Night in the Woods
5 Indie Ports That Should Come to Switch
Night in the Woods is easily one of the standout indie titles of 2017, not only for its bright colorful world, but also its affecting and realistic take on depression and mental illness. Night in the Woods follows a 20 year old cat named Mae, who’s dropped out of college and has returned to live with her parents in her childhood home of Possum Springs. Much of the game involves running around the town as Mae exploring, talking to residents, hanging out with friends, and more.
Night in the Woods absolutely nails that small town feel, and the characters bring the game to life with their quirky, and often nihilistic, personalities. Things do start to go awry, however, as Mae has disturbing dreams and starts seeing ghost-like figures in the town. This means that Night in the Woods has two purposes: unraveling the mystery of what’s happening with Mae, and spending time getting to know her friends. Both aspects of the game reveal more and more about Mae herself, as well as those around her. Night in the Woods has a fascinating way of broaching topics like mental health, prejudice against sexual orientation, and finding self worth. It treats these topics as things that happen, ancillary parts of the characters that you find out about as you get to know them. It’s serious in its tone, but shows how its characters deal with these problems among many others.
The quiet, laid back tone of most of the game is relaxing, and putting the game on Nintendo Switch means you could play Night in the Woods on the go. Like many indie games, this would be the perfect experience to pop in while you’re on the train or out and about, taking a few minutes to explore the town before you reach your destination.
