An Ode to Night in the Woods: A Charming Game About the Bleakness of Life
“At the end of everything, hold onto anything”
Sitting quietly, minding its own business somewhere in my Steam library is a quaint little game named Night in the Woods. Its promotional art features cute little animal people, with a captivating style that makes it almost like a child’s book. At first glance, it’s easy to overlook Night in the Woods as just happy-go-lucky indie game. However, there’s a lot going on under the surface, which also happens to speak to one of the game’s core themes.
Night in the Woods leverages a familiar yet mystifying setting filled with thoughtful art design and a believable, character-driven story that establishes an impactful and emotional experience.
Rust-belt Gothic and the town of Possum Springs
Enter Possum Springs, a small former mining town that sits in a valley surrounded by state forests.
A train passes by in the background occasionally, letting the resonant and booming sound of its horn fill the landscape. Dotted throughout the town are various general good stores and fast food joints, which take the place of the industry the town used to know in the era of coal mining.
Townsfolk live in quaint houses, often with barn-stars plastered on them, reminding me of my childhood living in Pennsylvania. The world of Night in the Woods would be near-indistinguishable from a real rust-belt town if it wasn’t for the fact that its world is inhabited entirely by colorful anthropomorphized animals.
This rust-belt setting is the platform that the entire game rests upon. Its downtrodden ambiance is unique, and yet ever-so familiar to anybody who has lived in the rust-belt. The local pub being placed near the general store where many characters work, the lone war memorial to some years-past veteran, and the local pierogi vendor are all memorable places in the game’s world.
These locations could be a part of any town, and yet, somehow, they only belong in a town like Possum Springs.
Scott Benson, the lead writer of the game, calls this setting ‘Rust-belt Gothic,’ a term that combines the bleakness of the rust-belt with the literary motifs of Gothic literature. This setting exists in lieu of the overcompensating and confusing settings of many other video games on the market today, and truly sets Night in the Woods apart from other games on the market.
Thoughtful and colorful art design bring this world to life
The art style of Night in the Woods is quite odd and different. This is just dandy, as Night in the Woods itself is quite odd and different! The visual design dovetails with the game as well as two peas in a pod would, assuming those peas have no political differences to argue over.
In contrast to the darker, more depressing setting of the game, the art features a wide array of color intensity with charming character designs that look like they were pulled from a kids’ book. This art brings life to the town of Possum Springs.
However, when necessary, Night in the Woods plunges the player into the darker depths of reality just as much as it keeps the art-style upbeat.
While the game attempts to create a traditional post-rust-belt town, the use of the animal characters allows the player to focus on its themes, rather than worrying too much about references to the real world.
Additionally, the use of animal characters adds to character design by making it easier for the player to assign personalities to each individual denizen of the town.
All in all, the art style of Night in the Woods is integral to the experience of the game, and sets up a charming yet mystifying experience that is emphasized by the wonderful characters of Possum Springs.
Character-driven storytelling done right
The character-driven story of Night in the Woods is what really sets up the emotional impact and importance of the game as a whole.
This tale stars Mae Borowski, a navy-black cat who has just dropped out of college to return to her hometown of Possum Springs. The story covers her attempt to return to the normalcy of Possum Springs, and in another facet, her attempt to return to the simplicity of childhood and reconnect with old friends.
In contrast, Mae’s old-town friends seem to be ready to grow up and leave the never-changing town. Gregg, a fox, and Angus, a bear, seek to move to a more queer-friendly town with better job opportunities. Bea, a crocodile, aims to save enough money to go to college and leave behind her abusive father.
What holds these characters together is their realistic characterization. Like real people, they struggle and have conflicts, but ultimately, they work through them.
The similarities and differences between Mae and her friends lead to an interwoven coming-of-age story that could easily stand its own with other similarly-themed stories such as Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
This beautiful characterization is present throughout the story. But the narrative truly shines when the characters face a Lovecraftian-style danger later on in the adventure.
In a comical-yet-tense moment, the main cast gathers around in an apartment as Mae semi-jokingly states, “Don’t panic, but we’re maybe all gonna die soon.”
Night in the Woods pulls together simple ingredients that form a much larger experience when combined. The art design, the highly-relatable story, and the genuine emotion — all combined with stellar writing — make Night in the Woods a truly unique and compelling experience. If you’ve never played Night in the Woods, I highly recommend it.
