I Played - Night In The Woods

I recently started gaming a little more seriously (still a filthy casual, though). My SO got me a few games and one of those was “Night in the Woods”. It is a 2D story, exploration and character focused adventure side scroller that I absolutely enjoyed playing.

The game starts with the main character, Mae Borowski, a 20-year-old, going back to her hometown, Possum Springs after dropping out of college, in the hopes of resuming her old life with her friends and parents. However, Possum Springs is changing and so are its inhabitants.

Mae seems to be falling a little behind, struggling to come to terms with the fact that she, too, is not going to be 20 years old forever.

Mae tries to reconnect with her friends and reacquaint herself with Possum Springs, but like aforementioned, things have changed. Her friends have grown up, they have jobs, and they just cannot hang out the way they used to before. They are working so hard and trying to make their lives better while Mae seems to be falling a little behind, struggling to come to terms with the fact that she, too, is not going to be 20 years old forever.

The uncertainty of it all causes her anxiety and it shows in the way she kicks away the days, trying to hang out with her friends whenever they are available and exploring the town. And this is the premise that caught my attention- the uncertainty that comes with adulthood and the anxiety it induces.

There are a lot of fun and funny moments in the game. The dialogue is brilliant and engaging.

Before I go on about this, I want to mention that there are a lot of fun and funny moments in the game. The dialogue is brilliant and engaging. My favourite moments in the game are when she does crimes with Gregg. They make you appreciate the joy of young, wild and free times of our early twenties.

My favourite moments in the game are when she does crimes with Gregg. They make you appreciate the joy of young, wild and free times of our early twenties.

Further, the honest and raw conversations that she gets to have with her friends, Angus and Bea, that help her understand what exactly they are going through reminded me of the importance of communication in all our relationships. (There are a lot of scenes I loved that I would have had the pleasure of sharing here, but that could end up being an entire book. LOL)

Mae does not know what to do with her life after leaving college and this takes a toll on her. This is shown through the spooky dreams she gets every night and her encounter with a “ghost”. It all progresses into an almost fatal encounter which helps Mae realise a few important things about friendship and growing up.

It all progresses into an almost fatal encounter which helps Mae realise a few important things about friendship and growing up.

So, this game just reminded me how growing into adulthood can present challenges, especially mentally. Our early twenties are a fun time but also very uncertain, almost like seeing dead shapes in the middle of the night. The good news, though, is that everything all comes to an end.