Night in the Woods is not a traditional platforming 2D adventure game. Where the heroes embark on noble purposes for the betterment of the world. Instead, we follow Mae Borowski an anthropomorphic cat that’s kind of a jerk.

Mae is basically the walking poster child of a hated “Millennial” minus the avocado toast. A college dropout in her small hometown of Possum Springs she’s come home with pretty much all the angst one can muster at that age. Through the beautiful design, excellent writing, and fascinating characters, Infinite Fall’s game perfectly captures the struggles of finding your place in the world.

Night in the Woods was one of our Top 10 Games Coming Out In February. The game arose from the successful funding of Infinite Fall’s Kickstarter campaign.

The game is visually stunning and has an amazing soundtrack courtesy of Holowka. While there is the occasional platforming experience the game is a lot more than that. Instead think of it as a patchwork collection of melancholic narrative, anarchic vandalism, and mini-games.

About Mae

Mae Borowski, a 20 year old cat that has dropped out of college and returned to her home town to work out where her life is going. The mining town and its inhabitants are facing economic hardship and the realities of work and responsibilities. In the meantime, Mae sleeps until the afternoon, talks to her friends and wanders the streets during the day. But at night she is transported to a supernatural world in her dreams.

Being Mae is what Night in the Woods is about. You’ll read the phrase “hang out” in almost every scene. Whether that means to wait or to simply spend time with people – because that is what you spend your time doing. Mae’s friends (Gregg, Bea, and Angus) have jobs, people to care for, and bills to pay. Yet Mae’s toughest decision is deciding who to spend time with each day. You and one of Mae’s friends do all kinds of things from stealing belt-buckles at the mall to fixing an old lady’s boiler. That may all seem like a tedious way to spend your time but getting to know the characters, and more about Mae herself is what makes Night in the Woods so special.

Possum Springs

Told through text alone, each character has their own story. Even though they’re 2D animals, they sound like real people, with detailed personalities and a vast array of issues. The pace at which the text is displayed is spot-on and the pauses and stutters add emotion to the particularly personal moments. You can feel the characters changing over the course of the game, as they begin to react to situations differently and form noticeably stronger relationships.

The little moments are what make Night in the Woods so special. Whether they be the conversations with Mom and Dad each day, the arguments between Mae and Aunt Mall Cop. Or the times you learn about the horrible things that have happened to the inhabitants of Possum Springs while Mae has been at college. The balance between amusing and heart-breaking moments is perfect.

Although all the characters can be funny at times, Night in the Woods covers some dark subjects. Townspeople have money problems, cancer has ripped families apart, and depression is a theme that runs through. However, none of it feels out of place in the colourful world of talking animals. The fact that each personal story feels believable and evokes an emotional reaction in such an unconventional world is another testament to the fantastic writing.

Night In The Woods

Aside from the wonderful side stories, there is also the main story that is told over the four main chapters of Night in the Woods. Possum Springs used to be a mining town but the work has dried up. The town is being re-vamped, and sinkholes are engulfing people’s houses.

Each night, Mae dreams of a dark world inhabited by giant creatures with deep whispering voices. As Mae discovers more about her town, she learns that what she has been seeing may have something to do with the town’s problems and the mysterious people that live there.

The mystery is interesting and gives the game more of a purpose than the small personal interactions do. The majority of the main story is told in the third and fourth chapters. It is an interesting ending, and one I certainly didn’t anticipate, but the way in which it is told removes the emotional impact is should have had.

Night in the Woods is available on PlayStation 4, PC, Mac and Linux.