10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb
10 Yrs♥✓#
College dropout Mae Borowski returns home to the crumbling former mining town of Possum Springs seeking to resume her aimless former life and reconnect with the friends she left behind. But things aren't the same. Home seems different now and her friends have grown and changed. Leaves are falling and the wind is growing colder. Strange things are happening as
the light fades. And there's something in the woods.
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
Had my first play session:
Just got my computer fixed.
I dunno so far it's feeling rather teen spice of life. I don't thinking i'm gelling with the characters yet. I'll have to see where the story takes me to see later how i feel
Just got my computer fixed.
I dunno so far it's feeling rather teen spice of life. I don't thinking i'm gelling with the characters yet. I'll have to see where the story takes me to see later how i feel
4 Yrs✓#
dragonh89
4 Yrs✓#
Played the first 30 minutes or so today to get a feel for the game. The general vibe that I'm getting is really different from what I expected. Not sure how to put it into words exactly, but it's definitely has more of a depressing atmosphere than I thought it would, but also characters seem somewhat emotionles on how they interact...? It gives a feeling of being really distant.
I'm not hooked on either the story or the characters yet, but I'm definitely interested in seeing what the whole point of the game will be, and when it will start. Definitely feeling like I'm in the build-up phase now.
I'm not hooked on either the story or the characters yet, but I'm definitely interested in seeing what the whole point of the game will be, and when it will start. Definitely feeling like I'm in the build-up phase now.
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
Just finished the game and I have to say this was a slow burn of the game and the longer I played the more I enjoyed it. At the start the main character Mae came off to me as annoying and snarky but the further along the go the game starts to show this is more of a self defense mechanism as shes going through a form of depression and dissociation disorder as well as some antisocial behavior issues which causes some big clashes with other characters especially Bea. Slowly she comes out as a deeply flawed character which you hope for the best especially by the end of the game.
The main reason the game is a slow burn is that the game is basically about nothing and then falling into a routine throughout the day where you go and hand out with one of your friends and then come home to play some games or sleep. This is not a great way to open the game but it is necessary as the game themes really revolves about being stuck in a past that either didn't or no longer exists and trying to reclaim it when you should move forward. I will say this though the last part of the game can get a bit hot fuzzy but it does loop into the main theme after all the Cultists are sacrificing people to the god underneath the town to keep Possum springs alive but it all is futile as throughout the game you hear people talk about moving or changing jobs and seeing the remains of important building going to disrepair and not being used and in the end i'm not entirely sure what other story could be linked into the main game which would've made sense in terms of the theme.
Still it also hits quite a few other themes with different character going there own problems these themes include:
Homelessness: Bruce is homeless and the Pastor to offer a space in the church for him but is shut down by the council due to aesthetics
Suicide: Bruce consequently "leaves" Possum Spring and to me it's implied to committed suicide
Abuse: Angus, Greg's boyfriend opened up to me about how he was a abused by his parents in rather lovely discussion during one of the ghost hunts
Financial Dependency: Bea feels trapped in Possum Spring due to her mothers death and sequentially her fathers breakdown and medical costs. She envious ultimately of Mae chance of going to college and annoyed by her throwing that away
Unionization: Maes father hates his job and feels trapped with less money and less rights due to lack of unions
I'm pretty there are more as but I didn't really get much chance to change with greg that much and i might return to do so as i enjoyed all the characters in the game. In the end my ending involved Mae agreeing to discuss her issues with her family and planning to drive west with Bae sometime in the future which I think is a good closer to the game
There are a few "game" moments which tbh feel unnecessary and prob hurt the game more then help still I fully recommend this game and I'll have a reivew up at some point of this game
The main reason the game is a slow burn is that the game is basically about nothing and then falling into a routine throughout the day where you go and hand out with one of your friends and then come home to play some games or sleep. This is not a great way to open the game but it is necessary as the game themes really revolves about being stuck in a past that either didn't or no longer exists and trying to reclaim it when you should move forward. I will say this though the last part of the game can get a bit hot fuzzy but it does loop into the main theme after all the Cultists are sacrificing people to the god underneath the town to keep Possum springs alive but it all is futile as throughout the game you hear people talk about moving or changing jobs and seeing the remains of important building going to disrepair and not being used and in the end i'm not entirely sure what other story could be linked into the main game which would've made sense in terms of the theme.
Still it also hits quite a few other themes with different character going there own problems these themes include:
Homelessness: Bruce is homeless and the Pastor to offer a space in the church for him but is shut down by the council due to aesthetics
Suicide: Bruce consequently "leaves" Possum Spring and to me it's implied to committed suicide
Abuse: Angus, Greg's boyfriend opened up to me about how he was a abused by his parents in rather lovely discussion during one of the ghost hunts
Financial Dependency: Bea feels trapped in Possum Spring due to her mothers death and sequentially her fathers breakdown and medical costs. She envious ultimately of Mae chance of going to college and annoyed by her throwing that away
Unionization: Maes father hates his job and feels trapped with less money and less rights due to lack of unions
I'm pretty there are more as but I didn't really get much chance to change with greg that much and i might return to do so as i enjoyed all the characters in the game. In the end my ending involved Mae agreeing to discuss her issues with her family and planning to drive west with Bae sometime in the future which I think is a good closer to the game
There are a few "game" moments which tbh feel unnecessary and prob hurt the game more then help still I fully recommend this game and I'll have a reivew up at some point of this game
4 Yrs♥✓#
I don't think I'm going to play Night in the Woods, I'm just not that interested in it.
4 Yrs✓#
dragonh894 Yrs✓#
Played some more and just finished "Part 2" of the game. Way more into it now that at the beginning, no doubt!
One thing I can say is that it has a slow start, which normally wouldn't be much of a problem, but considering it's about 8 1/2 hours to beat, it's kinda weird that the first hour (maybe even more) is not that interesting. Probably it's needed to set up the scene for later and it definitely helps with getting to know the protagonist Mae better, but just wondering if anything better could have been done there.
Really curious of what is happening next and the end of my last play session definitely gave a twist to what the story has been so far. Thinking I'm finally getting into the meat and potatoes of the game. Also the underlying general themes of the game have been creeping up steadily into the limelight instead of just being subtext, so that's also interesting. Hopefully I'll get to play more during the weekend!
Btw, clearly the story and characters are the most importants aspects of this game and not the gameplay so...Why does this game need a triple jump mechanic? I'm so confused about that...
One thing I can say is that it has a slow start, which normally wouldn't be much of a problem, but considering it's about 8 1/2 hours to beat, it's kinda weird that the first hour (maybe even more) is not that interesting. Probably it's needed to set up the scene for later and it definitely helps with getting to know the protagonist Mae better, but just wondering if anything better could have been done there.
Really curious of what is happening next and the end of my last play session definitely gave a twist to what the story has been so far. Thinking I'm finally getting into the meat and potatoes of the game. Also the underlying general themes of the game have been creeping up steadily into the limelight instead of just being subtext, so that's also interesting. Hopefully I'll get to play more during the weekend!
Btw, clearly the story and characters are the most importants aspects of this game and not the gameplay so...Why does this game need a triple jump mechanic? I'm so confused about that...
9 Yrs♥✓#
What a nuanced take XD
I was going to play this on Xbox, but I keep forgetting to install it on Xbox, so I have installed it on PC. I am hoping to play it sometime this month, maybe as late as Christmas.
6 Yrs✓#
clumsypenguin
6 Yrs✓#
Played this one back in early 2018, and really enjoyed my time with it! I won't be able to add much to the discussion as it's been so long since I played it that I'm really only able to talk about the game in broad strokes (with the exception of a few memorable moments). I'm pretty packed with finals right now, but I'm going to try and use this as an opportunity to go back and play Gregg's route as I did Bea's the first time through.
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
Night In the Woods
Completion: December 06, 2020
Main+Extras: 11h 08m 38s
Notes: Extra sections done as well
+Deeply flawed characters who grow on you and experience some fantastic Character growth
+Interesting world with some felt like lived in world
+Hits on multiple themes which are based basically around the decay of the small town
-Can take some time to actually get into the game
-Gamified sections are rather worthless
-Main story is forced into the back end of the game and feels a bit out of sync with the rest of the game
Overview: Night in the Woods is a fantastic story about deeply flawed characters trying to deal with life in a small dying town where they spend there days either doing nothing or a service job in town. While it does not sound interesting and can take some time to actually get into the game it ultimately offers some great character development moments and discussion about dealing with mental health issues. Even with the mental health section it also offers a look at what it would be like to live in a town slowly decaying and peoples lives can be stuck in these places. Still it’s not without it’s faults for example it gamifies parts which really didn’t need to (I didn’t need to pick up pizza) and the main question is forced into the back and really can feel a bit out of sync with the rest of the game.
9/10
Completion: December 06, 2020
Main+Extras: 11h 08m 38s
Notes: Extra sections done as well
+Deeply flawed characters who grow on you and experience some fantastic Character growth
+Interesting world with some felt like lived in world
+Hits on multiple themes which are based basically around the decay of the small town
-Can take some time to actually get into the game
-Gamified sections are rather worthless
-Main story is forced into the back end of the game and feels a bit out of sync with the rest of the game
Overview: Night in the Woods is a fantastic story about deeply flawed characters trying to deal with life in a small dying town where they spend there days either doing nothing or a service job in town. While it does not sound interesting and can take some time to actually get into the game it ultimately offers some great character development moments and discussion about dealing with mental health issues. Even with the mental health section it also offers a look at what it would be like to live in a town slowly decaying and peoples lives can be stuck in these places. Still it’s not without it’s faults for example it gamifies parts which really didn’t need to (I didn’t need to pick up pizza) and the main question is forced into the back and really can feel a bit out of sync with the rest of the game.
9/10
4 Yrs✓#
dragonh894 Yrs✓#
Just finished the game, and it was a great experience. It definitely keeps getting better and better as the game goes on. I didn't do much optional stuff except talk to a bunch of people that I kinda liked throughout the game and find the constellations in the sky, but the main story and how the story and the character progression keeps unraveling steadily is amazing.
I think the main drawback of the game is the start of the game, as it takes a little while to get going and actually presenting you with that really interesting hook that wants to make you keep playing. Also didn't have the most fun on some of the dream sequences, but not really a major complaint. The light platforming elements it has are kinda weird, but they don't really get much in the way, so I guess they are fine.
For anyone interested, I spent most of my time with Bea, and from what I read in this thread it seems like that affects the ending? Which would make sense from the stuff I saw on my playthrough. I'll probably won't play it again right away, but I wouldn't mind going through it once more and see some stuff that I may have missed and seeing some different events. Great game, and I'm glad it won the GotM!Even if it hasn't had that much participation on this thread so far
I think the main drawback of the game is the start of the game, as it takes a little while to get going and actually presenting you with that really interesting hook that wants to make you keep playing. Also didn't have the most fun on some of the dream sequences, but not really a major complaint. The light platforming elements it has are kinda weird, but they don't really get much in the way, so I guess they are fine.
For anyone interested, I spent most of my time with Bea, and from what I read in this thread it seems like that affects the ending? Which would make sense from the stuff I saw on my playthrough. I'll probably won't play it again right away, but I wouldn't mind going through it once more and see some stuff that I may have missed and seeing some different events. Great game, and I'm glad it won the GotM!
5 Yrs♥$✓#
Just played through Chapter 1 and I'm enjoying it. Many of the themes resonate with me - being in a band in a small town, coming home after being away at school, questioning your self-worth, etc. The writing feels authentic.
It's clear that Mae has an interesting backstory and I'm curious as to what happens next. I also was quite pleasantly surprised to find a Guitar Hero-style minigame. The devs clearly love music.
I just have one burning question: why aren't all of the animals people? For example, Mae is a cat-person, but there are normal cats in the world as well. Same with birds and other creatures. Quite a mystery...
It's clear that Mae has an interesting backstory and I'm curious as to what happens next. I also was quite pleasantly surprised to find a Guitar Hero-style minigame. The devs clearly love music.
I just have one burning question: why aren't all of the animals people? For example, Mae is a cat-person, but there are normal cats in the world as well. Same with birds and other creatures. Quite a mystery...
5 Yrs♥$✓#
Finished Chapter 2 tonight. Getting pulled deeper into the story as everything is going to hell and the mysteries are coming more into the forefront. I'm excited to see what happens next...
4 Yrs✓#
dragonh894 Yrs✓#
Ending of chapter 2 was probably the point where I really got into the game. Before that it was evident that the game was building up to something, and I was enjoying it, but seemed like it was just going along. It definitely starts ramping up by then, and it doesn't really stop until the very end.
8 Yrs♥$✓#
Glad to hear that end of chapter 2 will spice things up a bit!
I'm currently somewhere in part 2, I think day 6, and the game has been an experience, to say the least xD
EDIT: OMG I SEE NOW
I'm currently somewhere in part 2, I think day 6, and the game has been an experience, to say the least xD
EDIT: OMG I SEE NOW
5 Yrs♥$✓#
EDIT: OMG I SEE NOW
Hehehehe
Just finished Chapter 3 and the story train is chugging along! Excited to finish up today.
5 Yrs♥$✓#
Just finished it a few minutes ago. It was a solid game but I'm a bit dissatisfied with the way it ended, if I'm honest. I'll write a full review tomorrow on my blog after having some time to collect my thoughts.
9 Yrs♥✓#
I beat this game last night. I don't really know what to say yet. Some games feel very...personal, and it's hard to talk about them and what they meant to me. Very painful to think about it ending too. Spoilers abound:
I didn't have many of the same issues others did. I thought most or all of the gameplay served either to tell the story (the platforming is representative of Mae's mood) or to better connect the player with the game's events (eating pizza is more intimate when you pick it up yourself). The platforming in particular I thought was important in establishing who Mae is - she's bouncy and reckless and irrelevant to the fact she can die. And especially when she isn't jumping around anymore, that says even more about how she's feeling, and that is especially evident at the end of the game where she confronts her demons and finds herself refreshed.
I also didn't think the game's beginning was slow or the ending a let-down. I was deeply scared that the game was going to turn bad at the end or jump the shark somehow. And it did...but it did so in a way that I can rationalize away. The cult of conservative uncles is...weird, but it's probably an analogy for QAnon or something? Crazy conspiracy theorists, underground fascist militias, or something? I dunno, I mostly let it slide and pretended that the god under the town was fake. And wasn't he, really? They themselves admit that ill has befallen the town anyway, and we see it ourselves. There's no good to what they're doing. So I chose to believe their god wasn't real, and anything Mae experienced was a coincidence. Heck, even her recognizing the goat painting? I get deja vu often when I'm stressed, likely a dissociative symptom, no reason she couldn't too. And you see the way she stared at it. At any rate, that's how I choose to rationalize it. I know my "interpretation" is wrong, but it's what I choose to believe.
I will say, I'm not quite sure what to think of the ending in terms of Mae. Is she cured? Is she changed? Is she still a thief? I guess the answers are no, not really, yes. I dunno, I just guess I was hoping for an easy fix, but I also know that if she changed completely overnight, I'd have been disappointed and not given this a 10/10.
Mae is a...complicated character? She does things I definitely don't agree with, and can be kind of an A-hole to people, even her friends. But I also...understand it. Like if I had friends and I wanted them to think I was cool, it's not inconceivable that I would shoplift something. I'd feel horrible about it, but I get it. And let's be honest...I'm an A-hole to a lot of people here sometimes. There are those like tiamat that accept me, and those like Ric/Jackie that insist I should be banned. It's not like I want to be like that all the time, and I try not to be, but I fail a lot and upset the people that I want to like me. Whatever.
Besides Mae being a jerk, it was clear to me very early on that she was having dissociative episodes. I don't know if that was supposed to be obvious to everyone or a surprise twist at the end, but it was obvious as someone who also experiences varying degrees of dissociation on a pretty frequent basis. And I liked that being portrayed in a game, especially in a way that isn't really obvious to the characters so everyone thinks she's just "Mae being Mae." The conversation with Bea on the couch hit home a lot, and I know what it's like to have anger/violence issues. I've never gone so far as to beat anyone with a baseball bat, but it's the kind of thing I fear I'm capable of.
Before I lost my shit in the Discord server and wished brutal violence upon someone, I was constantly writing about the game and quoting things that Mae said. I cried myself to sleep after beating the game because it felt...personal, I guess. I loved almost every scene, every line of Mae's dialogue (even if half of them made me physically facepalm my real face with my real palm because MAE YOU CAN'T DO THAT).
I'm sure that's 10% of what I could say about the game. I am tired, and there's not much point in thinking about it: Mae is fake, but thankfully alcohol is real.
I didn't have many of the same issues others did. I thought most or all of the gameplay served either to tell the story (the platforming is representative of Mae's mood) or to better connect the player with the game's events (eating pizza is more intimate when you pick it up yourself). The platforming in particular I thought was important in establishing who Mae is - she's bouncy and reckless and irrelevant to the fact she can die. And especially when she isn't jumping around anymore, that says even more about how she's feeling, and that is especially evident at the end of the game where she confronts her demons and finds herself refreshed.
I also didn't think the game's beginning was slow or the ending a let-down. I was deeply scared that the game was going to turn bad at the end or jump the shark somehow. And it did...but it did so in a way that I can rationalize away. The cult of conservative uncles is...weird, but it's probably an analogy for QAnon or something? Crazy conspiracy theorists, underground fascist militias, or something? I dunno, I mostly let it slide and pretended that the god under the town was fake. And wasn't he, really? They themselves admit that ill has befallen the town anyway, and we see it ourselves. There's no good to what they're doing. So I chose to believe their god wasn't real, and anything Mae experienced was a coincidence. Heck, even her recognizing the goat painting? I get deja vu often when I'm stressed, likely a dissociative symptom, no reason she couldn't too. And you see the way she stared at it. At any rate, that's how I choose to rationalize it. I know my "interpretation" is wrong, but it's what I choose to believe.
I will say, I'm not quite sure what to think of the ending in terms of Mae. Is she cured? Is she changed? Is she still a thief? I guess the answers are no, not really, yes. I dunno, I just guess I was hoping for an easy fix, but I also know that if she changed completely overnight, I'd have been disappointed and not given this a 10/10.
Mae is a...complicated character? She does things I definitely don't agree with, and can be kind of an A-hole to people, even her friends. But I also...understand it. Like if I had friends and I wanted them to think I was cool, it's not inconceivable that I would shoplift something. I'd feel horrible about it, but I get it. And let's be honest...I'm an A-hole to a lot of people here sometimes. There are those like tiamat that accept me, and those like Ric/Jackie that insist I should be banned. It's not like I want to be like that all the time, and I try not to be, but I fail a lot and upset the people that I want to like me. Whatever.
Besides Mae being a jerk, it was clear to me very early on that she was having dissociative episodes. I don't know if that was supposed to be obvious to everyone or a surprise twist at the end, but it was obvious as someone who also experiences varying degrees of dissociation on a pretty frequent basis. And I liked that being portrayed in a game, especially in a way that isn't really obvious to the characters so everyone thinks she's just "Mae being Mae." The conversation with Bea on the couch hit home a lot, and I know what it's like to have anger/violence issues. I've never gone so far as to beat anyone with a baseball bat, but it's the kind of thing I fear I'm capable of.
Before I lost my shit in the Discord server and wished brutal violence upon someone, I was constantly writing about the game and quoting things that Mae said. I cried myself to sleep after beating the game because it felt...personal, I guess. I loved almost every scene, every line of Mae's dialogue (even if half of them made me physically facepalm my real face with my real palm because MAE YOU CAN'T DO THAT).
I'm sure that's 10% of what I could say about the game. I am tired, and there's not much point in thinking about it: Mae is fake, but thankfully alcohol is real.
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
I will say, I'm not quite sure what to think of the ending in terms of Mae. Is she cured? Is she changed? Is she still a thief? I guess the answers are no, not really, yes. I dunno, I just guess I was hoping for an easy fix, but I also know that if she changed completely overnight, I'd have been disappointed and not given this a 10/10.
I think the answer as well is no but at least in my playthrough she starts to make efforts to improve by planning to discuss what she's been going through with her parents and planning a road trip with bea. I feel that what Mae is going through is a proper dissociated disorder and I like the fact that the game does not suddenly fix everything after mae basically shouts into the void at the end of the game
9 Yrs♥✓#
Yeah, I got the same ending so I'm in agreement with you there! And while she gets a second wind from shouting at it, it's easy to see how that was a momentary thing and she could feel the same way again in a couple days.
Fantastic game, I really appreciated your overview of some of its themes that you gave a few posts above!
3 Yrs✓#
dwarftopia
3 Yrs✓#
I started it the other day, only about 1 hour in but I'll definitely keep playing it in the next days. It looks pretty nice so far and I like Mae as the protagonist; Then again, I am a bassist IRL so my opinion on this game might be a bit biased.
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
I'm pretty sure I missed off some themes as well as I didn't talk to the characters enough, I didn't do enough with greg to see his theme and I didn't talk to the woman in the loft enough to really see what she was about.
9 Yrs♥✓#
Yeah, I'm sure there were more, it was just cool seeing that level of analysis. What woman in what loft, though? The woman playing music in the old stage?
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
Yeah that one. You basically had to get to her by getting to the roof and jumping across to the stage. Loft prob not the right word but its the location of a loft
9 Yrs♥✓#
Spoiler: you can unite her with another musician on a roof and they'll start playing in the loft, and then play in the subway tunnel. Not sure what theme you'd take from that, you're the smart one :P