out of all the many games ive played since the beginning of my gamer years in, like, 2016..

night in the woods is one of my absolute favorites.

the art design, sound design, music, dialogue and story all works so well together its amazing.

the art design is so simple yet so detailed in its own beautiful way. The simple glow accentuates the simplistic shapes that make up the world, making way for a cartoonish and child-like look to NITW's world despite its very deep and kind of dark storyline. I love taking in the world of Possum Springs - the autumn season the game takes place in adds an extra depth of nostalgia to me that only immerses me further. It really does remind me of those fall days in elementary school where I'd look at the world with wonder, all those fallen leaves, the red and yellows, etc.

moving on, the sound design. I feel this is a bit of an underappreciated part of NITW, but to me, the sounds in this game are beautifully crafted and add a layer of realism and immersion. characters' footsteps, the environmental ambience, the music, it's beautiful. i've always appreciated sound design in games, since it can really make or break a gaming experience (for example, the silent hill games). I'm happy to see it be a strong point in NITW.

next, the music. oh my god the music. alec knew wtf he was doing and was a genius at his craft. the music combines nostalgia, hard/punk rock jams, and that feeling of growing up throughout early, formative teenage years. playing the bass along with the band, or by yourself in mae's room, is a fun lil minigame that I actually enjoyed, despite my dislike of those kinda rhythm games. Die Anywhere Else and Mallard's Tomb evoke childhood-era feelings that not many other songs can rise in me. it actually tears me up, especially Mallard's Tomb. not many songs are able to do that, except maybe His Theme from undertale. (RIP Alec.)

the writing in this game is exceptional stuff, the game has such a perfect blend of realness and humor. I could genuinely relate to some moments in this game, especially the fight with Mae and her mom (I have issues with my own mom irl, so yeah). All of these characters feel *alive*, which sadly you don't see much of anymore in big AAA games, even the NPCs feel organic and real, too. The whole town of Possum Springs feels like its own midwestern town in America, and I love it. The beer-belly dads yelling GO SMELTERS, the teens hanging around, people Mae knows, other citizens living in the town... it's all amazing. the details in Mae's struggle with her own mental illness (which I genuinely thought was schizophrenia at one point, I do believe that is wrong now) are also very well done.

in general, the story is one that was longer than I expected, which I actually liked. usually, stories get to a point where they drag out to me, but, not for me here. I was consistently excited to find out more about this world's story and wtf was going on with the ghost. all the little other storylines, like with Bruce for example, all helped to package this game up into one beautiful, sweet gift that I couldn't be happier to recieve.

please, for the love of GOD buy this game.
dont hesitate.
BUY IT.

10/10
<3

Literally my favorite game on planet earth.
I never shut up about this game, and I never will.
This game is so beautiful and has such a different take on just everything really, to say this game changed me would not be putting it into enough words but I am not nearly smart enough to really showcase how I feel towards this game.

1000000000000000/10

i didn't participate in any of my graduation stuff but if I DID my senior quote would have been from this game
"cradle to grave, 100% dirtball"

This game is so epic sauce yall!!