Night in the Woods

 Switch
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 160 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 110 out of 160
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 160
  3. Negative: 25 out of 160

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  1. jcboyer515
    Sep 13, 2020
    10
    Impeccable writing. Such a fantastic story, with great 2D art & awesome music as well. I have nothing else to say, I think the writing for this game is brilliant & I absolutely love how real every character feels.
  2. IndieCrit
    Aug 19, 2018
    10
    I can't stress enough that you have to play this game. The story follows 20 year old Mae Borowski dropping out of college and returning to her hometown, Possum Springs. But nothing is as she remembers. But something bigger is going on. People going missing. And Mae believes it's the work of a ghost. That's what it is. But the story is so much more than that, I don't want to spoil it. TheI can't stress enough that you have to play this game. The story follows 20 year old Mae Borowski dropping out of college and returning to her hometown, Possum Springs. But nothing is as she remembers. But something bigger is going on. People going missing. And Mae believes it's the work of a ghost. That's what it is. But the story is so much more than that, I don't want to spoil it. The characters are all likable (even Mae) and have their own struggles, and everyone does. This game gives the somewhat brutal honesty that you can't get anywhere else, and makes this fantastic. It also looks gorgeous. Get Night in the Woods. Savor it and enjoy every last moment. Don't rush through this game in any circumstances.… Expand
  3. Wencly
    Mar 30, 2020
    10
    One of my favorite games. It was really immersive playing as Mae and feeling her story.
  4. Forunner
    May 24, 2018
    10
    An absolute masterpiece. A jewel in every possible way, be it storytelling or art. No game tackles common social stigmas as effectivelly as Nigh in the Woods and we are talking about a game with cute animals here!
  5. Happyspelling
    Jan 6, 2022
    10
    This game has an amazing and relatable story, tons of creative ideas, and a unique visual style that makes this one of the best indie games I have ever played.
  6. Myudd
    Sep 18, 2019
    10
    The game is amazing and captivating, i have spent some amazing time on it. The characters are well developed throught history and make you like them just like the history. The art of the game is another thing that makes the game so amazing
    I Love this game
  7. Abdulrhman_dev
    Jan 20, 2021
    10
    I am 14 years old boy and I say: AMAZING, I wished if it will never end
    actually, Idk what say I loved the character Mea and I was really sad when it finished ;(... but IT WORTH WOOOORTH I played it for 12 hours maybe? it wasn't all about just watching YOU choose what will happen and live it AMAZING.
  8. paleojuanito
    Nov 13, 2021
    10
    This is a game that in other time of my life I'd name as my favorite game. Sadly I'm in a moment when I don't think I can fully appreciate what it is telling me. The game's art, music and script are stunning. Mae being a good for nothing art school dropout where the biggest same of my life. This is the Solanin of videogames, and I hope it can impact your life as much as Solanin did to me
  9. hannahwashere
    Mar 30, 2023
    10
    Incredible soundtrack, and a game full of quirks and character. I love the character design and story telling.
  10. bulger_paul
    Aug 9, 2018
    9
    Night in the Woods is a hilarious and heartfelt portrait of a depressed town left behind and devastated by late stage capitalism.

    My only complaint is the minigames. They're cute I guess, and they can be funny, but the controls are wonky, which makes them a bit annoying. If this game had fully committed more to being an interactive novel, or if they had refined the minigames, and given    Night in the Woods is a hilarious and heartfelt portrait of a depressed town left behind and devastated by late stage capitalism.

    My only complaint is the minigames. They're cute I guess, and they can be funny, but the controls are wonky, which makes them a bit annoying. If this game had fully committed more to being an interactive novel, or if they had refined the minigames, and given them more of a purpose, or at least rewarded you for doing well, then this game would be absolutely perfect. But even with those minor flaws, it's a masterpiece.    … Expand
  11. spongeswift
    Feb 17, 2018
    9
    Night In the Woods is one of the most investing games I have EVER played. Personally I found out about the game shortly after it's switch release and was thoroughly interested. It looked cozy and sweet from a small part of a playthrough that I watched and boy was I so wrong and right at the same time. The game gets weirder and weirder every single time Mae goes to sleep and wakes upNight In the Woods is one of the most investing games I have EVER played. Personally I found out about the game shortly after it's switch release and was thoroughly interested. It looked cozy and sweet from a small part of a playthrough that I watched and boy was I so wrong and right at the same time. The game gets weirder and weirder every single time Mae goes to sleep and wakes up again. I really focused on Mae and Bea's relationship in this game since it was much deeper and personal. I didn't really enjoy the quests with Gregg because overall his character structure was much more simple then Bea's. Once halloween comes the game turns into a warmer more relaxing game into an outright horror game. The ending however is where my one gripe comes in. WHY DID IT END THERE. I feel like there was so much more structure than what the game let us do. It didn't ruin the game for me but I know that it's the reason why I don't think it's perfect. We really need a sequel or continuation of the the story. So much has not been explained.… Expand
  12. Fala_fi
    Feb 18, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Loved it but i think that the part of the Cult was boring as hell there were no emotion, i felt like it was a unecessary part… Expand
  13. Fix
    Mar 7, 2018
    8
    Night in the Woods is a mostly-narrative game; meaning the majority of your time will be clicking through dialogs. It's the kind of game where I'd encourage you to talk to every character for maximum enjoyment. While most of the conversations in the game are optional, it defeats the purpose of the game to skip through them. If that doesn't sound fun, you probably won't enjoy the game. IfNight in the Woods is a mostly-narrative game; meaning the majority of your time will be clicking through dialogs. It's the kind of game where I'd encourage you to talk to every character for maximum enjoyment. While most of the conversations in the game are optional, it defeats the purpose of the game to skip through them. If that doesn't sound fun, you probably won't enjoy the game. If you want to sit down and read a relaxing, well-executed story, this game delivers. The character development is superb and the writing is charming.… Expand
  14. abhijeetgaiha
    Jul 20, 2018
    8
    One of the most absorbing stories I have ever encountered in a game. The game takes patience but the surprises just keep coming throughout. Anyone looking for a action should stay away as this is one really slow burn of a game.
  15. LuisSnow
    Feb 7, 2018
    8
    Night in the woods offers an atmosphere and history that intrigues you wanting to see what is going to happen next. Each character have a different personality and their development is interesting. I like that you can set the backstory and choose the dialogues of the protagonist. The art is quite simple but really charming, I feel myself inside a cartoon. The town seems lively and thatNight in the woods offers an atmosphere and history that intrigues you wanting to see what is going to happen next. Each character have a different personality and their development is interesting. I like that you can set the backstory and choose the dialogues of the protagonist. The art is quite simple but really charming, I feel myself inside a cartoon. The town seems lively and that many things are going on. The music always adds more to the atmosphere of each scene. Sometimes there are slightly frame drops and loading screens, but I think it's not a deal breaker.

    Night in the woods is a good game that deserve your attention.    … Expand
  16. ijol
    Feb 7, 2019
    8
    Definitely one of the best scripts I've ever experienced in a game. The dialogs are well made and all of the characters are pretty lovable. This is the game I choose to play on the weekend, laid back, light-hearted, and compelling.
  17. abrus
    Jan 20, 2022
    8
    If this game looks like you kind of 'thing' from the trailer, you should DEFINITELY play it! The dialogue is clever, the characters are cool and engaging, the art style is lovely and the music sets a really absorbing atmosphere. I found the story interesting, thought provoking, and really meaningful too. In short, this was a highly memorable gaming experience for me. I have only scoredIf this game looks like you kind of 'thing' from the trailer, you should DEFINITELY play it! The dialogue is clever, the characters are cool and engaging, the art style is lovely and the music sets a really absorbing atmosphere. I found the story interesting, thought provoking, and really meaningful too. In short, this was a highly memorable gaming experience for me. I have only scored this an 8 and not a 9 for a couple of reasons:
    1. It only took around 8 hours to complete (although I think I accidently missed a few things a long the way).
    2. The brief loading between zones is slightly annoying.
    3. The 3rd and 4th hour of my playthrough got a bit 'samey' and I almost considered quitting to play something else. I'm so glad I didn't though because then the story got REALLY good and I just binged the rest of the game right till the end from that point on.
    Be aware: this is more of a 'playable story' than a full-on gaming experience. It is easy to complete but it is certainly not a game for kids. I REALLY enjoyed my time with this - if you are curious you should definitely give this game a try!    … Expand
  18. LeonKn
    May 31, 2021
    8
    Great game full of charm, humor, wonderful characters and a really gripping and well written story. If you like slow paced story based games with a lot of dialogue, choices and exploring I really recommend this little gem.
  19. Fault-boy
    Jul 18, 2018
    7
    It's a well-written game with a weak ending.
    Feels tiresome by the lack of active moments (neither having a rich and diverse exploration as a Point n' Click or action as a platafomer or even flexible as an intimate life-sim like Animal Crossing) and repetition of the same routine, heavily compensated by the quality of the writing and the fun little mini-games.
    The ending was really a    It's a well-written game with a weak ending.
    Feels tiresome by the lack of active moments (neither having a rich and diverse exploration as a Point n' Click or action as a platafomer or even flexible as an intimate life-sim like Animal Crossing) and repetition of the same routine, heavily compensated by the quality of the writing and the fun little mini-games.
    The ending was really a let-down. Felt rushed and unnecessary.    … Expand
  20. Bullish
    Mar 27, 2019
    7
    There's no puzzles, there's no fighting, there's no platforming, but there is something that gets its claws in you. Maybe it's a little bit of a second life game. I don't know, but it really sucked me in for the first half. By the time the second half rolled around, Mae was getting a little too emo for me and I was ready for the game to end.

    Spoiler: i don't know if the monster in the    There's no puzzles, there's no fighting, there's no platforming, but there is something that gets its claws in you. Maybe it's a little bit of a second life game. I don't know, but it really sucked me in for the first half. By the time the second half rolled around, Mae was getting a little too emo for me and I was ready for the game to end.

    Spoiler: i don't know if the monster in the hole was supposed to be allegorical but I would have liked to have seen it nonetheless.    … Expand
  21. nusco
    Jan 10, 2019
    7
    Night in the Woods looks like a cross between a point-and-click adventure and a platformer. It's neither: it's a well-written piece of interactive fiction. It pivots around the conversations between its socially maladjusted protagonists, and is pushed around by scripted sequences and a handful of minigames. The experience feels more like reading a novel than playing a game. It is, however,Night in the Woods looks like a cross between a point-and-click adventure and a platformer. It's neither: it's a well-written piece of interactive fiction. It pivots around the conversations between its socially maladjusted protagonists, and is pushed around by scripted sequences and a handful of minigames. The experience feels more like reading a novel than playing a game. It is, however, a good novel.

    Don't be mislead by the cute graphics. Night in the Woods collected awards for venturing where others games wouldn't, into serious themes such as mental health and social desease. The dialogues between the college dropout Mia and her quietly desperate small-town friends elicit a lot of chuckles, but each chuckle is counterbalanced by a tiny heartbreak. One way or the other, it's hard to play through this game without feeling emotionally involved with its cast of lovely jerks.

    Many people loved this game, and many were touched by it. Unfortunately, the story derails in the last act, suddenly shifting from understatement to throwaway maximalism. It's like the authors didn't dare write an entire game centered around intimistic dialogues, and felt the need to spice it up with some implausible action.

    Even with that gratuitous fourth act spoiling the soup, there is no denying that Night in the Woods is a courageous game. That's what independent games should be.    … Expand
  22. Zenek73
    Jul 12, 2019
    7
    The game is good but loading screens every 5 minutes? It's quite simple graphically game - so for me it's the biggest drawback. It's strange and it would be great if it could be fixed!
    And... I'm bored after the end... I thought it's much better
  23. Sonicblaze
    Apr 3, 2019
    7
    Here’s the thing; the game is beautiful and features really well written dialogue. That’s what’s going for it. Unfortunately the story itself is not great and the game itself is barely a game. It’s essentially a story you click through. Very slow paced. And the presence of loading screens, while not long, are extremely frequent which is confusing as this is a very low graphic game.
  24. yertre
    Feb 6, 2021
    7
    Night in The Woods is a well written piece of semi-interactive fiction, and mostly delivers in this regard. The walking is painfully slow, as is the overall pacing. If you can deal with that, the game's story is quite relatable and touching. It deals with the theme of displacement, but the story takes an abrupt turn after 8 hours which may not sit well with some.

    The ending was also    Night in The Woods is a well written piece of semi-interactive fiction, and mostly delivers in this regard. The walking is painfully slow, as is the overall pacing. If you can deal with that, the game's story is quite relatable and touching. It deals with the theme of displacement, but the story takes an abrupt turn after 8 hours which may not sit well with some.

    The ending was also rather weak, but the writing and mini-games more or less make up for it. As I said, if you can deal with the pacing, there are some great moments here, and I think this game means a lot to a lot of people for good reason.    … Expand
  25. apa-sl
    Mar 16, 2019
    6
    I cannot share the enthusiasm around this game (and I really love adventure games). I could not get sucked by the story (although it was quite interesting) nor the main character. I have definitely missed some good old school more complicated puzzles (or even any at all?). As I really enjoyed Thimbleweed Park or Earthworms or The Inner World series - this one is not 100% for me.
  26. RedPixel
    Jun 16, 2018
    5
    Night in the Woods is barely a "game", to my mind, and is more like interactive fiction although I'm not sure there are actually any important forks in the story that unfolds. It all felt very linear, like I was being pushed to experience a specific next chapter of the story, and sometimes had to choose things I didn't want to choose. I found it very tedious most of the time to have toNight in the Woods is barely a "game", to my mind, and is more like interactive fiction although I'm not sure there are actually any important forks in the story that unfolds. It all felt very linear, like I was being pushed to experience a specific next chapter of the story, and sometimes had to choose things I didn't want to choose. I found it very tedious most of the time to have to keep clicking through dialog and even though I had choices about what I said here and there, most of the choices didn't have any consequences.

    I should mention that I liked OxenFree, and in some ways the storytelling gameplay of that resembles Night in the Woods. It took me a little while to settle into / start enjoying OxenFree, so I wondered if this might be the same, but it's not in the sense that there are actual significant forks in the story in OxenFree, and your choices do have significant effects on the story.

    In playing Night in the Woods, I did eventually get into its sometimes trippy mojo and came to tolerate the load screen after load screen game play, and wanted to hear the story out. But if I'd known what this was before I bought it ("not really a game"), I probably wouldn't have.

    I do like the aesthetic of the game, including both music and visuals, and enjoyed the mini games that were the dream sequences. I don't think the controls were well mapped for playing on the Switch, and found "band practice" in particular very annoying (four strings, all A, B, X, Y keys). X is overloaded to be a game save and exit (why?!), but is also access to your journal.

    I really appreciate the creative effort that went into this game and the complex issues that were tackled in the story line (although I think the complexity and depth of that story ends up undermined by the weird backstory of what happened to Casey). There is a lot that's good here, just not what I was hoping for.    … Expand
  27. memus
    Apr 28, 2021
    4
    The game was dissapointing :(

    + Great music and art style
    - Weak story and writing (writing is funny, but way to sparse to be interesting). By the end I was simply skipping through dialog to finish the game.
    - Unresponsive controls and missing gameplay. It's not even a great adventure game. More like an animated story, interrupted by your need to press A all the time.
  28. bennyslen
    Feb 21, 2018
    4
    I tried, i tried really hard to finish this game, but it's just too boring, so this review is based in the first 5 hours.

    Pro - The characters are nice, honest and almost everything they say sounds natural, cool and with some humor. - The soundtrack sounded decent. - I love the art stile of the game, and mixing it with the adult content it has, looks brillant Cons - The game want    I tried, i tried really hard to finish this game, but it's just too boring, so this review is based in the first 5 hours.

    Pro
    - The characters are nice, honest and almost everything they say sounds natural, cool and with some humor.
    - The soundtrack sounded decent.
    - I love the art stile of the game, and mixing it with the adult content it has, looks brillant

    Cons
    - The game want you to have the feeling of choice, but in so many moments you have to do things you don't want to, even though it sounds you would have the option to not do it.
    - The gameplay is basically go around the city and talk to people, that's it. Don't get me wrong, that's nothing bad in a game with these mechanics, BUT. If i take telltale games for example, thats basically just talking as well, i get super excited with the story. But this game, it doesnt focus in any story, it has a lot of things happening and you don't give a **** to any of them. For example, in the beggining of the game you find an arm on the ground and... thats it, you don't give a **** the game doesnt let u go for it to know where it came from.
    - No voice actors. Again, i don't mind for voice acting, but in a game with SOOOO many dialogs, it gets boring to read normal conversations that don't get anywhere.

    So maybe the story would get better later and i missed it, but for now i just feel i wasted 20$.    … Expand
  29. rebster
    Jan 18, 2022
    3
    I am not one that is hard to please when it comes to games and it usually doesn’t take too much to make me enjoy a game, so this type of review is a first for me. This game is actually boring. You play as Mae that quit college and goes back to her home town and hangs out with her three friends. Playing as Mae you get the sense that apart from your parents and maybe those friends, no oneI am not one that is hard to please when it comes to games and it usually doesn’t take too much to make me enjoy a game, so this type of review is a first for me. This game is actually boring. You play as Mae that quit college and goes back to her home town and hangs out with her three friends. Playing as Mae you get the sense that apart from your parents and maybe those friends, no one likes you or wants you to be around which is not an enjoyable feeling. You walk around and talk to your friends during the day and then maybe you’ll end up going to band practice or hanging out with one of your friends. Then you go to sleep and have the same repetitive dreams almost every night.

    That is basically the game for the first 70% of it and then you actually have your night in the woods and the story ends up developing in an unexpected and mostly unwanted and unneeded way. All for it to end in the most unsatisfying and unresolved way ever.

    The game is mostly dialogue and not much game, which is fine and I accept it for what it is. What’s frustrating is that you have to choose answers which ultimately have no impact, it feels like they added this to the game just so you feel like you’re doing something and not just reading.

    The game could also use more music. There are instances where there’s no music going on and you’re just sat there reading dialogue, even when it’s a suspenseful moment that could benefit from some music to set the mood. What the game has going for it is the way it looks, which is beautiful.    … Expand
  30. Blender
    May 12, 2019
    1
    This game is absolutely terrible. it lacks any game play what so ever so the only thing it relies on is the dialogue and story and needless to say both are horrendous . your choices have practically 0 effect on the story and no one talks like real people. I've seen many people praise this game for how natural the dialogue is but it all boils down to the words "like" or "ugh" with manyThis game is absolutely terrible. it lacks any game play what so ever so the only thing it relies on is the dialogue and story and needless to say both are horrendous . your choices have practically 0 effect on the story and no one talks like real people. I've seen many people praise this game for how natural the dialogue is but it all boils down to the words "like" or "ugh" with many text boxes only containing 1 of those 2 words, or lol random xD middle school humor, you know when a kid says "lol muffinz" thats as deep as the humor gets . if you think this is how real 20 year old acts you've probably spent all of high school and middle school writing fan fiction. The story itself is nothing, you walk around at a snails pace reading the most boring or unfunny dialogue until the last hour of this around 9 hour snooze fest when they try to force a crappy murder mystery down your throat. the story has no setup aside from someone mentioning a murder off hand like twice and it does not connect at all to the rest of the game nor does it make any sense. As much as game theory wants you to think this game is a metaphor for something all kids go through theres just no deeper meaning here. its just unrealistic characters doing and saying mundane things. theres no game play aside from walking at .2 mph(and like 2 terrible minigames) and theres no story that you cant get from scrolling down tumblr in 2012 its just a complete waste of 9 hours.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best Switch Game of 2018
53
#53 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
97
#97 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Sep 5, 2018
    80
    It's the cast that makes Night in the Woods so memorable. [Issue #34 – July/August 2018, p. 20]
  2. Gameblog.fr
    May 7, 2018
    80
    Night in The Woods is a surprising narrative game whose childish graphic style hides a resolutely adult story, through the themes it addresses between two laughing dialogues of a rare quality.
    Read full review
  3. God is a Geek
    Mar 27, 2018
    75
    The Switch port is almost excellent.
    Read full review
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