One Night Stand (Nintendo Switch) Review

Too much alcohol can get you places. Yours - square - truly wouldn't know anything about it, because, unlike the hero of this tale, he has never gone amnesiac from too much drinking. Said hero, and his courageous liver, wake in a room which is not their own, eyesight blurry, and headache being quite strong. Moments later, and this man finds out that he seems to have spent the night next to an unknown, naked lass. What happened last night? Who is she? And, most importantly where are your darn clothes?!

Despite being a visual novel, One Night Stand almost plays like a point-and-click whodunit; a create-your-own-adventure kind of deal, where the player is tasked with answering all those questions and more, and reaching one of the many outcomes available. The gameplay consists of talking with the young lady who, feeling unwell herself, frequently leaves you alone, and runs straight towards the loo, which means that you are free to snoop around in hopes of finding more about her, and in essence receive more responses for the dialogue sequences.

Actions have consequences, so while taking a look at her vinyl collection is harmless, and just opens up a conversation about her hobbies, other stuff are big no-noes, like for example taking a look at her laptop, or asking too many personal questions. There's no "true" path, though. Players are free to roleplay. Want to be a gent, and simply exchange a couple of words before heading out, try to win her confidence and maybe develop an actual relationship, or act as a creep who doesn't understand the meaning of one night stands? You are free to do so. All done pretty easily, via the analogue stick, or motion controls.

There are 12 possible outcomes, with most play-throughs clocking at around 15 minutes. This won't last for more than an evening or two, which is more than enough for the concept. One Night Stand doesn't overstay its welcome, just like an actual one night stand should. Having said that, this, like one night stands, is kind of soulless. Besides a couple of superficial exchanges (in most routes, at least), there's not much time or content to get to know the girl in front of you, and whether one plays as a jerk, or a kind stranger, things won't change that much.

Using a sort of "rotoscoping-lite" technique, what little animation there is ends up being quite lifelike, with the facial expressions and body language of the young girl managing to tell you more about her, than what she has to tell (she is not exactly a one night stand pro). The muted colour palette and subtle ambient music, create an unthreatening atmosphere, which fits like a glove with what this tries to be. Don't except an intricate, thriller-esque narrative here. This keeps things nice and simple. The "story" could have more meet on its bones, but as a whole, if a visual novel fan, or just intrigued by the concept, do give this a try.