Spring in the Air and Night in The Woods

The first official day of spring is finally here. Took a nice walk about the area, take in the fresh air and moderate warmth. Hopefully things will finally heat up... or not, based on my weather app. Dang groundhog screwed us over! Anyway, ten days until my special something is put up, so tell your friends, tell your family, or just grab whatever people would be interested in this weirdo's writings. With that out of the way, I'd like to talk a little about this little indie game called Night in the Woods.

For those who don't know, it's a sorta visual novel game with light platforming elements about a college dropout who returns to her small hometown, to piece things together while engaging with locals, old friends, and all sorts of happenings ranging from kooky to strange and sinister. I've put in over twenty hours in this game, and I have to say it's left a heck of a mark on me. Despite everyone being anthropomorphic animals, everyone in it you interact with has genuine human issues, dealing with things like relationships, family, socializing, employment, mental illness and so on. Main character Mae is especially fascinating as her troubled past gets revealed more and more through the story, though she's a cool enough character thanks to the fun and charming writing, which just about everyone in the game has. Lots of likeable characters, be they friends or strangers. The art in this is so crisp and top notch, catching that fall-ness of the setting (if that makes sense), and the soundtrack is simply superb, ranging from cozy to haunting. The game does put you on this linear path where the main story is concerned, with only two endings that honestly aren't that different from each other, but you get to choose how you spend each day, whether you just go on to the next story progression or bum around town and chat up with locals, learn more about the town itself, and maybe even make some new friends to go along with the three other cool guys that make up your crew.

Being more a visual novel, there will be a lot of reading, and unfortunately this game doesn't include a chapter select or skip so you have to scroll through lots of text to hurry through future playthroughs if you're not keen on re-reading the events. With that said, even on my second playthrough to get some missed achievements, I still went and did all the interactions I could. Though there really wasn't a point to do so, I just enjoyed talking to these characters again, seeing friendships and understandings bloom, making the dying town brighten just a little. And yeah, there will be depressing moments in this game, as well as cringe-worthy (on purpose), which you might actually relate to. I certainly have had similar experiences and regrets to what Mae had experienced. Also the game ends rather abruptly, leaving a bunch of things hanging and with no clear certainty as to what's going to happen. But that's just something else that leaves a unique impression that leaves one to think and dwell.

At this point I'm basically rambling; I haven't really thought out a concise review, and I'd just go on and on about this and that about the game. So if it hasn't been made obvious yet, I highly recommend it. Give it a play when you have the chance; best experienced with little to no spoilers. Though I will say this: during the game, you'll have an option to hang out with either zany cool guy Gregg or responsible overworked Bea. After two playthroughs, I felt that Bea's storyline had the most emotional impact, so just a recommendation for who to go with for your first play. Or just see how they are and choose for yourself.

Okay enough yammering. Happy Spring, everyone, and all the best!