Night in the Woods

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 55

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 55

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 55

A summary of the critical opinion for this game will be provided after release or a minimum of 15 reviews have been aggregated.

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Awards & Recognition

Critic Reviews for Night in the Woods

Reviews

High Score - 100/100

Low Score - 45/100

Gold TIER

38% of scored reviews fell within the range of 86 to 92 / 100

Chloi Rad (IGN)

8.7/10

“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.”

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Andy Kelly (PC Gamer)

82/100

“A beautiful, heartfelt coming of age story that says something about life, and cracks a few jokes in the process.”

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Edwin Evans-Thirlwell (Eurogamer)

Recommended

“A witty smalltown adventure with light puzzle-platforming elements that walks the line between nostalgia and nihilism.”

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**Read all 55 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (55 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
3DNews	Александр Бабулин	10 / 10	03-03-2017	Mae is a cat. Mae is a young adult back to Possum Springs, to get her childhood back and to find herself. Soulful personal story made with infinite love for those who’re ready to listen, to experience it together with the narrator. For those who prefer the apple crate of books full of ghost stories that your beloved grandfather left you over the next blockbuster.	Read review
Ars Technica	Steven Strom	Recommended	03-07-2017	Night in the Woods wastes just a little too much time before getting to the heart of a story about the value of life when life doesn’t seem worth living. Buy it.	Read review
BaziCenter	احسان محمدی	8 / 10	03-01-2018	The moment you step in the Possum Springs, You’ll fall in love with it. Setting the bar high for interactive storytelling, Night in the Woods does every other thing just right; from magical artistic design to charming music to smart dialogues. One of the best indie titles in the recent years.	Read review
CGMagazine	Andrew Ko	9 / 10	03-03-2017	As poignant and raw as ever, Night in the Woods feels more at home on Switch than anywhere else.	Read review
COGconnected	Stephan Adamus	95 / 100	03-13-2017	The Samurai Jack-like graphics seem cutesy, but Night in the Woods earns a master class in tone.	Read review
Cubed3	Adam Riley	8 / 10	04-28-2017	This is an adventure game the likes of which is rarely seen anymore and is completely unlike anything else on Switch.	Read review
Destructoid	Raymond Porreca	9.5 / 10	03-30-2017	All of this — the unique pieces that make up Night in the Woods — goes back to why it’s so damn hard to define the game. 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.	Read review
DualShockers	Tyler Fischer	9 / 10	03-05-2017	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.	Read review
Eurogamer	Edwin Evans-Thirlwell	Recommended	02-28-2017	A witty smalltown adventure with light puzzle-platforming elements that walks the line between nostalgia and nihilism.	Read review
FingerGuns	Rossko Keniston	10 / 10	02-07-2018	Night in the Woods and it’s one of the most important experiences I’ve had as an enthusiast of this industry for over 30 years.	Read review
Game Informer	Elise Favis	8.8 / 10	02-23-2017	Natural, clever dialogue is the most compelling aspect, mixing black humor, charm, and profound observations	Read review
Gamefa	Hossein Sadri	4.5 / 10	03-13-2017	As a gamer, I care about “how to say” more than “what to say”. Night in the Woods has a great story but doesn’t know how to narrate it. So all we have is a boring adventure game that makes you fall asleep.	Read review
GameMAG	xtr	7 / 10	03-07-2017	Night in the Woods is like a book with a bright cover, but filled with old newspapers. You can compare it with Oxeenfree, but the last one was more solid and in many ways better. However, if you like that story about the lighthouses, you can try this	Read review
GameSkinny	ThatRainbowThing	10 / 10	03-28-2017	Don’t let this kitten fool you, she and her friends are super tough and loyal to the core.	Read review
GameSpot	Kallie Plagge	9 / 10	02-28-2017	Night in the Woods delivers an evocative take on the early-20s existential crisis with awkward humor and charming characters.	Read review
GamingTrend	Sean Anthony	95 / 100	04-14-2017	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.	Read review
GBAtemp	Austin Trujillo	8 / 10	03-12-2017	Night in the Woods is about growing up in a world that doesn’t seem to give a damn about you, something so many of us can almost relate to today. It’s about growing up when you thought you were already grown up. It’s about embracing your emotions and coming to terms with your failures. It’s about cherishing the past but also learning to let it go. And it’s one of the nicest indie games I’ve had the pleasure of playing in recent memory.	Read review
GearNuke	Muhammad Ali Bari	8.5 / 10	02-02-2018	Night in the Woods is as charming as ever on the Nintendo Switch. The performance is a bit of a mixed bag and there can be some bugs, but all said, it is a solid port that offers a great experience whether you play it on the big screen or take it with you for some portable adventure.	Read review
God is a Geek	Nick Gillham	8.5 / 10	03-02-2017	Witty, smart and great to look at, there are many worse ways to spend your time than a Night in with Night in the Woods.	Read review
Guardian	Kat Brewster	5 / 5 stars	03-14-2017	This brilliant patchwork of storytelling, vandalism and melancholic reminiscences at the local mall is set to go down as a millennial classic	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Charles Blades	4.5 / 5 stars	03-04-2017	Nearly one year later, Night in the Woods remains one of the most quotable and passion-fueled indie titles in recent years.	Read review
Hey Poor Player	Jay Petrequin	4.5 / 5 stars	03-08-2017	It’s quite something to play a leg of the game where Mae finds out the local Italian restaurant is closing to her utter dismay, and to then turn off my console and go to a meeting of my college newspaper where we have to discuss writing an article about the landmark hobby shop in town closing its doors after 25 years. For a world filled with cartoon animal characters, Night in the Woods is actually one of the most stark, realistic depictions of a non-landmark city part of America I’ve seen in a game.	Read review
Hobby Consolas	David Martinez	85 / 100	02-07-2018	Night in the Woods tells a sad story in many levels. We love the art direction and the soundtrack (specially in minigames and dream levels), but it is not a game for everyone. Gameplay falls short compared to narrative elements.	Read review
IGN	Chloi Rad	8.7 / 10	02-25-2017	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.	Read review
IGN Italy	Alessandra Minuz	7.5 / 10	03-01-2017	Night in the Woods is a charming game. I was fascinated by its general atmosphere, graphics and music, which I found amazing. It’s a good adventure overall, with very well written dialogues, but its bare mechanics made it kinda boring for me. The player doesn’t really have to do that much, remaining extremely passive. It’s interesting how the designers were able to deal with difficult themes such as depression, anxiety and child abuse in a very congenial way, without sounding too inane or obnoxious, but they did put a lot of accent on these aspects making the real plot marginal.	Read review
IGN Spain	Carlos G. Gurpegui	9 / 10	03-13-2017	Night in the Woods is an universal game about the fear of becoming and adult. A fear to struggle with politcs, money and family. A fear to lose your beloved ones and yourself. A fear to life itself. But it’s also a survival guide to life and adultness and one of the best written videogames of the last few months.	Read review
Kotaku	Riley MacLeod	Recommended	02-24-2017	The main plot of Night in the Woods didn’t move me much, and in fact it disappointed me a little in its shift from relatable ‘people stuff’ into grander, supernatural machinations. But for me the plot was secondary to the experience of kicking around town, bumping Mae up against everybody’s lives, seeing myself, who I could have been, who I’ll never be.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	8 / 10	02-05-2018	A hugely impressive achievement in interactive storytelling, that tackles difficult subjects head-on but still manages to be life-affirming and relatable.	Read review
New Game Network	Josh Hinke	82 / 100	03-02-2017	I wish there was more to do in Night in the Woods, but that doesn’t stop it from being a delight. I love that it addresses something relevant and honest. It’s a slice of life that speaks to a generation and explores a world with unusual depth.	Read review
Nintendo Life	Dom Reseigh-Lincoln	9 / 10	02-04-2018	Less of a game, and more of an interactive story with some light platforming and exploring to tie it all together, Night In The Woods is one of the most rewarding experiences you can play on Nintendo Switch. A curio better played for yourself than described by us, it’s an indie title that will no doubt leave an impression with its enchanting soundtrack, disarming story and instantly identifiable character arcs. Both strange and wonderful in equal measure, few games are as easy to recommend as this.	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	Alexander Morningstar	9 / 10	02-02-2018	The story is great, the music is fine, and the game runs well in both docked and handheld mode. Night in the Woods did not really leave me with a lot of complaints. So if you’re interested in trying out a well-written story that is fairly relaxing in gameplay to get through, but also want to immerse yourself in an environment along the lines of something like Oxenfree, then Night in the Woods is definitely a must-have.	Read review
PC Gamer	Andy Kelly	82 / 100	02-28-2017	A beautiful, heartfelt coming of age story that says something about life, and cracks a few jokes in the process.	Read review
PCWorld	Hayden Dingman	4 / 5 stars	03-14-2017	Night in the Woods may be a pastiche of influences, but as far as video games go, there’s really nothing else like it, and there’s a lot to be learned from spending a dozen days in Mae’s life—about her and her friends, about yourself, about America and towns forgotten by time.	Read review
Player2.net.au	Dylan Burns	Recommended	02-18-2018	An interactive story like nothing I’ve played, I couldn’t recommend Night in the Woods as a light experience. It is, however, quite an interesting and impactful one, and one that has kept me thinking, even as I write this review.	Read review
Polygon	Justin McElroy	7.5 / 10	03-03-2017	Night in the Woods isn’t perfect. I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. Life isn’t perfect. But as the game itself tries to espouse, if you’ve got the patience, you may find that there is true beauty in that revelation.	Read review
Post Arcade (National Post)	Chad Sapieha	9 / 10	02-23-2017	The anthropomorphized animals in Infinite Fall’s indie narrative adventure are as complicated and emotional as any real-world college-aged kid	Read review
Press Start	Seamus Mullins	9 / 10	03-27-2017	Featuring a quirky and charming art style and a fittingly subtle and cute soundtrack, Night in the Woods is a serious look at life and at its hardest moments in its various forms – In particular mental health and making the transition to adulthood. It’s also a look at the best bits of life, deep and meaningful relationships and connections, edgy clothes, and of course terrible puns. It’s a tight knit package with more depth than I ever could have imagined going in, and well worth the price of admission.	Read review
Pure Playstation	Kyle Durant	8.5 / 10	02-27-2017	Night in the Woods is one of those art forms that takes you on a journey rather than providing exciting gameplay. This could have been a book or a movie and I would still relish the chance to dive into the world once more. The characters come to life like few other video game icons can and the conversations through written dialogue is some of the best gaming has to offer. It says something about a title when the only things you have to worry about are slight dips in pace and repetitive day to day motions. Although that very well could fit in with the game’s theme. If you’re looking for a unique and meaningful tale of self-discovery, Night in the Woods needs to be in your virtual library as soon as possible.	Read review
Push Square	Graham Banas	9 / 10	03-05-2017	Night in the Woods is 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. A college-aged life crisis story paired with some much darker and more sinister elements is used as the framework for developing some of the best-realised relationships we’ve seen in gaming. All of this set to an incredible soundtrack, while utilising a wonderful art style with exceptional use of colours that makes the experience that much sweeter. A few small complaints aside, this title offers a remarkable demonstration on how to write a game, and definitely stands out as one of the best Kickstarter releases we’ve encountered thus far.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	John Walker	Recommended	02-27-2017	I started off really not liking it, I grew to completely love it, and I walk away from it with so much love but a wobble of doubt. It’s by far the most elaborately graphical piece of interactive fiction, but in being so it suggests it’s going to be other things too, and it’s hard (certainly at first) to let go of all that, just let it be what it is.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Jem Sagcal	9 / 10	03-27-2017	All I can confirm with absolution is that I loved it and it’s an experience I will take on again. I will read theories and I will understand the certain mental issues discussed. I will listen to the game’s soundtrack because the music is beautiful; it’s jazzy and relaxing. I will, also, most probably download wallpaper for my phone because I can guarantee, it has too much heart and soul to not be forgotten.	Read review
SpazioGames	Gianluca Arena	9 / 10	02-21-2018	Leaving Possum Sprigns is one of the hardest things we’ve done in the last years of gaming: Mae Borowski and her fellow young adults have left a memorable stain in our hearts, and we’re already looking forward to go visit them again. Don’t miss one of the best narrative experiences ever.	Read review
SwitchWatch	Juan Romero	8 / 10	02-02-2018	A Night in the Woods is a game which requires patience and is best savoured like a good wine or meal. There is lots to explore, many strands of story to uncover, and Possom Springs is a place with characters which just draws you in. Once hooked, it doesn’t let go until the credits roll. Mae is an imperfect cat with many vulnerabilities and that’s why the story resonates so deep; because when you play this there is no doubt that many will have experienced some of the things in this game. Even though it is a supernatural adventure these are just characters living normal lives with everyday problems which the writers have brought to the fore with an excellent written script. I can’t promise that this will be for everyone, but I can confidently say that those that are willing to give this one the time it deserves will be richly rewarded.	Read review
TechRaptor	Samuel Guglielmo	9.5 / 10	02-27-2017	Night in the Woods is basically everything I always hope games can be. Powerful and moving with gameplay that’s clever, rewarding, and unique, all wrapped up in one of my favorite presentations. Don’t pass this up.	Read review
The Digital Fix	Katie Fanthorpe	9 / 10	03-13-2017	Despite some slightly uneven pacing, Night in the Woods is a mature, honest and fun tale of how it feels to be lost in a damaged world. This is the indie game you just have to get your paws on.	Read review
The Game Fanatics	Caleb L’Etoile	8 / 10	03-07-2017	Overall, Night In The Woods is a charming and well-executed slice of American life in a small town.	Read review
Thumbsticks	Daniel New	5 / 5 stars	03-27-2018	Poignant, sometimes sad, but also joyous and gut-wrenchingly funny, Night in the Woods is a bold, brave game that will be be recognised as an all time great.	Read review
TrueAchievements	Mark Delaney	4 / 5 stars	01-17-2018	Night in the Woods is a refreshing take on the adventure genre.	Read review
Twinfinite	Tom Hopkins	4.5 / 5 stars	03-07-2017	While Night in the Woods does have the platforming and exploration elements that you would expect from a 2D adventure game, it is first and foremost a game about conversation and listening. The detailed characters and excellent writing tell stories that can be hilarious and heartbreaking and, as Mae, you develop some relationships with people you truly care about.	Read review
VGChartz	Karl Koebke	Recommended	03-13-2017	Night in the Woods succeeds in placing completely believable characters in insane situations while keeping them grounded.	Read review
VideoGamer	Colm Ahern	8 / 10	02-27-2017	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	Read review
Washington Post	Christopher Byrd	Recommended	03-02-2017	Unlike other narrative-driven games like “Gone Home” or “Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture” that can be completed in less than four hours, “Night in the Woods” is considerably longer. (I’m not sure how long it took me to finish it, but Steam tells me that I had the program open for more than a dozen hours.) Although some of the online comments found the narrative plodding at points, I found the game’s length to be in the service of a healthy artistic strategy.	Read review
We Got This Covered	Tyler Treese	4 / 5 stars	02-28-2017	Night in the Woods might get messy with its broad strokes, but it’s the fine details that make the game so special.	Read review
Windows Central	Brendan Lowry	4.5 / 5 stars	12-20-2017	Though some of its gameplay can feel overly repetitive, Night in the Woods soundly delivers a relatable, impactful narrative that will keep players attached for the ride, from start to finish — all held together by beautiful stylized graphics.	Read review

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About Night in the Woods

Game Description / Storyline:

Night In The Woods is an adventure game heavily focused on story, characters and exploration, with some platforming to get around town. Mae’s a cat so the roofs and ledges and powerlines are all her playground, and she’s not the only one up there by a long shot. You’ll also be doing various activities and interacting with the world in different ways, getting to know the townspeople, hanging out with friends, exploring Possum Springs inside and out, and venturing into the surrounding areas.

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