Night in the Woods Game Review

Night in the Woods is a 2D, narrative-based, beginner friendly, “point-and-click” genre game where the players can follow the characters’ personal journeys. The majority of the plot unfolds in the format of conversations. The story telling style is novel, and sometimes poetry-like. The artwork and music are beautiful and elegant. This game is an instant classic in terms of realistic mental health portrayal because it depicts socio-economically and politically serious subject matters that are sadness-evoking, and strikingly parallel to today’s societal context.

The main character Mae Borowski, a black cartoon cat, is a directionless 20-year-old college dropout who returns to her hometown, Possum Springs, as the game starts. Possum Springs is a small American rural city that has endured some tragic history and thus, people in the town are struggling with economic hardships. Upon arrival at hometown, with no hope of landing on a job, Mae embarks on continuous adventures with her childhood friends, Bea, Angus, and Gregg. They explore every corner of the city, stargaze at rooftop, walk along riverside, play bass together, chat about ghosts, and spend venturesome nights in the wood. As they reminiscences the good old past and discusses the uncertain future, their own mental illnesses unravel. The mental health conditions that the four of them have been suffering with include nightmare, anxiety, reality denial, dissociation and depersonalization, depression, and more. They are victims of the bigger environment where there is a general lack of opportunities, resources, and awareness. Their mental health issues mostly go undiagnosed or underdiagnosed.

The themes in Night in the Woods are still super relevant for today’s generation. The mental health and financial instability portrayed in the game parallels the mental health crisis and failing job market nowadays. Through the characters’ experiences, the game aims to convey that although there is no easy solution and no immediate cure, no one is alone.