Night In the Woods

Night+in+the+Woods+by+Infinite+Fall

Night in the Woods by Infinite Fall

Sarah Phillips, Guest Columnist

Night in the Woods is a single player adventure game developed by Infinite Fall. This game was released on February 28, 2017.  They way this game is to be perceived and judged by me is by graphic design, public thoughts and ideas, how  fast or slow this game’s story develops, and the character analysis and their influence on the story’s plot line.

This game’s graphic design is based on simple illustrations of the imagination. The main character Mae is a small, smokey-grey cat with a red shirt and red eyes while the setting around her is a platform-based game. For a game released in early 2017, it has gained a large base for its design and characters.

The characters are Mae Borowski, Greg Lee, Angus Delaney, and Beatrice Santello. Each character has a great influence on the story. Mae Borowski is a twenty-year-old college dropout. She comes home hoping to reach a level of comfort she didn’t feel while in college. This character is full of anxiety and smart comebacks. Her idea of a perfect night is pizza and some possible crimes. Mae’s parents love her tremendously using the mortgage money to pay for all of Mae’s college expenses, so they are now at risk of losing the house. This character is the main focus of the plot. She is quick on her feet that is also what gets her into to some sticky situations.

Greg Lee is a carefree, happy-go-lucky character that is also romantically involved with Angus Delaney. Greg is what most would consider irresponsible; he leaves work (The Snack Falcon) when he feels like it. Greg causes plenty property damage. His lover seems to not agree with this lifestyle but wants to support him. Angus works at Video Rentals. this character has the most devastating past; as a child, his mother and father would abuse him on a daily basis. Desperately he clung to anything around him to make it through. When Angus met Greg, the connection was instant. You almost never see the two apart. These two characters are meant to represent the struggles of everyday life and that if they could make it, Mae could too.

Beatrice Santello is a character that really taps into Mae’s inner depressed state. She allow Mae to learn the world for herself. Bea lost her mother at a young age. As her father was getting old, she took over her dad’s shop (Old Pickaxe hardware store). This character allows Mae to  progress by taking her to her lowest point.

This game right now is rated (10/10) on Steam, (9/10) on GameSpot, and (86%) on Metacritic. “The colours palettes are beautiful, the writing is sincere and endearing, and the characters are animals.”(Amoebic from Steam). This game has a way of connecting with the player through its strange yet understanding characters. We can see this through the build up in the character Mae.

Night in the Woods has a deeper meaning than what meets the eye. We grow as people and move forward in our lives; however, we don’t do it alone. Those closest will always have the greatest impact on what is soon to come.