The motivation for Mae, Gregg, Bea, and Angus to get involved with something that quickly reveals itself to be genuinely dangerous is simple and universal: they're bored. The Big Mystery at the center of this adventure is its ultimate expression of that need to escape. Night in the Woods is full of little nods to the ways we sculpt and escape into that "bigger something," like watching bad late-night talk shows, writing poetry, or just breaking stuff sometimes because it feels good. Anyone who has suffered the mandatory ennui of living near the bottom rung of capitalism-who has bagged groceries six days a week or sold TVs they can't afford themselves-will recognize the allure of getting caught up in something bigger. The first is that long-term boredom can sometimes have a pay-off. These, too, have thematic payoff (and fantastic music), but, taken individually rather than as part of the whole, they feel incredibly laborious. It's especially bad during non sequitur dream sequences, where Mae hunts around platforms for collectibles at the end of each day. It may be useful-even vital-to the game's setting, but that doesn't make it any more enjoyable. The tedium of the movement sets the stage and gives you something to do besides thumb through dialogue and occasionally choose how you want to flavor Mae's responses. ![]() There's something to be said for the way this routine mimics real small-town life. Since Night in the Woods is equal parts platformer and adventure game, the player has to go through the motions and make essentially the same rounds over and over. The game is split into in-game days, and the early hours mostly feature Mae waking up, doing her daily check-in with the same citizens in the same spots on the same backgrounds. Night in the Woods does have some pacing issues. The anthropomorphic art expresses as much of a story as actual words, which keeps the very dialogue-heavy game from slowing down any more than it already does. Angus is a loveable, huggable bear, and his boyfriend Gregg is a brand of hyperactive that’s usually only seen in small dogs and foxes. Advertisementīea, the chain-smoking Goth alligator (or maybe crocodile?), can be as prickly as her reptile teeth. Instead they're more like a clever "cheat"-visual shorthand that tells you a great deal about the town full of close-knit acquaintances at a glance. The cast's enormous eyes and simple features feel like they ought to clash with Night in the Woods' no-frills look at American life. Everyone in Possum Springs is some kind of animated animal that's colored in a style reminiscent of Samurai Jack. The acidic taste of the game's early hours is dulled somewhat by Mae’s cartoonish appearance. ![]() Oh, and did I mention that she's an anthropomorphic cat? Colorful reality To put it less simply, Mae comes across as a vessel for Night in the Woods' developer's/writer's musings on what's wrong with today's "entitled youth." At times, especially early on, Mae is so indefensible and so undefended by the game's plot and characters that she seems like the walking embodiment of a "Why Millennials Are Ruining America" article. She dropped out of college-which was seemingly her one chance to escape the literal and figurative abyss swallowing Possum Springs-and has come home to live with her parents while telling her estranged friends how to live. She's a charismatic-enough 20-year-old with no job and zero interest in finding one. We sense all this through Mae Borowski-a protagonist that should feel familiar even to those players who can't identify with the desperation of her rural hometown. Such is life in thousands of forgotten towns across the United States. Such is life in the small, supposedly quiet town of Possum Springs. Then it piles on more of that bitter flavor day after in-game day of modern malaise and hopelessness. Links: Itch.io | Official website Night in the Woods starts on a sour note.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |