

The game takes place as a series of days and nights, from the time Mae wakes until she goes to bed, sometimes followed by a dream sequence before the next day starts. There are no real puzzles to solve but there are several required minigames and some light platforming-nothing that’s going to kill you, literally or figuratively, but if you usually gravitate to adventure games, Night in the Woods may be a little more twitchy than you’re used to.

While dialogues are generally short and most areas have only a few interactive hotspots, exploration has a cumulative effect as you visit the same locations day after day to see who’s there and what’s changed. But while it may have the look and feel of a side-scrolling platformer, this is primarily a story game. Navigation mainly consists of running from left to right to explore horizontally and jumping up on platforms such as ledges, tree branches, power lines, and rooftops to explore vertically. You can play with the keyboard or with a controller. The town is bustling with details such as fallen leaves that kick up as you run through them, pigeons and squirrels on the power lines, jack-o-lanterns that appear on stoops on Halloween, and an array of Possum Springs residents hanging out on doorsteps and rooftops. The game’s most obvious strength is its illustrated art style with a 2D paper cutout effect that emphasizes the crisp shapes and black shadows making up this world. They inhabit a sprawling, lively locale that you get to explore as Mae passes her first days back at home-jobless, aimless, and increasingly anxious over how much this once-familiar place has changed. These anthropomorphized characters have a cool cynicism that keeps them from being too cute. Her friends Bea, Gregg, Angus, and Germ are an emo crocodile, a fox in a leather jacket, a dapper bear, and a bird in a baseball cap. And although Mae has been away for a while, her reputation as a troublemaker with anger issues is still a source of gossip among the locals, some of whom aren’t happy to see her back.Īs you’ve probably noticed from the screenshots, Mae is a cat. The mine has closed down, leaving many residents out of work. Her parents are struggling to keep their house after a poor financial decision.

Her friends have jobs and adult responsibilities. But Possum Springs has changed in her absence. Night in the Woods is a modern-day story about Mae, a college dropout who returns to her small mining town yearning for the familiar comforts of home. This artsy narrative game from indie developer Infinite Fall got a lot of attention leading up to its release, and I’d been looking forward to it ever since playing a demo in 2015. That’s how I feel about Night in the Woods. While the story is certainly a key factor in Little Witch in the Woods, it’s not all that the game has to offer.Ever been to an art museum? You know that awkward feeling when you pause to look at a painting-swipes of color on canvas with no obvious subject-and as you’re standing there twisting your head and squinting, trying to figure out why the heck this paint-spill is hanging on the wall, the person next to you gasps in breathless wonder: Wow.

Keep in mind that you can also interact with townsfolk, go fishing, and hang out with friendly cats. Just make sure to keep notes on what you have and haven’t harvested and what you need to make your next potion. You won’t find yourself running around for hours looking for a single ingredient. For the most part, this game is pretty easy.Sneak around the creatures that you are trying to catch for an easier time picking them up.Remember that you have to be in bed by midnight.You can find Witch Chalk, don’t spend your hard-earned money buying it from Diane.This will save you walking in the future. Try to gather several items at once instead of just getting what you need and heading back home.Little Witch in The Woods Tips for your First Play Throughĭuring your first playthrough, things can feel a bit overwhelming, to overcome this, we have prepared some helpful starter tips below.
