Night in the Woods

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. PSNStores
    Mar 1, 2017
    100
    Night in the Woods culminates in some revelations made in regards to some of the stranger things happening within Possum Springs. It’s an interesting contrast to almost everything leading up to it and ultimately delivers an interesting message that, I think, resonates with much of what Mae’s character is dealing with. Night in the Woods is unafraid to embrace a wealth of issues that young people face in their daily lives. There’s still fun to be had, parties to attend, and songs to jam out to, but it’s also about depression, anxiety, moving on, and cherishing the things that you do have. Night in the Woods delivers a powerful message that resonated with me in ways I wasn’t expecting or prepared for.
  2. GamingTrend
    Apr 14, 2017
    95
    Night in the Woods is a fantastic narrative with a beautiful artstyle, theme and plenty of small touches occupying a wonderful world full of loving characters covering a sinister story underneath.
  3. Destructoid
    Mar 30, 2017
    95
    There isn't an adequate term for titles that blend clunky platforming with choose-you-own-adventure friendship simulators. Nor is there a word to describe games that feature knife-fighting minigames and Guitar Hero-inspired band practices. But, again, maybe that's a big part of Night in the Woods' appeal. It's a confident outsider, and one that takes pleasure is celebrating the weird ways that everything comes together in life.
  5. COGconnected
    Mar 13, 2017
    95
    Night in the Woods is a masterpiece, which may come across like lofty praise considering its indie nature, but it’s wholly earned in every way. It’s not going to appeal to everyone, but if you are an adventure, Metroidvania, sandbox, 2D platformer, or point-and-click fan, then please do yourself a favor and play this interesting, moving, hilarious, and fun experience.
  6. GameSpot
    Feb 1, 2018
    90
    From beginning to end to epilogue, Night in the Woods is ultimately open to individual interpretation. How you relate to it depends on your own experiences and choices, including Mae’s dialogue and who you decide to spend time with. Though its charming and angsty story works well on its own merits, it’s special because of how it prioritizes conveying emotion over telling a straight narrative.
  7. DualShockers
    Mar 5, 2017
    90
    How Night in the Woods manages to capture the anxieties of being stuck in the gap between adult and childhood, how it tackles serious topics like depression, and how it brilliantly understands and recreates the hardships of rural America, is worthy of admiration. Put more simply, Night in the Woods is a unique breath of fresh air, and an experience I’m likely to not forget for a long time.
  8. Push Square
    Mar 5, 2017
    90
    A truly magnificent adventure game. An eclectic array of different gameplay mechanics play off of a small American town vibe incredibly well. While the gameplay is fun and varied, the main attraction is the absolutely incredible writing.
  9. Game Informer
    Feb 23, 2017
    88
    Night in the Woods is a strange tale with an even stranger cast of characters, but it revels in its oddities. The excellent writing pulls off a realistic sense of cynicism, childlike wonder, and comradery between friends. With its careful balance between adult themes and youth, it captures a stage of life that is confusing, frightening, and thrilling. The sluggish pacing can drag, but players fill the time by building friendships and understanding the grim secrets of a town they once again call home.
  10. Vandal
    Mar 4, 2017
    87
    Night in the Woods is one of those games you don't forget, with a great story and relatable characters. Behind that colorful, cartoonish look, there's a very deep world.
  11. IGN
    Feb 25, 2017
    87
    Night in the Woods captures the fears and anxieties of being a young adult with surprising clarity, but brings it into new and interesting territory thanks to its developers’ deep understanding of rural America’s economic hardships. Branching, well-written dialogue made me feel closer to Mae’s story as I helped build out her history and reignite friendships, encouraging a second playthrough to uncover the scenes (and even a few secrets) I know I missed.
  12. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    May 29, 2017
    80
    Forgive its clumsier moments. Play it for its brill soundtrack, loveable-unlovable cast and charmingly rendered brand of nihilism. Then, for god's sake, call your parents. [May 2017, p.97]
    All this publication's reviews
  13. Everyeye.it
    Mar 4, 2017
    80
    Quotation forthcoming.
  14. We Got This Covered
    Feb 28, 2017
    80
    Night in the Woods might get messy with its broad strokes, but it's the fine details that make the game so special.
  15. VideoGamer
    Feb 27, 2017
    80
    While the main narrative drags a little, wonderfully crafted characters that deal with real-life issues, fill this beautiful Saturday morning cartoon show where the mundanity of life is the backdrop for some wonderful exchanges between Mae and her friends.
  16. InsideGamer.nl
    Mar 12, 2017
    75
    Night in the Woods is a graphic novel filled with small stories. The lack of a bigger story and the slow start make this game hard to keep playing, but in the end it is definitely worth while.

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best PS4 Game of 2017
80
#80 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
68
#68 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 199 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 134 out of 199
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 199
  3. Negative: 42 out of 199
  1. Kumasimc
    Feb 21, 2017
    10
    Night in the Woods is a surprising behemoth of a game. A lot of games lately have tried to focus on narrative and often end up sacrificingNight in the Woods is a surprising behemoth of a game. A lot of games lately have tried to focus on narrative and often end up sacrificing gameplay to do it, while of course there are many games that are fun to play with insipid stories. Somehow Night in the Woods has some of the best dialogue in its wonderful story and is also chock full of all kinds of great gameplay. Here it bucks another trend, often games with multifaceted gameplay tend to focus on quantity over quality, with many things to do that aren't all that terribly well put together. Fortunately all of the different gameplay mechanics in this game are solid and fun. Within the first couple of hours you'll find platforming, dialogue-driven gameplay, dungeon crawling, rhythm gameplay and puzzle solving all placed naturally and with finesse. The characters are unique and well written, and the story also manages to perfectly balance humor and depth. If at all possible it is highly recommended to download and play the two supplementary games on itch.io called "Lost Constellation" and "Longest Night". They're free, short, well made and give a fantastic introduction to the world and characters. They are not necessary but are fantastic and make parts of the main game more interesting. Also, on a side note, I've been having a blast playing with other people having everyone pick characters and read the dialogue out loud. It sounds silly, but we've been having a blast and laughing out loud constantly. This game is an absolute steal at 20$ and will appeal to all but the most cynical of gamers, and even maybe a few of them. I know it's a cliche line, but you truly owe it to yourself to experience this game. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll smash some cars, play some bass and electrocute yourself. What more can you ask for?… Full Review »
  2. Goombs
    Feb 25, 2017
    10
    First off I can't believe only 3 guys made this. You wouldn't know. Anyways it looks great,plays great, cool world with beautiful art.

    What    First off I can't believe only 3 guys made this. You wouldn't know. Anyways it looks great,plays great, cool world with beautiful art.

    What sets it apart is the writing and the world. I buy and play a lot of games, from indie to AAA, with good story being my favorite aspect.

    This game has excellent writing. I haven't gotten through the story yet but the world... for a video game you can actually relate to this world, or to be better said the game relates to my world - witty, all too real takes on death, school, community, relationships, it's just plan fun. They talk like I think, smart aleck but true.

    If you're already reading this you're probably wondering if $20 is worth it. Well if you like good story and writing, supporting indie devs, having a laugh while also thinking, then yes, this game is perfect for that.

    I give it a ten because it's twenty bucks, indie devs and the writing is excellent. You can't get writing like this in any AAA game, it's always catered to a mass audience. They took a chance here and succeeded.    … Full Review »
  3. ourtimehascome
    Aug 28, 2017
    3
    Night in the Woods is entirely story based, with few actual gameplay interactions other than basic platforming, walking around, and inspectingNight in the Woods is entirely story based, with few actual gameplay interactions other than basic platforming, walking around, and inspecting an object (in which the main character will then comment on it), or having a conversation with a handful of other characters. Sometimes there are choices to choose what to say, but they don't seem to really affect the overall story or how characters relate to you. It is the story and these conversations which Night in the Woods relies on so significantly that to enjoy it any way whatsoever, you'll have to love its story and dialogue. There's so little else in the game that the gameplay plays such a minor role I would be surprised if anyone could get any enjoyment from it if they didn't find themselves immersed in the plot.

    The artwork and character designs are the best part about Night in the Woods. There are so few levels it renders the game tedious because most of the time you will get up, walk around, find something to do, and go back to sleep, only to repeat this process ad nauseam.

    The story itself concerns the main character, Mae Borowski, a teenage cat in a world of anthropomorphic animals. She has decided to quit school and return home to Possum Springs. Borowski can be an endearing character at times, and I found her to be very relatable to a certain degree. She is naturally inquisitive, and seems to actually want to help others. However, many of the conversations eventually become inane in an effort by the writers to create a false sense of emotional appeal. The plot doesn't become clear until the very end of the game, and even then it's so completely uninspired and unoriginal I found very little reason to justify my time playing a game that believes it's infinitely more clever than it actually is.    … Full Review »
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