the aesthetic styling, audio direction is of extreme importance in games like this - in other words, more narrative-driven affairs. In Firewatch, for instance, it delivered on both the voice acting and ambient soundtrack fronts, and although Night in the Woods favours a text-based, almost comic book direction, rather than using voice work, it does come with a sublime score that adapts to the in-game world majestically. There is no short selection of looping tracks, each attributed to just one specific location; instead, the OST twists and turns, with themes developing over time as the tale continues to be weaved, meaning that returning to frequently visited locales is far less burdensome than some may initially expect given how the adventure sits within the confines of Possum Springs for the most part. With adjustments to the score and visual tweaks as seasons change, familiar locations keep a new air to them.

That is all well and good, but what about those wanting more of a traditional gaming experience? Well, do not worry as Night in the Woods also has you covered in that regard; Mae's laptop at home has a great retro-flavoured dungeon crawling experience by the name of Demon Tower, complete with stunning accompanying 8-bit tunes. It seems out of place with the rest of the game, but it is nicely tucked away on the desktop of her computer, so that it feels more like an Easter Egg for those scouring Mae's laptop, rather than something that must be tackled. It is actually very solidly constructed and addictive enough to ensure repeat visits, so this is indeed a most welcomed addition…

Sometimes story-led adventures can draw to a close quicker than expected, since they are, after all, restricted to the amount of story contained within, and more often than not simply end up being linear expeditions, taking players by the hand, pulling them swiftly towards the finish line. Night in the Woods, though, is no walk in the park… Well, it is not actually tough to beat, more lengthy in nature, but that pun just had to be wedged in somewhere! Anyway, like any good book, once hooked, Mae's story becomes highly engrossing and absorbing. There are moments where exposition is dragged out more than it should, and various sequences that, although adding to the mystery, feel surplus to requirements after a while, especially towards the final throes of Mae's personal journey; however, with the mini-games included, they do not distract from the tale, but do add a necessary reprieve to prevent the drawn out story from growing stale.