Night in the Woods, an indie adventure game that follows Mae Borowski after she left college, finally comes out on PC and PlayStation 4.
Night in The Woods gameplay trailer
Features of Night in The Woods game
From introductory scenes you will be faced with numerous gameplay elements to test you in a certain way. You will explore the city, talk with friends, play bass in bands with small rhythm games, and try some platform sections. To reach a specific area, you need to know how to jump, and the first platform section does not explain how.
The best way is to press the jump button three times to land. In the third jump, you can jump in the air and reach places you can't do otherwise. The platform section is not difficult or especially infrequent, but it will help you know how to reach all the places you need.
Some tips and tricks
It can be hard to find time to complete a video game, especially if you can only play a few hours a week. New bi-weekly column shortplay suggests video games that can start and end on weekends. As this is a long weekend in the US, this game is slightly longer than usual.
Knight in the Woods is the story of a hawk, a 20-year-old college sophomore who returned home for the first time in nearly two years after deciding to quit school. It was released on PC and PlayStation 4 last February after successfully kickstarting in 2013.
I recently chose it when an enhanced version called Night in the Woods: Weird Autumn entered the switch earlier this month. When there was constant news about 20 things that made very wrong decisions, playing it made me think about what an adult is.
The game is a mix of side scrolling platformer and some point-and-click adventure game elements (navigation through some light puzzle solving). The hawk wanders through the town walking through the streets, walking on power lines or running along the rooftops. While exploring, you can talk with Mae's neighbors, friends and family and learn more about them and their stories.
Possum Springs
Possum Springs is where Mae spent most of his life. This made the city familiar once, but for almost two years she became very foreign to her who left, so the exploration feels natural. The mining and manufacturing jobs were all dry, and the local shops, once the institutions were closed, were replaced by national retailers. Thus, it not only makes sense, but also serves to introduce the village to unrelated players, such as the place where the hawk is.
As you explore, you also begin to better understand who the falcon is and how she adapted to this place. It also seems that the space she once occupied no longer exists. Her friends and family are adapting to this change. Her mom runs a reception in a local church, and her dad lost factory jobs, but now she runs a deli counter in a large chain supermarket.
Her friends now have a job, a plan and a responsibility for the future. These are the ones that lack hawks completely. There is a gag in the game where people call hawks "kids." For example, she is angry, pointing out that she is 20 years old. The person reaffirms that she is actually a "child." One of Mae's friends does this despite being two months younger than her.
It was intended as a joke but actually tells a fairly deep truth about Mae. Not only do these people not see her as an adult, but that she is not an adult.
After reaching adult point
Being an adult is just what you are, not staying after reaching that point. Rather, the point I want the game to make and what I agree with is that it is a state of responsibility to myself. I understand that the actions you take affect me, those around me and potentially the community. Hawk constantly interacts with villagers who have made choices.
Because they don't want to, they have to do it. They were responsible for that decision. On the other hand, Mae is moving away from his responsibility as he leaves college. Ironically, where she ran was the place where she had to be an adult sooner than staying in school. This game is not totally judged or sympathetic to Mae.
I understand that she is doing some work. If the game was run for a period of time longer than a week or two that passed the game, I found that responsibility was less understood and more encouraging.
Knight in the Woods reminds us that the transition to adulthood, to responsibility is not the same for everyone. And while adults need some sympathy and understanding, even if they don't, it doesn't mean they're not responsible.
