LogFAQs > #932366981

<b>#13: Night in the Woods
Released on 1/10/2017
Steam</b>
(written in 2019)

Real talk: Mae Borowski is my spirit animal. I love this trash mammal.

Like Lost Constellation and Longest Night, Night in the Woods crushes it with dialogue. Sometimes its the simplicity of the lines, like when Gregg has cups on his ears and says I have cups on my ears. Sometimes its the adult content you dont expect from a cel-shaded 2D adventure game, like when Maes computer is overrun with pornographic spyware. Sometimes its the shock of personal revelations, like when you realize Mae doesnt remember Beas mom passed away years ago. Sometimes its the heavy-hitting nostalgia, like when Mae finds Mallard P. Bloomingro and shares her childhood memories in this newly-discovered tomb. Sometimes its a silly line in a song about wanting to die anywhere else than here, and sometimes its just the joy of seeing a poetry club be told poems without rhymes is the dumbest thing ever. I have no better way to describe the dialogue than bratty, and it is charming despite its recognition of its own immaturity. This is some of my favorite writing in all of video games.

EEEEEEEELS, people. EEEEEEEELS.

NitW also gets a weird accolade: I dont know that Ive ever seen a game represent the type of small town I grew up in so well. People are worried about jobs as they go to church and put together little holiday festivals. Businesses come and go. Maes insecure about returning to her hometown after failing out of college -- shes stuck seeing her ex at campfires and seeing her friends evolve in their lives since she first left town. Its rural in nature at Possum Springs as it explores themes about life changing and moving on without you. I dont know that my town ever found a severed arm just laying around, but this checks a lot of marks for where I once lived.

And then the game <spoiler>suddenly changes into a ghost story kinda?

The game has some major whiplash about two-thirds into it. It has clues set up to explain the whiplash, but they don't feel like they explain it enough in hindsight or like those clues are relevant when the whiplash comes. Its neat, but less so and in a totally different way. I like the side of NitW where you have a knife-fight just to reminisce over old times with a friend more than what the end of the game had you doing.</spoiler>

The nightmare scenes are odd and sometimes I think they took a little too long, but at least the discovery of music and the unusual metaphors made them worthwhile.

NitW is personal. Its about a cat dropping out and returning home to jump on powerlines when she knows she should get a job, but the game means more than that too.

Play it. If it ever hooks you a little bit, then it probably hooks you a lot. If nothing else, Demon Towers pretty dope for a minigame.

And Gregg rulz ok.

NOW IN 2020: I understand one of the main creators of NitW died young recently, Alec Holowka...hate to see talent like this go. Maybe someone else will take up the mantle of clever dialogue like this going forward. I haven't done deep research on him, but it sounded like he had some personal controversies before he passed...I'll let somebody who knows them better speak about them, but in the meanwhile this game mattered and I appreciate this contribution.

[@MetalmindStats here's your game.]

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